Not only does the adjunct guitar instructor write books and own his own
record label, Don Latarski releases his newest CD ‘Natural Instincts’
All Don Latarski photos by Jeffrey Stockton Emerald
By Yael Menahem
Oregon Daily Emerald
Don Latarski’s day job finds
him sitting in front of University
students eager to learn how to
play the guitar. On his own time,
he records original music at his
studio on his independent record
label. Somehow, Latarski also
finds time to write books and
perform locally on a regular ba
sis.
Most weekends you can catch
him at the Oregon Electric Sta
tion in downtown Eugene. Since
1982, Latarski has led his own
jazz group, The Don Latarski
Group, featuring Marilyn Keller.
For the last seven years he has
regularly appeared at the upscale
restaurant.
To celebrate his newest CD
“Natural Instincts,” Latarski will
perform Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. at Bor
ders Books and Music in Oakway
Center on Coburg Road.
The CD is Latarski’s seventh
recording and his second
acoustic release. “Natural In
stincts” reflects his childhood ex
periences growing up on a farm
and exploring nature.
As a nationally-known gui
tarist and a Northwest favorite,
Latarski heads the guitar studies
at the university’s School of Mu
sic. He has authored numerous
books, including “Scale Patterns
for Guitar,” “Chord Orbits” and
“Practical Theory for Guitar,”
which was recently voted in the
top 100 books written on guitar
by Finger Style Guitar magazine.
A four-book series called “The
Ultimate Chord Book,” which
took Latarski more than four
years to write, will be released
soon.
“[The books] are directed to
ward beginning players in a vari
ety of styles,” Latarski said.
Inside the books, guitarists can
find postcards that allow them to
send out for CDs, which accom
pany the chords. This allows as
piring musicians to play along
with the chords.
“People can use it to improvise
along with it, if they wanted to,”
Latarski said. “Most people can’t
figure out the notation without
the CD.”
He feels that the series of books
have “a rhyme and reason [and]
they’re done in a musical con
text.”
Latarski used to teach guitar
lessons individually, but for the
last six years he has taught guitar
to large groups of students at the
University. He has enjoyed the
experience, compared to his days
of teaching guitar one-on-one, be
cause he feels private lessons
“are much more sedentary.”
“I feel that being in the class
room is more of a performance,
and I like performing and I can be
animated,” Latarski said.
A typical class of Latarski’s be
gins with students listening to a
famous guitar player or maybe
one Latarkski’s favorites, like Eric
Clapton or B.B. King. The in
structor said he likes to introduce
his students to lesser-known gui
tarists that he enjoys. Latarski
sometimes forgets that his stu
dents belong to a new generation
who is not familiar with the old
er greats.
This term he is teaching a class
called “Funk Guitar,” which is
based on the music of James
Brown. Latarski said he plans to
write a book about the experi
ence.
Even though Latarski is highly
acclaimed, he isn’t sure that stu
dents are even aware of his suc
cess.
“I don’t brag about it,” Latarski
said. “I’ll mention it in case they
want to purchase [the CDs] as gifts
for a lower price.”
Latarski defines his newest CD
as “music that makes you feel
good.” He was aiming for the
kind of feelings that he had as a
young boy growing up on a farm,
one who enjoyed climbing trees
and having “the sense of freedom
and a sense of place.”
“Natural Instincts” is “less a
‘new age’ recording than an ex
ploration of accessible harmony
and memorable melody. This is
folk music in the best sense: sim
ple, rich and timeless,” according
to a press release.
Although Latarski will not tour
extensively to promote this CD,
he has performed at The Mt.
Hood Jazz Festival, Eugene Cele
bration and Salem’s da Vinci
Days, among others in the past.
On Dec. 10, Latarski will share
his playing skills with composer
and fellow guitarist, Mason
Williams, who will join the Eu
gene Symphony at the Hult Cen
ter for the Performing Arts for a
holiday season concert entitled,
“Mason Williams, Don Latarski &
Marilyn Keller Jazz Up Holiday
Pops.”
The concert begins at 8 p.m.
and will feature Old English car
ols, original tunes and it promis
es “plenty of humor and good
cheer.” Latarski has two feature
spots in the performance. Tickets
are $28, $22, $12, and $10 for
youth.
The Dec. 18 performance at
Borders is free.
Oregon
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