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Mr. Lucas Goes to Washington in Tribute to the Czech Velvet Revolution
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Gary just returned from a highly successful concert on Nov. 17th at the
Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, DC in a tribute to the 14th anniversary of
the Velvet Revolution. A frequent visitor/performer in the Czech Republic
since 1993 where he debuted his live score to accompany the 1920 film
"The Golem" at the Reduta Jazz Club (scene of Bill Clinton's famous sax
playing), Gary was invited by Czech ambassador Martin Palous to prepare
a special musical tribute to commemorate the 14th year of Czech
independence, known as the Velvet Revolution.
After spending months
working on intricate solo guitar arrangements of music by famous Czech
composers and artists, including Dvorak, Smetena, Janacek, and Gary's
friends the legendary avant-rock group The Plastic People of the
Universe (with whom he has performed with in NYC), Gary premiered his
concert to a very enthusiastic full house at the Czech embassy to an
audience which included Ambassador Palous and his family, the Hungarian
Ambassador Andras Simonyi, Gary's cousin Marjorie Stabbe and her son
Brian, and many DC area Lucas fans.
A delicious catered reception was
held after the hour long concert in which Gary received many accolades
from concert-goers won over by his folk and blues-driven acoustic take on
traditional Czech classics such as Smetena's "The Moldau" and Dvorak's "New World Symphony", as well as his very psychedelic electric guitar
rendition of The Plastic People's "Magic Night". The tribute concert
concluded with some of Gary's own original compositions (Gary is of
Bohemian descent, on his father's side of the family).