Big Round Artist

Tony R. Clef was born in Bellows Falls VT and grew up in nearby Springfield, VT. He has spent most of his adult life in the Boston, MA area. He studied classical guitar primarily with Richard Layman in Brookline, MA and also for a time with Adam Holzman in Austin, TX. Always interested in more than just the standard classical repertory, in the early 2000s he started playing steel string guitar again after a nearly 20-year hiatus and took classes briefly with gypsy jazz player Stephane Wrembel. Clef is also passionate about Brazilian popular music and began around this time to teach himself the rudiments of samba and bossa nova, taking classes in Brazilian Portuguese to dig deeper into the music and culture. Through intensive self-study he has developed a considerable capacity for picking out complex harmonies by ear. Today Tony R. Clef lives in Somerville, MA and works in IT at Harvard University. He posts guitar videos on YouTube.com in his spare time and plays the occasional wedding gig.

Albums

Big Round Sound

Big Round Sound Vol. 1

Release Date: July 10, 2015
Catalog Number: BR8942
20th Century
21st Century
Chamber
Jazz
Guitar
Harp
Piano
Big Round Record's first installment of its compilation series, BIG ROUND SOUND VOL. 1, presents a deep cross-section of the label's contemporary and eclectic catalog. From jazz and world music to folk, fusion, and progressive rock, this album features performances by Tony R. Clef, the Oscuro Quintet, Andy Jaffe and Branford Marsalis, Sophie Dunér, the Larksong Trio, Anne Vanschothorst, Juan Álamo, Jean-Philippe Grégoire, and more in works by Christina Rusnak, Svjetlana Bukvich, Sebastiano Meloni, Ecco La Musica, Bunny Beck, and others.

Tuesday Afternoon

Release Date: September 27, 2011
Catalog Number: BR8916
20th Century
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Guitar
TUESDAY AFTERNOON is an album of Tony Clef's arrangements and transcriptions of a variety of works for nylon string guitar. A student of Richard Layman, Adam Holzman, and Stephane Wrembel, Clef's musical interests grew past the standard classical repertory and began learning and playing samba, bossa nova, and modern pop and rock songs. Clef has become adept at identifying complex harmonies and rhythms by ear, and his arrangements provide fresh takes on popular songs and standards that maintain the originals' integrity.