The Undiscovered: Brent Gunter

Brent Gunter's new CD, Andalucia, is a cross-cultural fusion of music that is both earth and sky - rooted yet transcendent. Centered around his Spanish guitar which lends itself not only to classical and flamenco influences but also the blues, the tunes possess a gentle, rolling quality yet are steeped with a percussive undertow. Appealing to the world music market, Gunter's ability to offer beauty with lyricism, rich tone with technical excellence, and expressiveness with passion sets his original compositions apart. Carving out a unique sonic space in that market is a challenge, but Gunter has achieved it, using classical compositional and performance skills honed in college. He started his own record label, Sandia Crest, which aims to "inspire the music through music." Andalucia is a great first offering.

Brent was born in the Pacific Northwest and grew up in a musical family in the desert of north central New Mexico. He got his first Spanish guitar when he was five, and was inspired to learn by his guitar-playing uncle and cousins. Classical and flamenco were early influences as family members used the styles to create their own fusion that included western swing, country and traditional Mexican songs. Gunter was also fascinated as a listener with symphonic music and soundtracks. After going through his classic rock phase (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, the hard rock of the å80s), Gunter returned to music that was more classical-oriented. He studied classical composition in college and went on to explore the cross-pollination of musical styles. He also became a fan of guitarist Will Ackerman's then-burgeoning early-å80s acoustic music revolution with his homebred Windham Hill label.

Now, armed with his newly completed, state-of-the-art recording studio, and a well organized record label, Gunter continues to build on his foundation as a new world music artist.

Sandia Crest Entertainment, Inc.
United States

Web site: www.brentgunter.com