March/April, 2019
Gareth Pearson, "A Tweak on Antique," 2018
You know you're in for a delightful musical experience when one of the credits on the opening track lists "maniacal laughter." On Gareth Pearson's delightful new CD, A Tweak on Antique, Pearson channels the spirit of
older days with a modern touch, all the while demonstrating his prodigious thumb-picking skills. Seven of the 10 the tunes are originals that pay tribute to the likes of Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel and past generations
of players who figured out how to make one six-string instrument carry bass, mid, and melody lines seamlessly and simultaneously. Five of the 10 tracks are solo fingerstyle, while the other songs incorporate percussion,
piano, horns, and even a beat box while covering country, blues, and jazz styles. The opening cut, "Dust Devil," revals the power of Pearson's playing as he rips through riff after riff much like the eponymous wind
phenomenon does over arid ground. "Mr. Spontaneous" is just Pearson mixing chords and melody with tasteful arpeggios. "We Fooled Them Again" is a sweet homage to the playng of "Mr. Guitar" Chet Atkins with a shuffle
rhythm. "Cowboy's Hymn" is almost a lullaby. Pearson even pays homage to the classical world with a version of Shostakovich's "Waltz No.2." Pearson includes a well-known Americana chestnut "Daisy Bell," or more widely
known as A Bicycle Built for Two, driving slowly with his thumb then taking it up several steps to rip through it once more. For good measure, his song "Rockfield Blues" has a solo by another C.G.P., Tommy Emmanuel.
A Tweak on Antique concludes with a rollicking solo version of "Black Mountatin Rag," played so well in past years by Doc Watson or Leo Kottke. This is a great record, but at just 33 minutes, it's pretty short for a CD
these days. We would have liked to hear more!
Rhythm Future Quartet, "And Friends," 2018
The Rhythm Future Quartet is a smoking hot Gypsy jazz ensemble, as they demonstrated on their two previous albums, Rhythm Future Quartet (2015) and Travels (2016). The program here is similar: a blend of jazz
standards, originals, and one Django Reinhardt tune ("Minor Blues") as a direct link to the Gypsy jazz tradition (the group took their name from another Reinhardt piece). The sound is expanded by the addition
of the titular friends on four of the 13 tracks. But the group is still defined by the strong solo voices of violinist Jason Anick and guitarist Olli Soikkeli, along with second guitarist Max O'Rourke and bassist
Greg Loughman. Anick leads the composer list, and the set starts with two of his: the sprightly "Jaytude No.1 in Em" and "Cachoeira," which is named for a town in Bahia, Brazil. This begins the significant
Brazilian flavor of the program, which continues with the original bossa nova "Olli's Bossa," Hamilton De Holanda's guest bandolim (Brazilian mandolin) on Joshua Redman's latin-flavored "Jazz Crimes," and the choro
"Desvairada" by the influential Brazilian guitarist/composer Garôto. Duke Ellington's "Solitude" features the first guest, French vocalist Cyrille Aimée in a slow, sensual version. Guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg
guests on Amick's "Sleepless," making the snappy dialog between violin and guitars even more exciting. The string octet on closer "136 Harrison" ends the album on a lush note. Another winner from the quartet,
which continues to respect the Gypsy jazz tradition while also expanding it in creative ways.
Danny Schmidt, "Standard Deviation," 2019
Rolling Stone discovered recently that Danny Schmidt writes songs folks need to hear. The magazine picked "Last Man Standing" (the first single from Standard Deviation) as one of the "10 Best Country,
Americana Songs to Hear Now." It's a jaunty rag, a drinker's swagger. The arrangement is appropriately loosey-goosey: insistent drumming, thumping bass, swinging fiddle, and a soulful choir. The track is
infectious, but there's more to relish here. The opener, "Just Wait 'Til They See You," turns the silent miracle of a sleeping Maizy--Schmidt's infant daughter--into a lullaby love song. It features Schmidt's
trademark fingerpicking: hammer-ons, slides, and a steady percussive thumb. A heavenly choir of long, legato pedal steel notes and female voices hover over Schmidt's gentle warble. So sweet! In "Words are Hooks,"
Schmidt muses about the power of words. After all, though rhythm alerts listeners to Schmidt's music, his wordsmithing keeps them coming back. "Words are hooks in hearts and minds" and song, but they can snare the
writer like an errant cast into a heron's wing. Words can haunt, and the guitar accompaniment supports that feeling. A companion piece, "Newport 65," chronicles fans who hung on every word "with a love that was
fierce and obscene." Then, they turned their backs on Dylan when he plugged in. Here, Schmidt quotes "The Times They Are a Changin'" and lyrics from other tunes. Dylan knew the "path of the prophet is crooked and
cruel," so he moved on. But the unresolved truths of early songs like "Masters of War" still need to be heard and heeded. The protagonists of the title track are two women disrespected in science and math. Each has
been working alone and at the highest level. When they discover each other as soulmates, they "...kissed like their equations had never balanced quite before," despite "so many locks, so many doors... within the
standard deviation from the mean." "Blue-Eyed Hole in Time" a beautiful, straight ahead love-at-first-sight song that works for an adult ("your blue eyes opened up to me. You wouldn't turn away / Until my courage
rose to meet your gaze"), was written for Maizy. It's one more lovely highlight on a record you need to hear now.
Michael Chapdelaine, "Counterpoint Boundaries," 2018
This CD of contrasts and contradictions is a marvelous introduction to Chapdelaine, who started out as a classical guitarist but changed direction after a master class with Andres Segovia (famously testy) and the
discovery of Michael Hedges, whose New Age music helped unleash his irrepressible spirit. Chapdelaine's music respects but goes beyond musical boundaries; he adds stylistic flourishes to renditions of JS Bach's
Preludes and embellishes the already avant garde "Saudade III," by classical composer Roland Dyens, with a wild improvisational spree of tunes including "Swanee River" and "Under the Boardwalk." All his arrangements
have distinctiveness and originality, from the traditional "Amazing Grace" to his intricate arrangement of pop song "Somebody That I Used to Know" (by Gotye), with its complex fingerwork and spot-on mastery of rhythm
that allows him to conjure the bass, percussion, and xylophone of the original song with a single guitar. His own compositions are equally varied, such as the gentle "Lullaby for Two" and the bluesy "Blue Sleep,"
(here his gritty vocals are a perfect complement). The brilliant title track somehow melds New Age fingerstyle with classical Baroque aspects and impresses with flurries of harmonics, shifting rhythms, and tremolo
passages and arpeggios that builds in speed and dynamics. Chapdelaine has had won many prestigious guitar contests and has wowed audiences with his originality and virtuosity. But what most impresses here is the sheer
beauty of his playing. In his gorgeous tone and command of color and dynamics, what comes through most clearly is how profoundly he feels the music and wants to share it. This is a gem of a CD.
Tilman Hoppstock/LAGQ, "Hoppstock/Willcocks, Works for Guitar," 2018
While the album title Works for Guitar might not evoke much at first sight, this recent release by Tilman Hoppstock, in partnership with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ), was of particular interest to me for a
variety of reasons. Firstly, the music is primarily influenced by the compositional styles of Impressionist composers including Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy, while also taking occasional inspiration from late
Romantic composers such as Rachmaninoff and Fauré, all composers to whom I personally have been powerfully drawn throughout my life; I have often longed for guitar repertoire that might capture the unique aesthetic
of Ravel's piano works. Secondly, the recoding features all new music by Allan Willcocks (a.k.a. Tilman Hoppstock: Hoppstock uses the Willcocks pseudonym for some of his works), much of which is intended to be
didactic, focusing on various techniques and challenges students face, while being easier from a overall technical standpoint. Since I've spent my adult life teaching beginner to advanced classical
guitar, I'm on a never-ending search for new and exciting repertoire to inspire the next generation of guitarists, which this album provides more than any I have ever reviewed. Thirdly, while many of the
compositions serve a pedagogical purpose, this is in no way at the expense of the music itself; Willcocks was careful to craft works that stand on their compositional merits alone, presenting a wide variety of
unique, contrasting, and deeply compelling pieces. Eventually, this journey through dozens of short pieces and sketches culminates with the "Suite Transcendent", a large-scale work for four guitars commissioned
by the LAGQ, which is considered by many to be the most talented, prolific, and influential guitar quartet of all time. Here Willcocks unveils the full breadth of his compositional potential, taking the
possibilities of his Impressionism-influenced style and of the four world-class guitarists to their absolute limits. The work moves hurriedly through seemingly innumerable textures and tones, while also
being a wonderfully cohesive artistic statement. For classical guitarists seeking new and compelling music that they and their students can enjoy, explore, and perform, Works for Guitar will is ideal.
Lizanne Knott, Jesse Terry & Michael Logen, "Sunset Avenue Sessions," 2018
Performing artists face a quandary: As they mold their musical personas, they often seek similar-minded colleagues — who may be shaping their own personas — with whom to perform and record. Such simpatico
partnerships are probably not easy to come by. And while creative differences can prompt angsty and riveting end-products, those differences can just as easily spawn disappointing outcomes. So it is rewarding
to experience the 11 tracks that became to be known as the Sunset Avenue Sessions by three singer/songwriters: Lizanne Knott, Jesse Terry and Michael Logen. The three are friends — kindred spirits who have worked
together over the years but who have generally paved separate musical paths. However, one gets the sense that parts of each other rubbed off during those past encounters, as their songs here intertwine and overlap
like dew on a milkweed, shape-shifting like dusk clouds over the ocean. Their kind, good hearts clearly were well in sync during a somewhat happenstance five-hour recording session at Knott's home studio. The three
had gathered in order to record a promotional track or two prior to their artist-in-the-round tour in Great Britain. What began as single track turned into five covers and six originals, and you can almost hear the
conversation going something like: "Here's something I've liked over the years … say, do you know this song … oooh, I'd like to sing harmony on that one … reminds me of this tune I have been working on that you might
like… here's something of mine that might fit in …" Or something like that. That's the predominant vibe, anyway. All three play acoustic guitar and display some fine songwriting and singing chops. At times it can feel
almost too harmonious, but that's just a passing wisp as you luxuriate in the pleasant Americana spirit and natural flow. The three employ multi-instrumentalist Tom Hampton as well as a few others to round things out.
The production, mostly by Josh Kaler and Glenn Barratt, is crisp, yet incredibly warm. Song selection is outstanding, including fine arrangements of Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," Tom Petty's "Wildflowers" and
"Learning to Fly," and a quietly powerful take on June Carter Cash's "Ring of Fire." As with the original compositions, the covers are allowed enough room to breathe, to communicate clearly and purely. Lizanne Knott's
vocals command attention, alluring as a summer fragrance, compelling as a siren's call. Her own "Caroline" provides the perfect vehicle for her country-leaning lilt, and her "Why You Wanna Break My Heart" tugs at all
the right strings. Jesse Terry shines on his "Stargazer," while Michael Logen shows his versatility on his "Ocean Floor" by contributing guitar, piano, B3 organ and synths. That this collection works so well is the result
of some magical algorithm of spontaneity, familiarity and aura alignment. You don't get that every day.
©
Kirk Albrecht
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Mr. Spontaneous"
Listen to Gareth Pearson at our podcast 
©
Mark Sullivan
Rhythm Future Quartet's Website
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Tricotism"
Listen to Rhythm Future Quartet at our podcast
©
David Kleiner
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Last Man Standing"
©
Céline Keating
Buy it here
Listen to "Prelude, Cello Suite 1"
©
Timothy Smith
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Open Landscape"
©
Fred Kraus
| Jesse Terry's Website
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Learning To Fly"