Patrimonio's guitar nights - Official Website

The history of the festival

How has Patrimonio, a Corsican village of just some 600 inhabitants, become known to guitar gurus and enthusiasts as being a European Guitar Mecca ?

The origins of this phenomenon go back almost half a century and it all started with the Dominici brothers – Gilbert and René – amateur guitarists whose notoriety went well beyond the village community. They had a vast repertoire which they played with surprising finesse and technique for simple ‘village musicians’, especially as they were self-taught and couldn’t read music. Their passion for this instrument soon found its followers and the village quickly became a real breeding ground for aspiring guitarists. Indeed, it was not unusual to behold impromptu concerts suddenly taking place at the village café with some dozen guitarists of all ages frantically strumming away to the delight of the villagers and those from surrounding communities, often inspiring visiting musicians holidaying on the island to join in the proceedings.
These visiting musicians, some of whom have now gone professional, never forgot the warm and friendly atmosphere of these ad hoc “Guitar Nights”. Indeed, Claude Ciari, now a Japanese citizen and well-known guitarist, once stated on a Japanese television programme that his encounter with the guitarists from Patrimonio in 1965 allowed him to rediscover the joys of playing without which he would surely have given up on his musical career. This statement encouraged the NHK television company to send a team to Patrimonio in order to make a 45 minute documentary in which Claude Ciari, André and Jean-Bernard Gilormini, after many years of separation, were reunited with a joy and emotion one can readily imagine. In a small way, these informal and convivial encounters were to be the trigger which would lead to the festival as we now know it.

The birth of the festival

The festival was born in 1990 from the common initiative of Guy Maestracci, amateur guitarist and then recently elected mayor of Patrimonio, and Jean-Bernanrd Gilormini, another huge guitar enthusiast who doubtlessly caught the bug from his cousin André. This trio was quickly reinforced by numerous volunteers each bringing their respective talents and energy to what was an ambitious and risky venture from the start, namely to attract to Patrimonio the World’s biggest and best known guitarists, whatever the style or genre, so as to bring guitar and music lovers together with their heroes and heroines to an intimate and friendly arena for evenings of unforgettable exchange and memories.

The first festival over only three evenings brought together the island's best guitarists with headliners such as Babik Reinhardt, Roland Dyens, Raphaël Faÿs. The following year saw the likes of Marcel Dadi, Larry Coryel and Birelli Lagrène casting their spell over the village of Patrimonio.

All these musicians of international renown, seduced by the breathtaking beauty of the festival site, by the enthusiasm of the audience and by the welcoming and friendly organisers were to become the best ambassadors of the teething festival. This meant that over the years, as the word began to spread, Patrimonio has been able to fulfil its initial ambition and has had the honour and pleasure of hosting real guitar greats such as Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Jim Hall, Chrisitan Escoudé, Vincente Amigo, Tomatito, Gilberto Gil, the Assad brothers, etc. In short, the dream became a reality

What now ?

The festival has grown from its more humble beginnings, going from 3 to 8 evenings. Audience numbers have also continued to increase year on year as have the number of regular returnees who, smitten by the quality of the line ups and the unique atmosphere of the site, now plan their holiday to Corsica around the festival dates. The municipality has rearranged the site in order to accommodate several hundred more seats. However, despite the greater magnitude enjoyed by the festival, the spirit behind it has not changed keeping the focus on simplicity and conviviality. The musicians themselves generally become our friends whom we are delighted to host and sad to see leave. “The only time I’m upset in Patrimonio is when I have to go” exclaimed Marcel Dadi*. These musicians don’t simply come to fulfil their contractual obligations but to genuinely give something of themselves. The audience feels this and the resulting vibe, which pushes the artists beyond their normal limits, is what has been referred to as the « Magic of Patrimonio ». The audience is not a client but our main partner. It believed in us right from the start and that is why it is it’s festival and we want it to be proud in what we are doing and that all guitar lovers will feel at home with us in Patrimonio.

*This great guitarist tragically died in the TWA air crash in July 1996. In 1997, a special ‘Tribute to Marcel Dadi” evening was organised. His French and American friends paid tribute to him and played his favourite songs.