STEVE VAI Presented With Les Paul Award; Video Available
January 29, 2012, 12 years ago
Legendary guitarist STEVE VAI received the prestigious Les Paul Award at the 27th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards on January 20th. The special event took place in Anaheim, CA as part of the NAMM 2012 and was co-presented by the TEC Foundation For Excellence In Audio.
The Les Paul Award is an annual prize given to a musician/recording artist whose work has epitomized the marriage of music and technology. It was co-presented to Vai by Russ Paul and bassist Billy Sheehan.
Footage of the presentation can be viewed below.
As previously reported, Vai is a featured guest on classical guitarist Sharon Isbin’s new release, Guitar Passions. Vai and Isbin were recently interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered about their collaboration. Check it out via the audio player below:
Vai: "It's hilarious, because my guitar has what's known as a tremolo bar or a whammy bar. And the whammy bar is probably the most alien thing on my guitar that could possibly relate to a classical guitar. And to just see her grab the whammy bar and the wah-wah, and just start going for it, it was funny. And then me, my form on the classical guitar is just like, you know, awful."
Guitar Passions was released on August 30th, 2011 via Sony Classical. Go to this location for more information on the album and Isbin's work.
Click the video below to watch a preview of Vai and Isbin performing 'Allegro' by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, arranged by Vai.
(Photo by Afshin Javadi)
