January/February, 2020
Elliot Cole, "Nightflower," 2019
Elliot Cole's first solo release Nightflower consists of eight contemporary compositions, half of which feature the extraordinary guitar playing of Jordan Dobson. Cole is an innovative singer, composer, and performer,
and is currently a doctoral candidate at Princeton. Dobson is a dynamic soloist and chamber musician gracing the stages and concert halls across the globe. The inventive music on Nightflower was initially written using
computer code. Cole creatively designed a computer program to assist him in making compositional choices and transposes selected outcomes for live instrumentation. The results are some of the most alluring and captivating
musical dialogues heard to date. The recording begins with the first movement of a four-part tour de force entitled "Bloom." According to Cole the suite was written soon after he was married and reflects "the exuberance
of that time." The composition features Dobson's virtuosic guitar refrains flanked by vibrant cello and clarinet counterpoints. "Bloom II" begins with powerful unison percussive rhythms followed by brilliantly conceived
melodic phrases. While Dobson's virtuosic classical guitar is featured prominently in these pieces, it is the cello and clarinet that propel and drive the compositions. The result is psychedelic chamber music, written and
performed at the highest level imaginable. One hears elements of Steve Reich and Phillip Glass in some of the repetitive motifs as well as King Crimson influenced polyrhythms. On "Bloom III and IV" the pace slows down
offering reflective and introspective dialogues between this dynamic ensemble. "Night (Corners)" and "Night (Flowers)" are two contemplative piano pieces with lingering, dissonant musical sequences, capturing the haunting,
nocturnal imagery of the compositions. "Flowerpot Music" features the xylophone playing deliberate percussive phrases with sparse, disconnected flourishes. The album ends with "Facets," a lengthy piano exploration which
slowly builds to create a meditative and brooding musical landscape. Elliot Cole's Nighflower is an auspicious and adventurous debut, redefining the parameters of contemporary music, and is enthusiastically recommended
for all listeners wanting to expand their musical boundaries.
Joel Saunders, "Harmonic Slice," 2019
If Joel Saunders's CD Harmonic Slice were a slice of cake, one slice would never be enough to satiate my sweet tooth... or ear, as the case maybe. Saunders has a seemingly limitless ability to make simple
melodies explode with intoxicating sonic complexity. He is indeed endowed with a rare clarity, precision and presence of musicianship. Tags like perfection, articulation and artistry come to mind. This is
evident through Saunders's second release, but reaches a sort of crescendo with the title track "(It's Been a) Harmonic Slice." With its myriad of key changes and effervescent fretwork, Saunders
blends harmonics, sliced and otherwise, hammer-ons, pull-offs, muting and a percussive diatonically descending bass line that holds it all together like a warm breeze playing with fresh linen on the line, a
mesmerizing jewel in the finest tradition of modern fingerstyle guitar. The first three tracks "Lady Lavender," "On Essex Street" and "Froghollow at Night" are ebullient, melody forward compositions that lead to
"Castle Town," perhaps the most complex tune on the disc. Saunders's study of jazz throughout high school and at University of Guelph certainly inform his compositional leanings. This is most notable on "Castle Town,"
which literately romps, swing-like and powered by a walking bass line accented throughout with runs (some at the speed of light), harmonics, percussive accents and a clustering of triplets that will hit you like a sonic
train headed downhill before it bursts back into the chorus. To help you catch your breath, Saunders follows with the subtle and delicate "A Fair World," before the mid-tempo and funky "The Zotz Walk," both of which
set up the aforementioned title track perfectly. Despite the complexity, Saunders's work is such an easy listen. His profound abilities serve the melody rather than having melody worship at the feet of skill and execution.
His perspicacious understanding of the fretboard is abundantly apparent on Harmonic Slice, both in execution and composition.
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, "Live and Listening," 2019
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers follows up his SAMMY Award-winning CD for Best Americana (Almost There) with a new one just as worthy of that prestigious prize. Rodgers is also a teacher, writer, and a founding editor of
Acoustic Guitar magazine, and this attention to craft shines through. These twelve top-notch originals (one co-written) reflect a full span of roots influences from folk to funk. Recorded live, it exudes the honest
sensibility of music played in an intimate setting. (Rodgers attributes the natural sound to the use of the Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend: All the guitar on the album is direct from that pickup/mic, through a Fishman
Platinum Pro DI.) The band - Wendy Sassafras Ramsay on beautifully harmonizing vocals (along with flute, clarinet, accordion, and acoustic guitar), Jason Fridley (bass, alto saxophone and backup vocals), and Josh Dekaney
(percussion kit and backup vocals) -- is top-notch. Examples of superb play and interplay abound, such as the alto sax razzmatazz on "Only the Soul" and the percussion and jangly guitar lines on "How Long" and
"Sycamore Tree." Rodgers plays a custom Manzer in a wide range of styles and rhythms: There's a Neil Young flavor to the beautiful "Holy Man" (where he plays a "strumstick" - a cross between a dulcimer and a guitar), a
whiff of Johnny Cash on "Any Other Way," and an Appalachian sparseness to banjo/fiddle-type tune "Fly," dense with striking guitar picking. Rodgers is a stylist in every way, as strong a singer songwriter as he is a
guitarist, with a pleasing voice and lyrics that can be funny /clever (("Googling"; "Coulda Shoulda") or touching and thought-provoking ("Holy Man"; "Tiny Song," which was inspired by NPR's Tiny Desk, and depicts what
it feels like to write a song.) Live and Listening is a deeply pleasing, toe-tapping, heartfelt album that will delight any fan of roots and American music.
Hiroya Tsukamoto, "Window to the World," 2019
Most artists don’t wait five years between projects, but Hiroya Tsukamoto has done just that with his release of Window to the World. This disc follows his well-received last effort, Places from 2014 (see that review here),
and it continues Tsukamoto’s sonic explorations on steel string guitar. The 10 songs reveal well-crafted melodies, inventive hooks, and solid chops while creating beautiful songs. As with most any modern fingerstyle player,
Tsukamoto employs manifold techniques to produce color and texture within his songs, and on Window to the Word, singing is one more avenue of expression (for example on the opening track, "Hobbomock" and "Gemini Ridge").
Tsukamoto moves in and out of various techniques with ease and skill, allowing each soundscape to help shape the tune. Sometimes Tsukamoto layers his songs with several guitar parts, and often he employs a lush reverb to
bring a fullness to his playing (as on the introspective "Looking Back"). "Takibi" traces out a simple single-note line, which builds in chordal complexity as the song develops, while retaining a clear melody. "Asadoyayunta"
greets the listener with a noticeably traditional Japanese melody, and features Tsukamoto singing in his native tongue; it is a lovely piece. We hear more frenetic fingerpicking on "Black Canyon," as if we’re rising and
falling with each step on a trail. The mood and color is darker with minor chords on "Northern Rain," where picking and strumming are almost in counterpoint, then providing the foundation for a single-note melody line.
On "Storytelling," Tsukamoto intersperses the guitar song with stories of experiences he has had in music; it makes for a compelling almost 12-minute long listening experience, one with a more accessible personal
touch. Window to the World is a compelling 10 song CD where each tune completes the whole recording, giving listeners a chance to hear dynamic guitar music played by a skilled crasftsman.
Cory Seznec, "Spirituals for Fingerstyle Guitar (DVD)," 2019
Cory Seznec is a skilled multi-instrumentalist living in Paris, France. He created this lesson soon after releasing the tutorial, New Orleans Fingerstyle Blues Guitar, this time covering six African
American spirituals. The lesson is appropriate for intermediate and advanced fingerstyle players who already use some chord fingerings beyond the first position. For each piece, Seznec teaches
accompaniments and instrumental breaks arranged for steel-string acoustic guitar. He used piano scores in several early black hymnals as sources, although New Orleans piano is another strong point
of reference. The lesson follows Stefan Grossman's established format: Seznec performs each tune in its entirety, then teaches it section by section, including split screen examples showing his left and
right hands as he plays at a slow tempo. A pdf file with each piece in standard notation and tablature accompanies the video. Introducing the first tune, "Give Me Jesus," Seznec cites John Fahey's arrangement
of "Christ There is No East or West" as an influence, although, unlike Fahey, he incorporates both syncopation and melodic ornamentation. "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" may be the most familiar song in the
lesson, and he teaches a pleasing arrangement with a chord melody-style break. Seznec also teaches a nice variation In "Lift Every Voice and Sing", in which he alternates between a chord melody approach and
more traditional fingerpicking. "Roll De Old Chariot Along", "Just a Closer Walk With Thee", and "This Train is Bound For Glory" round out the lesson, and he closes with a short performance of "Death Don't
Have No Mercy". Throughout, Seznec names and explains most chord voicings, an approach that should help guitarists develop effective voice leading in their accompaniments and instrumental breaks. Seznec's
varied rhythms are no less important, as they lend liveliness to the music - think of Professor Longhair and James Booker for comparisons. He teaches these elements quite well while providing an in-depth
look at his individual style. To sum up, this is a high-quality lesson that addresses some common needs of fingerstyle guitarists who sing or accompany others and want to spice up their playing. I recommend
focusing at first on one or two of the pieces he teaches, then integrating the techniques into one's existing repertoire.
©
James Scott
| Jordan Dodson's Website
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Bloom I"
Listen to Elliot Cole at our podcast 
©
James Filkins
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Castle Town"
Listen to Joel Saunders at our podcast
©
Céline Keating
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers's Website
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Fly"
©
Kirk Albrecht
Buy it here
Listen to "Coastline Remembrance"
©
Patrick Ragains
Buy it at Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop
Listen to "Spirituals for Fingerstyle Guitar" (YouTube)