Not everyone will immediately recognize the name Wesley James. Those in the know will. Larry Jennings, Ken Krenzel, Jim Patton and Gordon Bruce would agree. They all attended his past lectures.
For many years Mr James has been an underground secret. During his many years as a professional he refused to lecture for magicians or publish the effects he used in his professional performances. Now, Mr James has largely retired from performing and has begun to lecture for magicians. Ambitious Undertaking is from his 2nd lecture series.
While Wesley James has now released the first new set of lecture notes in almost 15 years, in Selling the Tough Stuff and Make Me Care, one important item he withheld from those notes, though always a featured part of his working repertoire, was his near-legendary Ambitious Card routine.
This is powerful and fun close-up card magic suitable to walk-around, cocktail party and table hopping situations. Of course, it features Wesley's brand of gasp-producing magic wrapped in a presentation that gives the plot logic and offers the viewer a reason to keep watching, to keep on enjoying. The details are fully and carefully explained and presented with Wesley's style and precision.
For many years Dai Vernon's routine was considered the benchmark against
which other Ambitious Card routines were measured. Many consider the new benchmark to be Wesley James' routine. Now it
is available as a stand-alone manuscript for the serious student. Almost everyone that performs an Ambitious
Card routine already uses some of Wesley James' techniques, including the his ubiqitous "Coming Up in the World"
sequence and the "Speed-load" wallet loading technique he co-developed with Derek Dingle. Others have begun using his opening sequence.
Now you can learn the full details of his routine, from the startling opening to the visible change of a face-down
card into the face-up Ambitious Card, concluding with the seemingly empty handed appearance of the card in a zippered
wallet. In addition, Wesley has included an essay that guides the reader through the questions that each performer
needs to answer in constructing their own routine and earmarks the areas in which future Ambitious Card routines could
be improved. In 17 jam-packed pages you'll learn everything you need to learn about making this classic plot play
for real audiences under today's real-world conditions. You won't be able to do the routine tomorrow, it does take work,
but it provides the most solid foundation available for an Ambitious Card routine.
No set of Notes can replicate the experience of attending a Wesley James lecture but these notes bring his thinking and style to the reader with the next best thing to that opportunity. In 18 packed pages, at a steal of a price. Item 135.