Ervin is an Artist in the real sense of the word.
He has been building Guitars since 1970 and has influence on a generation of Luthiers through building writing,teaching,lecturing ,exhibiting and the training a dearth of apprentices.
I first met Ervin, early on the first day of the Festival, in the car park of The Wells Fargo Centre for the Arts, as he staggered towards the main entrance, weighed down by LARGE cloth shoulder/carry bags filled with books papers and other paraphernalia, no doubt associated with his Craft.
I had no idea who he was and visa versa. However we started talking as we walked, he refusing any offers of assistance, it very quickly became evident that this softly and precisely spoken, greying Gentleman was a power house, in sheep’s clothing. He was inquisitive,but with purpose,laconic but at the same time imparting wisdom and knowledge and importantly he was genuinely interested in what I had to say to the point that we could engage intelligently. It was not until we got to the front doors of the Festival Centre that helpers (his apprentices) came to his assistance, that I realised that I had just spent the last 25 minutes talking about Guitars and other things, with the Great Man himself Ervin Somogyi.
Over the next three days I ran into him from time to time and I attended his Booth Location in the Luthiers Atrium on a number of occasions, on every occasion he remembered my name and on one or two occasions he approached me (when I had failed to see him) a truly remarkable man. However I have to say that one of the Highlights of the Festival, for me, was attending Ervin’s Seminar, in a packed Merlo Theater, on Saturday morning the 15thAugust. The Session was being Professionally filmed so I Imagine that a DVD of the Lecture will be available in due course. No doubt LMI will have it for sale.
Available at the Festival was Ervins’ Bound two Volume boxed Book set. The first entitled “The Responsive Guitar” and the second, “Making the Responsive Guitar,” this compendious work will no doubt become the Seminal reference for the Modern Luthier, as they represent his life’ work that has recently culminated in the exquisitely built, “Patchwork” guitar, (exhibited), which will surly find it’s resting place in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.
I had Ervin sign my Volumes and my cursory viewing of the work has lead me to the conclusion that these volumes will become staple material in my shop.
On the last day of the Festival Ervin appeared in a long Guitar patterned garment which he told me was a bathrobe that caught his fancy some years ago and he keeps it to wear on special occasions such as the LAST DAY OF THE 2009 FESTIVAL.
I took some pictures of Ervin and there is on of myself at the signing together with a picture of the back of the Patchwork Guitar.
