Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Orion by Rodrigo y Gabriela

I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . my random I-Tunes songs of the moment very often seem to be anything but random. Here we have a team of acoustic guitarists (Rodrigo y Gabriela) with an affinity for that oh-so-sweet 'Spanish Guitar' sound. They take other people's music/songs and reinterpret them with their own flair and style.

To me that is the epitome of Eugene Burger. He has a knack for taking other ideas and principles and effects and combining them, slightly modifying them here and there, adding a presentational idea here and bam, you've got something that is, arguably, better than the original. Or at the very least a comparable variation.

In this $30 DVD, you get about 50 minutes of Eugene Burger performing and discussing the concept or presentational premise of 'spirits' in your magic. While you learn 4 routines and a nice handful of principles, what you really get is the advice from and privilege of watching an expert with real world experience and a true master of personalizing magic. Eugene Burger's magic is meaningful.

The DVD starts with a bizarre and borderline creepy poem with a bit of an exaggerated emotional recitation by Eugene while sitting at a table surrounded by a very dated (late 80's) audience. This part was merely to demonstrate a certain style of performance and set the stage for an interesting evening with the bizarre-meister himself.

Following this strange introduction, you are treated to the performance of 3 beautifully magical routines, plus a bonus quick description of how Eugene handles 'rising card.' The three routines you learn are incredibly well thought out and look extremely magical. Things floating, rising, moving . . . it's very good and very simple. Along the way, you are taught some great principles while you are given some excellent advice on performance.

Rating each effect, they would all pretty much be either a 4.5 or a 5. The only complaint I really have about this DVD is that for $30, it was a little bit too short. I really wanted more. It ended way too soon for me. So I can only give this a maximum of 4.5 stars. Thus . . .

Final Verdict:
4.5 stars with a Stone Status of 'Definite GEM!'