Acclaimed guitarist Pierre Bensusan teams up with Wilmington dance troupe for show

One hundred concerts from one end of America to the other – that’s what acclaimed fingerstyle guitarist Pierre Bensusan has planned, starting at Wilmington’s Hannah Block Historic USO on Thursday, March 3.

Bensusan is acknowledged around the world as one of the most original and technically skilled acoustic guitarists of his generation. His artistic influences extend from the legendary North Carolinian Doc Watson to the Celtic traditions exemplified in bands such as Planxty, as well as jazz and beyond.

"Azwan," the guitarist-composer’s 2020 release and his 13th album, came out just ahead of the first pandemic lockdowns of that year, and coincided with the tour that found him in Wilmington for a concert that had, then as now, choreographer Tracey Varga and her Forward Motion Dance ensemble as guests.

We found Bensusan at home in a village not far from Paris where he lives with his family. He responded via email to our questions about "Azwan," creativity in the time of COVID, and collaboration.

StarNews: When were you last in the United States for performances?

Pierre Bensusan: I was last in the U.S. in March 2020, ready to embark for a five-month tour, giving 110 concerts. I went back home after the fourth concert due to the pandemic.

SN: So many artists have endured isolation from their audiences, and some have found new ways to perform and connect with people. How have you kept busy over the last two years?

PB: I had no problem with remaining creative. Actually, my dilemma has always been to go on the road, touring, feeling I was never ready enough, due to the lack of time. This time, the pandemic was a sign of the universe for me to stay home, and write lots of new material, work on the older pieces, practice, record, work on other projects, such as a commission around climate change for the Planetarium in Poitiers, France.

Besides the drama, the pain and the hardship that many have experienced, including myself going through health issues, this time off was a blessing for me. A way to revisit my life, think about how things were done, said, contemplate the immediate and far past, cherish my family, my friends, my dog. Feeling our unity and strength through an ordeal as the one we are still experiencing.

SN: How have your playing and composing been affected by the mood of the world over the last few years, or have they been affected?

PB: My playing, my composing, my state of being are always affected by the moods of the world, whatever these moods may be. I have the luxury to see it from a distance even if, like for everyone else, I am immersed into it. Artists are observers and always try to mix their creativity with the ambient mood or to make it fit somehow. The more challenging, the more I have to work on myself as a living organism to cope with it and gain something from situations, and if possible, become smarter. Long story short, I am grateful to have music in my life that heals me and nourishes me at all times.

SN: Your latest album, "Azwan," came out in 2020. How would you characterize the ideas behind the album, and specific pieces, including the title piece? Will you perform music from the album in Wilmington?

PB: Yes, it did, just in sync with my 2020 U.S. tour. I had already taken a year sabbatical in order to work on the music, so I haven’t really been playing the U.S. for the last five years, except a very few cities, like Wilmington, where I started my tour two years ago at the very same time the pandemic started to hit. "Azwan" is a conceptual album in which the guitar is conceived as an orchestra to serve the polyphony I hear constantly, even more so than in my previous recordings. It’s like totally accepting the solitude and loneliness that goes with being a solo instrumentalist, and take advantage of all of that comes with it, to design a music that is timeless and as pure as possible.

SN: Do you often collaborate with artists in other mediums? What are you looking for in such collaborations?

Not really, actually, and yet my wife has been a professional dancer and choreographer, our son is a young, upcoming hip-hop dancer and choreographer. Dance is everywhere in my life. Music is a also a form of dance and vice versa. Collaborations between us are rare but always a possibility. I have mostly collaborated with other musicians, like on my albums, but also in other projects. Recently I played in Donny Osmond's latest album, "Star Again." I loved it. It breaks my solitude and forces me to see sound and spaces differently, so it’s good and enriching.

SN: Have you worked with Tracey Varga before?

PB: Yes, two years ago for my show in Wilmington that Tracey helped me to put together. She is a mountain remover, a great artist and a beautiful person. Wilmington is lucky to have her.

SN: Are you improvising music for the dances, or will you compose new work for them?

I only wish I would have composed new music for that project. Maybe one day. Tracey has picked two of my already recorded pieces that have inspired her moves, and one of them will be “Azwan”. I am eager to see what she has come up with.

Want to go?

What: Guitarist Pierre Bensusan with guests Tracey Varga and Forward Motion Dance

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3

Where: Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd St., downtown Wilmington

Tickets: $21 in advance, $25 at the door

Details: 910-341-7860 or www.pierrebensusan.com/store

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Acclaimed guitarist Pierre Bensusan teams with Wilmington dance troupe