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The Final Performances of
a Legend
Few
American musicians have had the impact and widespread influence
in as many distinctive areas as Les Paul.
He
was the Godfather of the electric guitar. Inventor of multi-track
recording, overdubbing, reverb, and echo. Music as we know it would literally not
be possible without the recording processes he pioneered.
As a
guitarist and performer, he expanded the sonic and musical
palettes of American popular song. His
virtuosic playing, and the mythical Gibson electric guitar that bears
his name, inspired the legends of the rock & roll revolution.
This
live concert film is the final portrait of Les Paul as he
was during the last three decades of his life: a ribald and roasting-toasting
performer
and Manhattan jazz club institution.
Every Monday night he staked his musical claim on the metropolis,
often joined by the biggest names in show business. These
impromptu jam sessions became renown in music circles, and the
tradition continued right up until August 2009, when the legendary
guitarist left us.
The
performances captured here began on Les Paul's 90th birthday when
luminaries from around the musical world gathered to celebrate at New
York's historic Iridium Club.
The
trademark elements of his sound - heavy reverb, crisp echo, trebly and
twangy tone, bends, and glissandos - are on full display, as is his
consummate showmanship, his sometimes-risqué humor, and his insatiable appetite for fun and for surprise.
Les
Paul Live In New York shows the reasons why Les had millions of fans
the world over. No one had more fun on his Monday night gigs
than Les.
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LES
PAUL LIVE IN NEW YORK
