Guitar genius from teen

Joe Robinson, Woollaston Jazz and Blues festival, Nelson School of Music, Thursday January 7.

While my vintage guitar lay abandoned at home, I was at the final performance of the Nelson Jazz and Blues Festival. This was definitely a case of last but not least.

It soon became clear that 18-year-old Joe Robinson's first tune Daddy Long Legs also described his fingers, which could move in any configuration along the fretboard. As the recent winner of the television series Australia's Got Talent, it was no surprise that Joe was sensational from the outset. Slapping his guitar, whacking the strings and finger-picking the hell out of familiar tunes came naturally to this one-man-band.

Demonstrating the roles of bass, rhythm and drums on his acoustic guitar, Joe also taught the audience a thing or two.

With tunes like Misty in E-flat he kept us on our toes, and just when we thought we had him pinned, he turned it up another notch. By the end of the first set he surprised us again by singing a soulful version of Black to Gold.

There's no denying that YouTube has been a saviour for this boy from a small Australian town comprising 200 residents. Yet, I still had the feeling that no matter how much time I spent on the internet, I would never sound like this kid from Temagog, New South Wales. For a guitarist to make songs like Somewhere over the Rainbow, Mr Sandman or Jingle Bells sound exciting, we were obviously watching genius at work.

In the second set, Joe introduced us to his talented 14-year-old brother, ``Sizzling'' Simon Robinson, and together the duo demonstrated their innate musicality.

Yet, as well as being technically brilliant, Joe Robinson is also entertaining and charismatic. Ending with an encore and a standing ovation, it was clear that one young man, ``a wooden box'' and six metal strings had transformed us all into an elated bunch of old stargazers.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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