It's time for another acoustic guitar show at Fairfax' Wu Wei Tea Temple! This time around, please join Walter Strauss and Teja Gerken for a very special evening of Global Fingerstyle Guitar!

If you haven’t heard Walter play, then you’ve never heard music like this before. This Californian guitarist’s songs are full of the groove and fire of a West African dance party, the dynamics and textures of a string orchestra, and the back-porch soul of American roots music. It’s out of this world music. Walter has “translated” music to guitar from the Kora, the traditional 21-stringed harp of West Africa, and he integrates the tonal and rhythmic contours of instruments like the Kamal’ngoni (a West African hunters harp) and the Indian sitar into his into his playing and compositions. His songs soulfully trace forgotten histories and life’s paradoxes in the 21st century, and his guitar interpretations of far-flung global music are showstoppers.

Teja Gerken is no stranger to fans of contemporary fingerstyle guitar. Weaving together influences of folk, jazz, classical, and world music, he is known for his original compositions, many of which employ alternate tunings, two-handed tapping, percussive effects, and other extended guitar techniques. Gerken’s two albums, On My Way, and Postcards, have received widespread acclaim, and he has shared the stage with many guitar legends, including Alex de Grassi, John Renbourn, and Andy McKee.