Peter Dickson is an Australian-based accomplished flamenco and jazz acoustic guitarist with ten albums to his credit.
Born in Bangalore, India, of English parents, Dickson started his professional music career at the age of thirteen and
has since travelled and performed in Europe, India, Japan and Australia.
Dickson has been described as "Australia's fastest guitarist" with impeccable technique and emotion,
executing complex lines with artistic integrity and precision, and surprising every now and then with
percussive drumming on the guitar body.
This gifted musician first delved into the Spanish style after he chanced upon a recording of maestro
flamenco guitarist Paco De Lucia in London at the ripe age of 21.
Inspired by the music, Dickson honed his skills at the acoustic guitar for up to five hours a day,
while also working by day as a chef, carpenter and plumber, among various other jobs in London.
He arrived in Australia in late 1986 to work as a chef in the Star Hotel in South Melbourne, but he
also busked at the Bourke Street Mall with local Spanish guitarist, Juan Martinez, for a year.
That partnership led to the recording of his first album, "Just The Two Of Us", in 1987.
In the years since, Dickson has recorded nine other albums, infusing his style with everything from fusion
jazz to carnatic South Indian music.
A second Dickson/Martinez album entitled "Flamenco Falsetas" was a hit record in Australia in 1996 and sold
over 60,000 copies, firmly establishing the duo has guitar virtuosos.
The success of the album introduced Dickson to legendary Australian "finger stylist" Tommy Emmanuel, with whom he
did three live appearances, and also supported on national tours.
In August 1999, Dickson launched a solo career with the release of his first self-produced solo album titled
"EastWest". He played all the instruments on this recording, blending the Spanish guitar with Indian percussion.
He went on to cut "Talking to God" with leading carnatic musicians in South India and completed the recording in
Sydney featuring bassist Steve Hunter, formerly from the Chick Corea band.
In 2001, Dickson did a concert in India with an Indian fusion band featuring the sitar, tabla, ghatam, tanpura and
percussions, which resulted in album "Live in India".
Back in Sydney, Dickson produced "Alone with You" in 2003, and began touring to promote the album in India,
Japan and Singapore.
Dickson's compositions reflect the years of immersion in Latin, Spanish, Indian and French gypsy styles
with noted jazz inflections.
LINKS: peterdickson.com |
His albums | ST article
(Posted: Mar 16, 2005)
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