Klaus Lendzian (October 3, 1943 - April 15, 2009)

For those who have known Klaus, he passed away last month from his battle with cancer.  I only spoke with Klaus (right in the photo) a couple of times over the phone last year after a mutual friend, James Hensperger (left in the photo), mentioned he knew Ted.  Klaus met Ted in the late 60’s at a café on Sunset Blvd.  They would get together to jam frequently. 

After Klaus moved to Seattle, Washington, he switch exclusively to nylon string guitar, raised in pitch and requiring a special gauge of strings to be used.  Klaus, a man of modest means, living a rather reclusive life dedicated only to writing, recording, and performing his brand of fingerstyle guitar music (a hybrid of classical, flamenco, and jazz).  Klaus is another I have heard the term “genius” applied to in regards to his approach to music with the guitar.

For more information, there is a memorial page posted here.  http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/klauslendzianguitar/homepage.aspx

It mentions he has 25 recordings.  I am only aware of 23!  For those who are interested, I will post information on where you might find any of these recordings.

Here is a clip posted on YouTube by Diane Schulstad, a friend of Klaus, the day he passed.  Klaus is playing “Norweign Wood Variations” at the Stumbling Goat:

Ted mentions Klaus in his acknowledgements in “Modern Chord Progressions” and both volumes of “Jazz Guitar, Single Note Soloing” where Ted writes, “And some have had a direct influence on these books being written.  For instance, Klaus Lendzian, who took the time to help me tune into certain melodic conceptions which had been just beyond my grasp for years.”