Guitarist, Jeffrey Briggs
Jeffrey Briggs is a classical and flamenco guitarist, and also plays Latin American music on the guitar, the Venezuelan cuatro, and the Andean charango. He has studied with flamenco guitarist Juan Serrano, Nubian oud player Hamza el Din, and Argentinian charango virtuoso Jaime Torres. He has performed on radio and television, including appearances on the Spanish-language television network Univision and international broadcasts from Argentina.
In 1995-96 he played guitar in the critically acclaimed musical Twist of Fate in at the Tiffany Theatre in Los Angeles, (winner of 5 awards from the LA Drama Critics Circle and the LA Weekly, including Best Musical of 1995) and composed and performed music for The Bullfight, a play by Venezuelan writer Rodolfo Santana at the Stages Theatre Center in Hollywood in 2000. In California he has played at the L.A. Marathon, The Cinegrill, Viva Madrid, Holly Street Bar & Grill, Angelique Cafe, Olé LA, John O’Groats, Cafe Boriquén, Taix, Twin Palms, and Luna Negra, and has performed at UCLA, Cal State LA, Cal State Irvine, Occidental College, the Claremont Colleges, and Cypress College. Elsewhere he has performed at Cornell, Denison, Capital, Oberlin, and Ohio State universities, as well as at Earlham College.
Êl Charanguero, his video documentary about Argentinean musician Jaime Torres, has aired on PBS stations throughout the United States, and is being distributed internationally.
Before coming to Los Angeles in 1995 Briggs was leader of the Latin American band Sangría, which performed throughout the Midwest. He has also accompanied flamenco dancers Assieh and Maria Pontones, as well as classes for dancers Maria Benítez, Carolyn Berger, Mari, and Joanna del Rio.
Cuatro |
The cuatro is a Venezuelan four-string member of the guitar family tuned a fifth higher than the guitar, with the exception of the first string, which is dropped an octave. This piece consists of a series of arpeggios, with the repeated sound of the first string as a drone or pedal point.
Fantasía Naravez |
Homenaje A Falú |
Eduardo Falú is a brilliant Argentinean guitarist known for his amazing technique and use of glissandos. I have tried to imitate that device in this homage to him.
La Partida 2 |
The arrangement of this anonymous Venezuelan piece is based on a version by Argentine musician Leo Carabajal.
Rumba |
An Afro-Cuban rhythm that has become a popular form of flamenco.
