Tim Sparks
Encyclopedia
Tim Sparks is an American acoustic guitar player, singer, arranger and composer.
, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis
kept him out of school for a year. The music he heard around him was traditional country blues, and the gospel his grandmother played on piano in a small church in the Blue Ridge Mountains
, so that's what he taught himself to play.
He was nominated for a scholarship at the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts
. There he studied the classics with Andrés Segovia
protegee Jesus Silva. While recording three albums with the seminal vocal jazz ensemble Rio Nido
, Sparks also became proficient in jazz
styles from Brazilian to Bebop
, which brought him several regional music awards including Best Acoustic Guitarist, Best Latin Jazz guitarist, and Best Jazz Guitarist in the Minnesota Music Awards
. In 1993 he won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival
in Winfield, Kansas, playing his adaptation of The Nutcracker
Suite by Tchaikovsky.
In the late 90s, Sparks had been immersed in the ethnic music scene and accompanying on guitar in Greek and Klezmer
orchestras. He was a featured performer with Crossing Borders at the Bethlehem International Music Festival in July 1995 and has received two Arts Fellowships to pursue ethno-musicological studies. He spent one fall studying Fado
and Portuguese guitar in Lisbon. In 1989 he arranged Russian folk music
for the Guthrie Theater
's adaptation of Uncle Vanya
and in 1991 he was commissioned to compose music for Tienanmen, a ballet depicting the student uprising in China, for Myron Johnson's Ballet of the Dolls.
In 2000, Sparks began an association with American composer John Zorn
. He has recorded four highly acclaimed CDs of Jewish Klezmer
music adapted for acoustic fingerstyle guitar on Zorn's label, Tzadik Records
. He earned a McKnight Fellowship to notate and edit the arrangements on Neshamah for publication.
Sparks has performed as an opening act for Dolly Parton
and has performed on the same stage as Sandor Szabo
, Franco Morone, Cyro Baptista
, Isato Nakagawa and Bill Frisell
. He has also performed on such national venues as A Prairie Home Companion
, the main stage of the Winnipeg Folk Festival
and the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society. He has performed at the Edenkoben Festival and the Dresden Guitar Festival in Germany and held a Jazz Guitar teaching residency in Lisbon, Portugal. He frequently tours Japan, France, Belgium, Austria and Hungary.
Sparks is a past faculty member at the University of Minnesota Morris and continues to perform in concert.
Biography
Raised in Winston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
kept him out of school for a year. The music he heard around him was traditional country blues, and the gospel his grandmother played on piano in a small church in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
, so that's what he taught himself to play.
He was nominated for a scholarship at the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts
North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
. There he studied the classics with Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
protegee Jesus Silva. While recording three albums with the seminal vocal jazz ensemble Rio Nido
Rio Nido
-Band history:Rio Nido was a jazz vocal trio that began as part of the Minneapolis West Bank music scene in the early 1970s. The first incarnation of the group consisted of Prudence Johnson on vocals, Tim Sparks on vocals and guitar, and Tom Lieberman on guitar and vocals...
, Sparks also became proficient in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
styles from Brazilian to Bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
, which brought him several regional music awards including Best Acoustic Guitarist, Best Latin Jazz guitarist, and Best Jazz Guitarist in the Minnesota Music Awards
Minnesota Music Academy
The Minnesota Music Academy is a music institution in Minnesota. The Academy promotes the Minnesota Music Awards, which it gives out, and also operates a music festival called The Icebreaker....
. In 1993 he won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival
Walnut Valley Festival
The Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...
in Winfield, Kansas, playing his adaptation of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
Suite by Tchaikovsky.
In the late 90s, Sparks had been immersed in the ethnic music scene and accompanying on guitar in Greek and Klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
orchestras. He was a featured performer with Crossing Borders at the Bethlehem International Music Festival in July 1995 and has received two Arts Fellowships to pursue ethno-musicological studies. He spent one fall studying Fado
Fado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
and Portuguese guitar in Lisbon. In 1989 he arranged Russian folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
for the Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
's adaptation of Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
and in 1991 he was commissioned to compose music for Tienanmen, a ballet depicting the student uprising in China, for Myron Johnson's Ballet of the Dolls.
In 2000, Sparks began an association with American composer John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
. He has recorded four highly acclaimed CDs of Jewish Klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
music adapted for acoustic fingerstyle guitar on Zorn's label, Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
. He earned a McKnight Fellowship to notate and edit the arrangements on Neshamah for publication.
Sparks has performed as an opening act for Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
and has performed on the same stage as Sandor Szabo
Sandor Szabo
Sandor Szabo was a Hungarian professional wrestler of the mid-twentieth century. At first, due to his large size, he was promoted by Jack Pfefer and Jack Curley of New York City as a "freak talent", one of a number of foreign and extraordinary wrestlers booked to attract the curious. In the early...
, Franco Morone, Cyro Baptista
Cyro Baptista
Cyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
, Isato Nakagawa and Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
. He has also performed on such national venues as A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
, the main stage of the Winnipeg Folk Festival
Winnipeg Folk Festival
The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a summer folk music festival held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It features a variety of folk artists from all around the world, as well as a number of local folk performers....
and the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society. He has performed at the Edenkoben Festival and the Dresden Guitar Festival in Germany and held a Jazz Guitar teaching residency in Lisbon, Portugal. He frequently tours Japan, France, Belgium, Austria and Hungary.
Sparks is a past faculty member at the University of Minnesota Morris and continues to perform in concert.
Albums
- The Nutcracker Suite (1993)
- Guitar BazaarGuitar BazaarGuitar Bazaar is the second solo recording by Tim Sparks on the Acoustic Music Records label, released in 1995.-History:After a journey to Hungary, Yugoslavia and Bosnia in the late 1980s, Sparks began an interest in Eastern European music. He began playing in various world music groups and...
(1995) - One String Leads to AnotherOne String Leads To AnotherOne String Leads to Another is the title of the third solo recording by American guitarist Tim Sparks on the Acoustic Music Records label. The title is taken from a quote by John Renbourn. While speaking of Davey Graham's travels in Morocco "where he came across a tuning used on an exotic, North...
(1999) - NeshamahNeshamahNeshamah , is the title of the first solo recording by American guitarist Tim Sparks on the Tzadik Records label...
(Songs From The Jewish DiasporaJewish diasporaThe Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
) (1999) - TanzTanz (album)Tanz is the second recording by American guitarist Tim Sparks on the Tzadik Records label, released in 2000. "Tanz" is Yiddish for "dance."-History:...
(with Cyro BaptistaCyro BaptistaCyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
and Greg CohenGreg CohenA native of Los Angeles, bassist Greg Cohen has been playing in various acclaimed music groups since the '60s. He is perhaps best known for his work with John Zorn's Masada quartet; more recently he has been touring with Ornette Coleman, and performed on Coleman's much-praised Sound Grammar...
) (2000) - At the Rebbe's TableAt The Rebbe's TableAt the Rebbe's Table is the third recording by guitarist Tim Sparks on the Tzadik Records label.-History:Producer John Zorn combined Sparks with Masada alumni Greg Cohen and Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista on Sparks' previous release Tanz, and this time adds guitarist Marc Ribot on...
(2002) - Sidewalk BluesSidewalk BluesSidewalk Blues is an album by American guitarist Tim Sparks, released in 2009. It marks a return to 'roots' music for Sparks after three albums of klezmer and jazz recordings on the Tzadik Records label....
(2009) - Little PrincessLittle Princess (Tim Sparks album)Little Princess is the eighth album by guitarist Tim Sparks and his fourth on the Tzadik Records label. It is a tribute album to the music of Klezmer clarinetist Naftule Brandwein.-History:...
(2009)
With others
- Dream CaféDream CaféDream Café is an album by American folk singer/guitarist Greg Brown, released in 1992.-Reception:Music critic David Freedlander praised the release in his Allmusic review, writing Brown "Brown produces an album as light and refreshing as a summer breeze...
(Greg Brown) (1992) - Masada GuitarsMasada GuitarsMasada Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: Masada Guitars is the first album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project.-History:...
(also featuring tracks by Bill FrisellBill FrisellWilliam Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
and Marc RibotMarc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
) (2003) - Le Freylekh Trio Featuring Goulash System, (2009, Harmonia MundiHarmonia MundiHarmonia Mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles . The Latin phrase means "world harmony"....
)
Video
- In Concert (with Franco Morone)
- Guitar Bazaar: Multicultural Ideas for Fingerstyle Guitar (instructional video) (1995)
- Fingerstyle Guitar: New Dimensions and Explorations (concert video)
- Roots, Rags, and Blues (instructional DVD) (2007)
Sheet music
- The Nutcracker Suite (1993. (Acoustic Music Records).
- Balkan Dreams Suite (1996). (Mel Bay PublicationsMel Bay PublicationsMel Bay was a musician best known for his series of music education books. His Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords remains a bestseller.-Childhood and early life:...
). - Guitar Bazaar (1996). (Acoustic Music Records).
- Fingerstyle Excursions (1998). (Mel Bay Publications).
- Neshamah (2004). With Bruce Muckala (Mel Bay Publications).
External links
- Official Tim Sparks website
- http://www.citypages.com/2002-11-20/arts/about-a-goyAbout a Goy by Dylan Hicks, City PagesCity PagesCity Pages is an alternative weekly newspaper serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It features news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews, and music criticism. It is printed in a tabloid format, and is available free every Wednesday...
, Nov. 2002] - Interview with Tim Sparks