January/February, 2013
Randall Avers, "Man in the Moon," Clear Note 2012
Randall Avers' "Man in the Moon" is a heartfelt tribute to the seminal music of Ralph Towner. The recording is
a culmination of a two-year grant Avers received to study and record his mentor's enduring compositions. During
the late sixties and seventies Towner seamlessly blended chamber music, jazz improvisation, and European folk
styles to craft influential recordings as both a solo artist and as founding member of his inventive collective,
Oregon. His unique and innovative approach to the acoustic guitar transcended and created musical genres, shaping
the musical landscape of the later half of the twentieth century. Randall Avers, a gifted classical performer,
composer, and educator in his own right, could not be a better vehicle to interpret Towner's epic music. The
album begins with the classic folk ballad, "Les Douzilles," a picturesque ode to a rural cottage in Switzerland
where the artist once stayed. While many of Towner's classic compositions are featured in this recording, the
strength of this release comes from the lesser-known gems that Avers uncovers in this collection. A case in point
is the "Jugglers Etude," from the album "Five Years Later," an out-of-print collaboration with fellow guitarist, John
Abercrombie. The piece contains some brilliantly executed melodic motifs, showcasing expansive intervals, rapid
tempo shifts, and expressive circular phrasing. While Avers' searing, pinpoint guitar work is more than striking,
he remarkably never loses focus of Towner's unparalleled touch and sensitivity. This recording also marks the
debut of the "Madeleine Variations," a dramatic set of classically themed works appearing on record for the first
time. The album ends with the joyous anthem "Green and Golden," a poignant, reflective, and hopeful ballad
offering a fitting conclusion to this exceptional musical homage. All of the tracks were pristinely recorded by
legendary engineer Jan Erick Kongshaug at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, home of many classic ECM recordings.
"Man in the Moon" is an incomparable tribute, one that will further solidify Towner's immense musical
legacy, and should help bring Avers' vast talents to an even larger audience. This is a landmark recording,
required listening for all enthusiasts of acoustic music, and one that will endure for generations.
John River Shannon, "Time Was a Lie," Creek Valley Records 2012
John River Shannon wears his ambition, his spiritual longings, and his Paul Simon influence on his jacket sleeve.
There he calls his latest release a "music offering to the world." There we learn that the only cover on the CD is
the closer, an irony-free take on "Graceland." (Later, we learn that the opener features the phrase "the sound of
silence.") There, with song titles like "Divine Love," we find an artist with grace on his mind. And, it should be
said, he brings something new to his mystical musical quest. His songs, sung in a sweet tenor without tremolo, never
stray far from a pop sensibility, yet strive for a hypnotic quality. One device Shannon uses is the repetition of
key lyrics. Words like time, season, sun, and sea turn up in more than one tune. Within particular cuts, Shannon
repeats phrases over and over, such as the title of "Nearness of the Edge" or "I've been looking for a reason" in
"Divine Love." As a wordsmith, Shannon strives for a koanlike essence ("everything is everything so everything is
nothing just the same"") where meaning becomes less important than what might be happening in the mind of the
listener. The songs' rhythms tend to stay constant while drawing in the listener, whether Shannon is picking the
acoustic to create a tumbling waterfall repetition in tunes like "Burning Embers" or strumming an unchanging
rhythm as in "City Lights." At times, Shannon adds an electric solo, straightforward as in "Always," and with
dreamlike effects in others. Shannon knows what he is about and carefully puts all the parts together to suit
his purpose. For his work, he deserves even more than a hardy round of one-handed clapping.
Gareth Pearson, "Urban Echoes Vol. 2," CandyRat Records 2012
Tommy Emmanuel has called young guitarist Gareth Pearson the "Welsh Tornado." Pearson's lightning-fast single line
runs and arpeggios certainly justify this nickname, but he's also a very tasteful player and composer. This disc
presents ten original instrumentals, played in group and solo settings. The opener, "Such Great Heights", features a
strong and well-articulated melody played over programmed percussion. "Luna Moon" has a similar feel, where the guitar
and percussion are joined by bass and additional acoustic and electric guitars. Pearson's compositional and
instrumental strengths are most evident in his solo pieces. One such number, "Run SB Run", strongly recalls
Dave Evans' 1970s recordings. Several other solo tracks also have humorous yet inscrutable titles, including
"Trails of M&Ms" and "Kung Fu Staredown." "Room 408" is another group performance, which, while pleasing,
buries Pearson's guitar when he plays in the lower and middle registers. This isn't a general problem though,
as his axe remains front and center on "Clockwork Party", performed with fuzz bass, and percussion. "Jan the Man",
on which Pearson is accompanied by a live drummer, is a showcase for his technical skills. Among Gareth Pearson's
assets are his extroverted style, technical skill, and incorporation of influences that older players will
appreciate. Several of the ensemble recordings work well, while others simply emphasize repetitive rhythms,
with any subtleties obscured under loud percussion. When the guitar/drum pairing works best, as on "Clockwork
Party", listeners are treated to a driving groove and plenty of fingerstyle nuance. Gareth Pearson is likely to
develop strong interest among guitar aficionados as well as younger listeners who don't deliberately follow the
genre. I'd like to hear more from the "Welsh Tornado", in both solo and ensemble settings.
Ed Gerhard, "There and Gone," Virtue Records 2012
Perhaps because it is dedicated to the memory of his mother and brother, Ed Gerhard's "There and Gone" has a subdued,
meditative quality and a sound that is hushed, controlled, and intimate. A world-renowned master of the acoustic
guitar, Gerhard is especially praised for the beauty of his tone, as pure and warm as it gets. The 14 pieces on his
ninth release are a mix of originals and covers, including surprising interpretations of Leo Kottke's "Three Quarter
North" (done with crystalline brilliance) and Lennon/McCartney's "Imagine/Across the Universe" (smoky and evocative
shifting into uptempo joyousness) as well as flat-out gorgeous renditions of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (Hank
Williams) and "Killing the Blues" (Rowland Salley), where he plays a Weissenborn that wrenches every ounce of emotion
from every note. (The Weissenborn lends country vibe to his rendition of traditional "Rye Whiskey Mash" as well.)
While each of Gerhard's original compositions has a distinct and memorable melody, the pieces share a quiet poignancy
and gentle moodiness. Whether bittersweet (title track), brooding ("Last to Know,") or more sprightly ("There
It Goes," "On a Pennsylvania Hill"), Gerhard exhibits consummate control and mastery of every nuance. "There and
Gone" quietly assumes its place among the best of Gerhard's offerings.
Pacific Guitar Ensemble, "Begin," GSP Recordings 2012
Over the last decade, the large guitar ensemble has become a crowd favorite at guitar festivals. The shortfall
of these guitar orchestras is the limitation in variety of timbre. The Pacific Guitar Ensemble which is comprised
of alumni and distinguished faculty from the world-renowned San Francisco Conservatory of Music solve this problem
in a delightful and rewarding way. Ensemble members, who include David Tanenbaum, Peppino D'Agostino, Lawrence
Ferrara, Jon Mendle, Michael Bautista, Marc Teicholz, Paul Psarras and Antoniy Kakamakov, fill their ensemble not just
with the traditional instrumentation of classical guitars, but
with a varied palette which includes steel string guitars, electric bass, electric guitar, arch lute, theorbo, and
baroque guitar for a truly unique tonal experience.
Opening with the premiere recording of Sergio Assad's "Wednesdays at Sugar" the listener is drawn into an
intricate and elaborate musical experience. A wonderful arrangement of Fernando Sor's "Gran Solo, Op. 14"
follows. Terry Riley's "Y Bolanzero," Belinda Reynolds' "Begin," and Peppino D'Agostino's "Jump Rope" are wonderful
musical offerings with wit and charm. The setting of J. S. Bach's Brandenburg "Concerto No. 6" (BWV 1051) is a
treat. The varied instrumentation captures the beauty of the original orchestration while offering the listener
something truly new and wonderful.
Tom Feldmann, "Lone Wolf Blues," 2012
Cue it up to the fourth track on Tom Feldmann's "Lone Wolf Blues," then sit back and marvel at Feldman's rendition
of the great Rev. Gary Davis composition, "Oh Glory, How Happy I Am." You want country blues? Check.
You want gospel? Oh yeah. You want a weary yet vibrant voice that exudes America's greatest original
art form? Yes, yes and yes. Feldmann nails the early to mid-20th century sound in track after track in
this solo acoustic collection. Steel guitar, bottleneck slide and nimble fingerpicking – Feldmann has all
the chops, as well as instructional videos to prove it, if there ever was a doubt (just check out YouTube).
The Minnesota native started playing guitar at age 17, inspired by some of the legends found on this CD.
Master bluesmen all: Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Son House,
Missippi John Hurt, Muddy Waters. Feldmann's arrangements serve the selections well, highlighting what made these
songs so primal, so instinctual, so real. It sometimes feels like these songs sprang spontaneously from the ground,
just waiting to be unearthed, coursing through our being like life's spirit. With "Special Streamline," Feldman seems
to be channeling Bukka White throughout the verses. He is a master who knows his craft. Feldmann deftly works in three
compositions of his own – "We Have Overcome," "Every Flowing Fountain" and "Level the Hollow" – and they fit right in.
Feldmann's take on the traditional "Delia" is pure silk -- it just rolls off his fingers like gossamer. His edgiest
track is the last, a Muddy Waters medley whose country sentiments hint at the sonic power that was just beginning
to emerge. Though he stays true to the genre, Feldmann is more than a mere re-creationist, as he lets a bit of
himself emerge through the music, and it feels pretty darn good. For those players out there who become especially
inspired, Sly Devil Bottlenecks has released an official "Tom Feldmann signature slide," hand-made from European
wine bottles that looks cool as all heck.
Jim Earp, "Aloha Guitar," Solid Air Records 2012
This is a beautiful recording. Jim Earp, who crafts skillfully-woven melodies, shines in this new CD, "Aloha Guitar,"
featuring Hawaiian slack-key guitar tunes. And for those of us who can't afford boutique handmade guitars, Earp
achieves his lovely tone on most songs on a Martin SP000C-16TR – a guitar you can buy off the rack in many stores.
All but four of the 15 songs are written by Earp, demonstrating good ears for this style. If you haven't listened
to slack-key guitar before, this is a nice place to start for mainlanders, and it reminds in technique of
Travis-picking, as the thumb crafts a bass line while the melody is often developed in the treble registers,
with open tunings producing a variety of sonorities. This is music for quiet listening, or misty mornings, or
moonlit nights. The sound surrounds and envelops you, and you can feel the gentle pace of island life. The opening
cut, "Kahuna," is written in honor of slack-key great Cyril Pahinui, doing homage to one of the greats of the
genre. Each tune stands on its own, and is well-played, like "Noe Mauna" or "Makani 'Olu 'Olu" or "Ka Lanalana
Maka Hiamoe" (Hawaiian for The Sleepy Spider!). Earp throws in some slack-key arrangements of a couple pop tunes,
like the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," as well as "Spanish Harlem." Both
stay true to the conventions of slack-key style as well as the original melody. He concludes the CD with one of the
nicest arrangements of the classic hymn "How Great Thou Art" I have heard. The disc ends with "Alaula," describing
the glow of sunset. A fittingly beautiful end to a fine CD.
Peter Mayer, "Heaven Below," 2010
If you've ever seen this talented singer-songwriter-guitarist in concert, you know how wonderful he is. This album
captures that energy. His warm voice and finely crafted songs about spirit, science, nostalgia, and family are cleanly
recorded and tastefully presented with well-played acoustic guitar, piano, bass, fiddle, percussion and more.
The disc starts off strongly with "All the World is One," where he uses Buddha, Walt Whitman, Annie Dillard and
others to explain how we're all connected. He wrote the sweet "Brand New" for his baby daughter, someone who "… has
a lovely two-tooth smile," and adds, "Nearly everything she sees / She tries to eat." With the intricate finger picking
on "Ordinary Day," he shows us that he's not your garden-variety singer-songwriter. And it's more like an exemplary
day when you're "… spinning faster than the speed of sound," frolicking in Oz, and hanging out with oompa loompas.
"The Hat Song" sounds like something you'd hear on a scratchy 78, with a merry piano, a light snare and a mention of
Frank Sinatra. Statues have a conversation in "The Garden" about how things grow. Mary thinks it's because of God,
the gnome says it's magic, and the cherub adds "… it must be love." "Tandem Life" is a beautiful love song that uses
everyday images like coffee together in the morning and a bike ride in June. There are cracks in a "Japanese Bowl,"
but they're filled with gold. Humans are like that too, he offers. The joyful "Church of the Earth" was written to
celebrate the new sanctuary at a Unitarian church, and like a good hymn, it features a gospel-style organ and a full
choir. The last cut, "The Rainbow," is the one that makes me hit play again and again. It's an upbeat Celtic style
tune about reveling in the beautiful colors of the rainbow -- it's not so important that you find the pot of gold.
There are many beautiful colors in this album. Get it and you can revel in it too.
©
James Scott
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Jugglers Étude"
©
David Kleiner
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Always"
©
Patrick Ragains
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Run SB Run"
©
Céline Keating
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "There and Gone"
©
Philip Hemmo
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 Allegro"
©
Fred Kraus
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Oh Glory How Happy I Am"
©
Kirk Albrecht
Buy it at Acoustic Music Resource
Listen to "Kahuna"
©
Jamie Anderson
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Ordinary Day"
