Black Falcon | 1958 Velasquez | by Frank A. Wallace
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Black Falcon | 1958 Velasquez | by Frank A. Wallace

Manuel and Alfredo Velazquez

by Frank Wallace performed on a 1958 Manuel Velasquez guitar;

Written: 2013

Duration: 8:43

Recorded: by Frank Wallace, September 2013, in Hillsborough NH with Schoepps and Neumann mics through an Orpheus preamp/converter

Sheet Music: Black Falcon is available for purchase on gyremusic.com

All Gyre compositions are ASCAP
Copyright ©2013 Frank A. Wallace
Cover photography and design by Nancy Knowles
All rights reserved.


Manuel Velasquez, born 2/20/1917 passed away April 3 this year. He will be greatly missed. Manuel is known as America’s first great guitar builder who worked in New York, his native Puerto Rico and later in life in Florida with his son Alfredo. Watch a brief interview with the maestro here. This guitar from 1958 was restored by the maestro himself in the late 90’s. He told me, “It will be like a new guitar built with old wood.” And that it is, featuring perfectly quartered Brazilian, gorgeous straight grain spruce top and a silky oil varnish, and most importantly a rich warm tone all the way up to the incredible high B! [1:13]

Black Falcon was written by myself in early 2013 for the Cuban guitar virtuoso Edel Muñoz. It is featured on my album Elemental played on a 1931 Hauser. Please download this MP3 for free or purchase a 24-bit FLAC file at www.gyremusic.com