Enchanting piece of artistry 🌸 VEGAN VOCALIST

SEA MUSIC FOR SPANISH GUITARS

The idea for The Navigator began on a yacht delivery - a voyage from Los Christianos 
in the Canary Islands to the Saronic Gulf in Greece.
Sailing by way of Madeira and Gibralter, I played the guitar, listened and watched as 
horizons came and went, and seabirds and dolphins passed by. As I took my turn at 
fishing, trimming sails, keeping a lookout, and steering the course, musical shapes
began to form. These ideas stayed with me long after the boat was left behind.

 This first selection of Navigator music was recorded near Land's End, Cornwall, high 
 above the Atlantic rollers, surrounded by elemental land and seascape, and
 within earshot of the eerie siren wail of the Longships lighthouse.

Navigare necesse est. Vivere non est.
          


Lands End

Al has written and produced the music for some of the BBC's most stunning marine, environmental, wildlife and adventure films. He is also known for his work on many documentaries that have explored emotive and highly charged subjects, often involving key moments in art and history.

But there’s another side to the story - equipped with mobile recording gear and guitars, Al creates new music during rambling voyages – exploring coasts, islands and the stretches of open sea between them. Taking inspiration from the ocean, coastal cultures  and road trips, he shapes a music that reflects a search for the real and the raw.

Down To The Sea In Ships

Al's floating studio during these voyages is a 29ft yacht he sails with his wife, filmmaker Jenny Jones. During their summer cruises, he plays and records guitar, surf, sea birds and dolphins, as well as atmospheres, conversations overheard, street musicians, marching bands, church bells – anything that crosses his auditory horizon.  These recordings provide a fund of musical ideas that evolve into albums and film soundtracks.
While Jenny is skipper of the boat, she is also a film director, and with Al on board as composer they have collaborated on films for the BBC, Channel 4 and Animal Planet – their favourite subject seems to be sharks, most spectacularly, the Great White.

Al is now making his music available to a wider public, outside the context of his broadcast films.
Bringing together his film soundtracks and brand new recordings in a series of linked themes.
His first release, The Living Soul is a journey into memory and place, an exploration of universal themes: the oceanic unconscious, love, loss, and redemption. Personal, reflective and emotional, this album is played out with acoustic instruments, and features the hauntingly beautiful vocals of Abbie Lathe. 

Seven videos featuring tracks from The Living  Soul are available to view on Al's YouTube channel and FaceBook band page. They include footage edited from some of Al's most striking and haunting films for the BBC. https://www.allethbridge.com/video

Al has been nominated for the Royal Television Society BEST MUSIC Award for his score for the BBC's Empire Of the Desert Ants.

'..One of my favourite composers and a fantastic guitarist..' - Guy Fletcher OBE - Chairman Of PRS For Music 2011-2017

Lands End

Al Lethbridge

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