As a perfect follow up to my Beatles posts these last few weeks, I would like to introduce my dear friend Kevin Knelman. He is a fascinating musician! He has performed around the world, composes regularly, and is a wonderful teacher. You can check out his short bio at http://www.knelmanmusic.com/kevin-bio.php.
Here’s one of his home videos of his Beatles arrangement- Yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYzgoJXlCQ0
Why the Beatles?
I not only love their music, I have admiration for them. I appreciate their ability to explore so many styles. For me, the exploration of music has been a lot like a science. I like to experiment with new musical ideas; perhaps matching two completely different styles together like reggae and country or jazz and Bollywood. Something most people wouldn’t even consider doing. I am convinced these four guys were the most iconic and recklessly experimental musical group of the 20th century. I still remember hearing Paul singing ‘Til There Was You,’ and being completely knocked out that the band who sang ‘Twist & Shout’ could do material from a musical so beautifully. George Martin of course needs a nod as the fifth Beatle, and as the truly educated musician who could turn crazy Beatles ideas into musical reality. All four band members could sing, harmonize, play several instruments, and write songs. It never happened before and hasn’t happened again. Occasionally you get a super group of musicians joining forces like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, but these are short lived experiments. No other band and no other songwriters come close to the range of styles and brilliant composition that the Beatles encompass.
When I asked Kevin what inspired him to create these beautiful arrangements, he simply said that he couldn’t find any good arrangements for the Beatles on guitar, so he thought he should do it himself.
You can check out his interview with the online radio show ‘Beatles Universe’ here. Please note, his email address has been changed to [email protected].
‘When I was 16, I told my father that the Beatles would be remembered long after we were both gone. He laughed at me, saying they were a passing fancy. Ten years later we were talking, and he apologized and admitted that he was wrong. The Beatles were indeed going to be remembered for centuries to come.’
You can check out his album here https://youtu.be/owvwQK-hDSI, and purchase his album at CD Baby or iTunes.