Throughout the 1990s, numerous outstanding guitar soloists and ensembles have demonstrated technical and interpretational brilliance and have pushed the expressive and stylistic boundaries of guitar music, but the LAGQ has taken all that a step further. Formed as a student ensemble at UCLA in 1980, LAGQ was the first guitar quartet ever to win the elite Concert Guild International Competition. Individually and collectively, they are high achievers. Bill Kanengiser and Scott Tenant have won international solo guitar competitions, John Dearman was chosen from a vast pool of applicants to perform in the historic 1981 Segovia master class, and Andrew York is a world renowned composer. Proof positive of the group's stature in the music world came with their signing to the Sony Classical label in 1998.

LAGQ appeals to audiences at classical concert series and festivals presenting incredibly unpredictable programs. A given performance, could include master works by Bach, de Falla, or Tchaikovsky, pieces based on Led Zeppelin or Count Basie tunes, world music, and their own unique compositions. By embracing such an array of musical genres and styles, these guys shatter stereotypes of classical musicians and have big fun in the process.

LAGQ is known for its affinity for different musical styles and for exploring striking, unprocessed effects for nylon-string guitars. Compositions like "African Suite" and "Gongan" from their eponymous Sony debut, find them attaching staples, alligator clips, aluminum foil, strips of leather, and other items to their strings to evoke sounds of African kalimbas and a gamelan ensemble. Intelligent humor is evidenced in "The Pachelbel 'Loose Canon'" on the For Thy Pleasure CD. After eloquently stating Pachelbel's beloved theme, they quickly digress with a set of droll variations that move through 70's funk, swing, reggae, bluegrass, and the Gypsy Kings.

Their new Sony release, Air & Ground, perpetuates their legacy of exploring the unexpected with forays into classical, jazz, Celtic, and Afro-Cuban music as well as the group's own creations. It provides evidence that LAGQ's spirit of innovation and musical vision is onky growing, and that the group will continue to be musical pathfinders through future decades.