Bensusan at His Peak and on the Brink

The only problem with Pierre Bensusan’s program at McCabe’s on Saturday was that so few people had a chance to hear it. Guitarists have long been aware of Bensusan’s remarkable skills, and he was, back in the ‘80s, one of the performers defining the new genre of world music. But he has never really reached the large audience he deserves.

And his visibility hasn’t been helped by the fact that he’s only had two recordings in the past decade. But with a new Zebra Records album and his masterful, finger-style playing at peak form, Bensusan, 40, clearly has the potential for a breakout move.

His performance was a virtual compendium of guitar styles. He played and sang a lovely, bossa nova-styled original. He rendered several moody pieces that were stylistically indefinable, somehow blending blues, jazz, Middle Eastern and European cabaret styles into a manageable combination. There was a lovely suite of Irish ballads and jigs. And more.

Bensusan’s technique is classically grounded, although he frequently uses atypical guitar tunings. He supplemented the natural sounds with an array of electronics that allowed him to add atmospheric tonal effects and, on occasion, sample his own riffs and then use them for accompaniment. It was a superb performance by a brilliant artist.