Released in 2012 and features great ensemble playing, some hotshot leads, and unique arrangements. Standout tracks include a powerful "Masters In This Hall", a moving medley of Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas", Terry's "Christmas in Istanbul", and a slide rave-up of Mark's walking-bass "Boogie Woogie Jingle Bells". Great stuff.

Titles:
Masters in This Hall
Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Christmas in Istanbul
Christmas Time is Here/Skating
Blue Christmas
Carol of the Bells
Boogie Woogie Jingle Bells
Lowdown Christmas
O, Holy Night
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

"This festive offering is as rich and heady as a rum-spiked eggnog laced with varied spices. There are traditionals, such as the stunning "Oh Holy Night," blues-and-swing variations of such holiday favorites as "Boogie Woogie Jingle Bells," and arresting originals. The Acoustic Guitar Summit is a trio of venerable fingerstyle guitarists - Mark Hanson, Terry Robb, and Doug Smith - each of whom has a solo carreer, as well as a long history of other projects. The three play together as if they were born to - the tones of their guitars blending beautifully (Hanson and Smith both play Goodall cutaways and Robb plays a Martin 000-28 and 1950 National steel-body guitar), and it is only when they take solo breaks, as on "Blue Christmas," that it's easy to differentiate among them. Arrangements are subtle and sophisticated, with the musicians playing complementary melody and harmony parts as in a chamber group. The gorgeous "Carol of the Bells" evokes the chiming sounds of church bells against rumbling arpeggios, while "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" toggles between folk-and-classical treatments. The pieces are all standouts, but perhaps the most unusual are Robb originals "Christmas in Istanbul," with its Middle-Eastern, Latin, and swing elements, and "Lowdown Christmas," which drips with bluesy holiday angst. Christmas albums often wear out their welcome quickly. This masterful album, which glows with all the jeweled tones of the season, is not just for the holidays but for any day of the year. (Accent on Music)"

- Celine Keating, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, December 2013

The Acoustic Guitar Summit is made up of four of the country's best acoustic fingerstyle guitarists. Their music has been heard on national television (Martha Stewart Living, Late Night with Conan O'Brien), major films (Twister, Moll Flanders) and National Public Radio.

Together the Acoustic Guitar Summit--Mark Hanson, Terry Robb, Doug Smith, and *Paul Chasman--performs a wide range of music. A blistering original may lead into a tightly interwoven arrangement of a classic ballad like "What a Wonderful World" or "You Make Me Feel Brand New." A gypsy jazz tune like Django Reinhardt's "Nuages" may lead into their stunning version of the folk classic "The Water Is Wide."

This CD includes two Mark Hanson originals: Summit Meeting and Spouting Horn, plus the following: Nuages (Django Reinhardt), Muskrat Ramble, You Make Me Feel, Brand New Mystery Train, Embryonic Journey, Good Question, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Mr. Sandman, Would You Like To Play the Guitar, Sultans of Swing, What A Wonderful World

SUMMIT MEETING

The debut CD from the Acoustic Guitar Summit (Mark Hanson, Terry Robb, Doug Smith, and *Paul Chasman).

A real highlight of the group's first CD is their terrific medley of "Apache" and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." (An arrangement that continues to grow and expand in concert.) Other quartet highlights include a stunning version of Mark's arrangement of "The Water Is Wide," Terry's slide-guitar work on "Steel Guitar Rag," Paul's rave up of the Beatles' "Lady Madonna," and the Les Paul/Mary Ford classic "Bye Bye Blues."

The CD also features a solo by each band member, plus several duets. Doug Smith's performance of "Stars and Stripes Forever" never fails to bring down the house. Terry displays his award-winning blues fingerpicking style on "Cascade Lightning." Paul shows off his jazzy licks and sense of humor in "Grandpa's Boy," and Mark's depicts centuries-old Ireland with "Drake's Passage."

Titles: Bye Bye Blues; Apache/The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; Sunday Sonata; Windy and Warm; Claire de Lune; Sweet Rotunda; Gramma Jean; Steel Guitar Rag; Drake's Passage; Cascade Lightning; Grandpa's Boy; Stars and Stripes Forever; The Water Is Wide; Lady Madonna.

ACOUSTIC GUITAR SUMMIT