Don Latarski & Rue D'Blues featuring Marilyn Keller at the Jazz Station - Eugene
- Don Latarski guitar
- Marilyn Keller vocals
- Mark Schneider bass
- Jason Palmer drums
Guitarist and composer Don Latarski is an American institution. His seasoned bandmates declare that nobody plays like him and with a reputation in finger style guitar circles cemented in the image of his guitar picks glued onto his fingernails—they are onto something.
Born in the 1950s, Latarski grew up outside of Detroit, MI, close enough to that Motown vibe to trade Little League games for guitar lessons at age 10. He relocated to Oregon to attend the University of Oregon, where he earned a music degree. He studied jazz and classical guitar in college, which proved to be a natural introduction to finger picking. U of O quickly hired him to head their guitar studies program and his life since has revolved around composing, recording, and teaching.
Latarski’s contribution to guitar playing cannot be understated—he has written more than 20 books on guitar instruction, and owns Crescent Studios in Eugene, where he is the audio engineer and producer. In addition to his dedication in teaching, Don has released 14 studio albums, one live album, and composed and recorded music for video games, short films, and radio programs. His quirky personality is best captured in his numerous video tutorials posted on YouTube and his Facebook page, including a recent outing, titled Mt. Hopkins Road Wind Guitar—complete with disclaimer not to try this at home. https://youtu.be/uKJQ0iz7drM. His musical experiments include building two different types of guitar-like instruments: the wind and water guitars. Both of these instruments can be heard on The River Suite, a 31 minute composition in 9 movements released by Heart Dance Records in 2018.
His music is always infused with a strong current of melody, harmonic exploration and rhythmic dynamism. The more you listen, the more you hear. The songs remind us of the power of music to renew our connections to self and nature.
Don’s uncanny eye for color, composition, and the under appreciated beauties of daily life are apparent in his many pursuits—hiking, photography, motorcycles, kayaking, and riverbeds. His latest release, Frozen Moments, is a gift from many of his recent travels through the American Southwest, the West Coast, and the Pacific Northwest and he captures much of the moods and sites that inspired his tunes in his travelogues on his website, GuitarsOutside.com, and in Facebook posts written in a rhythm that would have been at home with the Beat Poets of the 1960s. He combines his enthusiasm for guitar with his adoration for nature, all while teaching prospective players about the instrument he’s spent his life crafting a relationship with, and leaves an indelible impression on his audiences.
