Fingerstyle guitar master straddles the continents
Guy Buttery crosses cultural borders to create a unique, soulful and rich sound
Guy Buttery stands on the shoulders of local guitar legends Tony Cox, Madala Kunene and Steve Newman — and alongside them as a national treasure. With his masterful ownership of the acoustic guitar, Buttery evokes Egberto Gismonti or Michael Hedges with the landscapes that shape him at his fingertips. His fingerstyle guitar music is born out of a convergence of cultures. He distills traditions and heritages and creates synergies out of their contradictions and tensions to make music that is rich, original, soulful and free. The emotional quality of Buttery’s music and his purity of heart are the strongest and winning characteristics of his craft. As he plays with a tilt of the head, eyes closed, legs crossed and in submission to his instrument and the moment, no words can describe the emotions he conveys. "My intention is to try and be as honest as possible. With acoustic music it’s difficult to hide behind anything else. There’s a transparency in the music," he says. "From a very y...
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