Germán López, one of the leading timple players, and American jazz singer Halie Loren have released a music video with a new version of John Lennon’s famous song “Imagine.” The timple is a small guitar from the Canary Islands in Spain that is related to other small guitars like the guitarro from the Spanish mainland, cavaquinho (Portugal), charango (South America), cuatro venezolano (Venezuela), and ukulele (Hawaii).
“Imagine” is a song that has always captivated me,” said López. “Its musicality, its simplicity and, quite simply, its message, make it an enduring piece.”
Loren explains that, “when I heard Germán Lopéz’s take on “Imagine” — a song I’ve sung in many contexts over my years of performing — it felt like an entirely new song to me. The beauty of his playing brought such an emotionally resonant quality of tenderness to the piece.”
Germán López and Halie Loren were introduced to each other through their booking agent, and became mutual admirers of each other’s music. With shared and deep appreciation for the musical legacy of John Lennon, they were inspired to collaborate (distantly) to create a musical call to action: the global pandemic of COVID-19 as a chance to imagine our world in a fundamentally different way.
The original “Imagine” was recorded in May–July 1971 in London in Lennon’s home studio.
Germán López’s discography includes Timplissimo (2006), Silencio Roto (2009), Somethin’ Stupid, with Yul Ballesteros (2011), De Raiz (2013), Don’t Worry Be Happy, with Yul Ballesteros (2014), Timples y otras pequeñas guitarras del mundo, with Althay Páez, Beselch Rodriguez and Yone Rodriguez (2015), Canela y Limón, with Antonio Toledo (2016).
Author: World Music Central News Room
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