Without a Map

Muriel Anderson has a brand-new, self-released compact disc of original music for guitar and cello titled “Theme for Two Friends.” To support it, this finger-style guitarist has embarked on a brief California tour with cellist Julie Adams.

Anderson’s trek includes a stopover tonight at Shade Tree Stringed Instruments in Laguna Niguel.

But the unusual story behind this classical-leaning program goes back a ways. Quite a ways. A case of mistaken identity--in 1994--was the catalyst behind Anderson’s latest musical odyssey.

While recording Brazilian-flavored tracks for an album that never materialized, Anderson wanted famed classical and jazz guitarist Laurindo Almeida to contribute a solo or two. After checking into the five-time Grammy winner’s availability, Anderson discovered indirectly that Almeida was interested.

“I was getting ready for some live dates in Los Angeles, so I thought maybe I could meet him while I was out there,” recalled the Nashville-based Anderson. “I realized that I didn’t have his phone number, so I thought I’d try [directory assistance].

“The operator said there was one ‘Almeida.’ . . . I called and said, ‘Mr. Almeida, this is Muriel Anderson. . . . I have this song that would be perfect for a solo of yours.’ He replied, ‘I’d be thrilled to do it,’ and then offered to pick me up at the airport.

“My first thought was how amazing it was that Mr. Almeida would be willing to do that, and later when I got to the gate, a man met me who looked considerably younger than I expected Mr. Almeida to be,” she continued.

“Well, naturally, I was a little confused. It turned out that the man was Waldemar de Almeida, a cello player with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. He was under the impression I was doing some kind of cello project.”

(Anderson later sought but was unable to reach the Almeida who blended samba and jazz into bossa nova in the ‘50s. He died of cancer in 1995 at age 77.)

An Idea Is Born

Despite the embarrassing string of events, Anderson said she got to thinking about one day doing a project with cello.

“I wrote this song, ‘Calm Before the Storm,’ that called for this low, rumbling instrument, and I realized that instrument was indeed the cello. Then I just started writing a lot of music for guitar and cello. I remember thinking that this young cellist from Chicago named Julie Adams would be ideal to work with.”

When Anderson was producing an album by Glenn and Holly Yarbrough, she hired Adams.

“There’s this youthful spirit in her playing that I like, and, because her sense of phrasing is very similar to mine, she understands what I’m trying to say musically,” Anderson said.

That compatibility pays dividends on “Theme for Two Friends,” an ambitious collection that is meticulously crafted and emotionally charged. Covering a variety of moods, the instrumentals roam smoothly from melancholy to playful to fiercely aggressive. As do most couples, the cello and acoustic guitar spar with each other one moment, then dance together warmly the next.

Thematically, much of the material--which features 10 Anderson originals--is drawn from personal experience. The warm “Parisian Waltz” was inspired by people-watching at a cafe in Paris, she said. “Little Sister’s Child” is a tender lullaby for her baby nephew. “Living Out a Dream” comes from a melody Anderson says she remembers clearly from a dream. (The limited-edition, autographed “Theme for Two Friends” is available on the Internet (www.murielanderson.com) or by telephone (1-800-BUY-MY-CD).

For Anderson, music is a way to express her deepest feelings.

“I really feel like this new album came directly from somewhere down inside of me,” she said. “It’s probably the most intimate thing I’ve recorded. . . . They’re my own songs, . . . and it feels like it’s rooted in something that comes purely from my heart.”

Anderson, 38, was raised in a musical family in Downers Grove, Ill. Her mother taught piano, and her father played saxophone in John Philip Sousa’s band, but it was the guitar that Anderson fell in love with, at age 10. She later studied classical guitar at nearby DePaul University under virtuoso Christopher Parkening.

Not Standing Still

As her interests diversified, Anderson also was influenced by country legends Doc Watson and Chet Atkins. She won the National Finger-Picking Championship in 1989, has played in bluegrass and jazz bands and has released four solo guitar albums, including 1989’s critically praised “Heartstrings.”

The songwriter seeks out new challenges, such as composing “The Borrego Suite” for guitar and orchestra. And, for the past eight years, she has hosted Nashville jams known as “All Star Guitar Night,” sharing the stage with such distinguished pickers as Peter Finger, the Ventures’ Nokie Edwards, the Hellecasters’ Jerry Donahue, Adrian Legg, Martin Simpson, Alex de Grassi, Laurence Juber, Doyle Dykes and mentor Atkins.

Anderson is the only female finger-picker of her stature. But she’s optimistic that others will join the fold.

“My first guitar teacher was a woman, so I really never knew that there weren’t more of us doing it,” said Anderson, who teaches guitar part time and has released several instructional videos and books. “I try not to focus on [the sexism of] that. I guess I just naturally assume that if someone likes or dislikes what I do, it’s because they like or don’t like the music I’m making.

“I hate to use the words ‘role model,’ but I am someone out there who’s saying, ‘Yes, this career is possible for you too.’ It thrills me to see such enthusiasm from so many young girls.”

For either gender, the music business remains a gamble that Anderson recommends only for the determined.

“Life as a musician is very unpredictable because the industry doesn’t necessarily work in a logical fashion. Being ‘successful’ often has very little to do with talent. . . . It could merely be being in the right place at the right time. . . . There’s no reason to get into music professionally . . . unless there’s something tugging at your insides, saying you’ll wither up and die without it.”

* Muriel Anderson performs with Julie Adams tonight at Shade Tree Stringed Instruments, 28062-D Forbes Road, Laguna Niguel. 7:30 p.m. $15 (949) 364-5270.