USOM Presents GUITAR NIGHT LIVE Ep 17: Tommy Halferty
At a glance
About this event
Guitar Night Live is a webinar series featuring professional guitarists talking and playing - and answering your questions LIVE!
Guitar Night Live is a livestream guitar interview show with special guests hosted by Ultimate School of Music. Some of the world's top professional guitarists across all genres will be on the show, interviewed by USOM director Daniel Jacobson.
This is a chance to hear these players talk openly and informally about how they got into guitar, and what got them to where they are now on their guitar playing journey. You will also see and hear them demonstrate their favourite techniques and practice methods.
You can even pick their brains by joining in and asking questions!
Each guest will be announced one week before the show.
The idea for Guitar Night Live came about when we at USOM were thinking about what we could be doing for the large guitar community in Ireland, including our own students. While the webinar will be free to all, the guest will choose whether we'll share their paypal link for donations to go straight to them, or the school's patron fund if they prefer. A lot of these great artists have lost a huge portion of their income due to gig cancellations.
Guitar Night Live will be free to participate in (you will need to download the Zoom app and have an internet connection).
Episode 17 of Guitar Night Live features Ireland's leading jazz guitarist, Tommy Halferty
Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, he began his musical career in the late 70s taking Jazz Guitar lessons with Louis Stewart, a world class jazz musician. Some of his earliest appearances playing public were with bands such as `Jump' - a jazz fusion group and later on `Nunn' - a trio of flute, double bass and guitar. Most of the material here was drawn from classical, folk and jazz music.
In the early '80s Tommy Halferty formed a trio consisting of guitar, bass guitar, and drums producing fresh sounds, original compositions, and with John Wadham (drums), Ronan Guilfoyle (bass) the trio proved to be a well integrated ensemble and one of the most successful groups in Ireland during this period.
Tommy has played as part of a guitar duo (with Mike Nielsen) in the Tel-Aviv International Guitar Festival '94. They were voted Critic's Choice in `The Jerusalem Post' of that year. A special honour was given to Tommy when he was asked to play for President Clinton when he visited Ireland in November '96.
Tommy was also a member of the Keith Copeland Trio. They have recorded two CD's for the famous Steeplechase Label in '96 and '97.
As well as composing music and playing with many top musicians from around the world, Tommy has taught many musicians who've passed through his classes at Newpark Music Centre and now at DCU on the jazz course there. He is a mentor figure to many of the rising Irish jazz guitarists!
