My/June 2000
Peter Mulvey, "The Trouble With Poets," 2000
The trouble with poets is that they usually can't play guitar very well. That's not the case with Peter Mulvey, which puts him in a class with David Wilcox and James Taylor, a precious few able to
meld very capable guitar work with poetic lyricism. The music on "The Trouble With Poets", though, has more of a funky, alternative edge akin to the Dave Matthews Band. Like Wilcox, Mulvey appears
to be a guy who likes to fiddle around with tuning pegs. The only tuning that appears twice on "Poets" is CGCFBbC. Mulvey's acoustic guitar is embellished by the tasteful electric and ambient guitar
textures of David "Goody" Goodrich, who can also accept kudos for the excellent production of this project. It took me a full listen to this CD to realize that there were no drums on several tracks.
The fact that I never missed them is a testament to Mulvey's impeccable rhythmic delivery. Despite Mulvey's disclaimers of poets often having lapses in earnestness, he does justice to the poet's mission
of offering us glimpses of insight. On "Wings of the Ragman", he invites us to view a gallery of the commonplace as magical art, and consequently as manifestations of the sublime or cosmological: "The
street that you live on is brush strokes on canvas, you'd see it if you turned around, it's nothing new, happens each day… it's all around you now, still you don't see". Mulvey doesn't wallow in self-absorption,
however, and in the catchy pop title track pokes playful fun at the self-appointed credentials of poets. This is a song you'll be hearing on the radio. Mulvey is an artist I won't be able to call "obscure" for
very long.
Sylvain Luc and Biréli Lagrène, "Duet," 2000
Those who have heard the term "Hot Jazz" peculiar to the Django era, but who have
never actually felt it may do well to consider an initiation via Sylavin Luc and Bireli
Lagrène's "Duet". I'd suggest spinning tracks number 2 and 4 ("Douce Ambiance"- a
Django number- and "Made in France") in your CD player, but WARNING... watch very
closely for smoke coming from your audio equipment, your CD tray may be melting. Luc
and Lagrène share a telepathic musical wavelength on acoustic guitars, and their rapport is
reminiscent of Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine who likewise culled material and
technique from Django Reinhardt for their duet recordings of the 1970s. It may be
sacrilege to say so, but when I play "Duet" alongside my Django 10" LP from 1954,
Django almost pales, even accounting for the difference in fidelity of the recordings.
Judging by his playing, perhaps Lagrène is a reincarnation of Django as he comes from
likewise humble gypsy origins in the Alsace region of France. Not all is gypsy intensity
here, though. There are quiet moments such as on "La Ballade Irlandaise", "Zurezat",
"Les Amoureux des Bancs Publics" and "Syracuse". There are jazz standards "Road
Song" and "Stompin' at the Savoy". But even the jazz interpretations of pop numbers
"Blackbird", "Time after Time" and "Isn't She Lovely" sizzle with a rhythmic intensity
that McCartney, Cindy Lauper and Stevie Wonder likely never had envisioned.
Biréli Lagrène's Website | Sylvain Luc's Website
Laurence Juber, "The Collection," 2000
I was never a big fan of Paul McCartney's "Wings" in their heyday, but after hearing the
fingerstyle solo work of Laurence Juber on "The Collection", I now realize I missed an
incredible guitar player. Whether there was no showcase for his full talents with Wings or
whether I just wasn't listening closely, I'm not sure. "The Collection" is literally a
collection of his past solo, duet and trio works (and two new solos), which luckily does
showcase Juber's considerable guitar virtuosity. I have always thought that "Little Wing"
would make a great acoustic guitar song, and Juber has proven himself the player to do
Hendrix justice with his acoustic rendition opening this CD. On "Little Wing" he displays
a precision touch on the fretboard with hammer-ons, pull-offs and glissades, honed
trademark techniques also exhibited on "Mosaic" and "Pass the Buck". Many of his tunes
such as "Private Dick" (a duet with Preston Reed), "Rules of the Road" and "Cobalt Blue"
have a jazzy, ridin'-in-your-convertible with-the-top-down, beatnik era groove which
make you want to snap your fingers and utter such idioms as "cool, man". But like Yin
and Yang, these songs are juxtaposed with those compositions of great beauty played with
remarkable sensitivity like "Lunar Eclipse", "In Your Arms" and "Jesus Joy of Man's
Desire". It's no wonder that Laurence Juber was voted "Guitarist of the Year" in the
readers poll of Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine. Superlatives describe his art and his artistry
commands respect.
Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, "Over Land And Sea," 1999
It's curious that so many gifted acoustic guitarists come from Minneapolis... Steve
Tibbetts, Preston Reed, Dean Magraw and now the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet (must be
the water...). I must confess that I don't often listen to classical music and more naturally
gravitate to jazz, fingerstyle and rootsier forms. But this CD has quickly become an easy
favorite with me. "Over Land and Sea" doesn't categorize neatly as classical, it borrows
from contemporary and world musics. This is not your father's classical music. The
guitar interpretations on this disc not only call on the varied geographic and cultural
terrains of composers from Brasil, Finland, Russia, Italy, Spain, Scotland and America, but
likewise visit a spectrum of mood as expansive as the human spirit. "Over Land and Sea"
opens with a beautiful song, Assad's "Uarekena", which itself journeys through emotional
landscapes painted with a recurring motif which is alternately intent, dissonant and then
forgiving. The two pieces written by Finnish accordionist Kalaniemi evoke a Middle
Eastern air, "Hermannin Riili" rhythmic enough to coerce a lively but brief degeneration
into blatantly American funk. Stravinski's "Five Easy Pieces" don't sound that way,
especially "Española" which strolls among cockeyed tempos and harmonies. The theme
from eccentric guitarist Funk Pearson's "Elassomorph" might be from a 1950s Cowboy
Western and is truly a creative endeavor by the MGQ, who weave and intertwine classical,
experimental and jazz forms on this piece. "Over Land and Sea" is elegant, provocative
and visionary in its arrangements and guitar virtuosity. The Minneapolis Guitar Quartet
will likely have a crossover appeal to those who may not usually embrace classical music.
The Minneapolis Guitar Quartet's Website
Ted Reece, "Song For America," 1999
Sometimes an unexpected combination of chords or a certain sympathy with the fretboard
raises goosebumps, irrespective of the technical ability of the guitarist. The "goosebump
index" of Ted Reece's "Song For America" is off the meter, as is his ability. Reece
obviously owes a debt of influence to Michael Hedges and Preston Reed as evidenced by
his slapstyle on "Temporal Groove" and "Rock the World Gently". But Ted Reece is a
versatile player and I hear influences from a multitude of styles. His solo fingerstyle on
"Bondy's Pastures" nearly conjures aural images of a bluegrass band featuring fiddlers
playing along if I strain my imagination. There are pretty ballads such as "El Paisano" and
"Broken Arrow". There's a Kottke-esque rag on slide guitar, "Where Does that Leave
Me?". The tune "Celtic Dances" actually sounds to my ear more like a Spanish jazz, fired
out with pizzicato flatpicking, and which magically morphs via Reece's wizardry into a
boogie blues riff. "Song For America" is solo independent fingerstyle guitar at its best.
Colin Hay, "Transcendental Highway," 1998
This is a tremendous album of mainstream acoustic music which paradoxically seems to
have a very small popular audience. At least when I last checked Amazon.com's sales
ranking, "Transcendental Highway" by Colin Hay was only ranked # 24,352 in sales. This
is especially surprising when one considers that Colin Hay is a Grammy winner and a
founding member of the chart-topping band Men at Work. "Transcendental Highway" is
worlds away from that Australian pop group sound, though. The flavor is similar to Eric
Clapton's sound after "461 Ocean Boulevard" or some of the acoustic music of Francis
Dunnery. In large part he sounds like these artists because his voice is so striking and
resonant. On "Goodbye My Red Rose" and "I'm Doing Fine" I'm also reminded of
Clapton's songwriting at his contemplative (versus bluesy) best. The only thing I can't
figure out is why he chose to open this CD with the tune "Transcendental Highway", a
spoken word song, when his singing voice is the true jewel of his work. Hay's brand of
pop/folk often seeps with jazzy overtones á la Van Morrison, as on "If I Go". "I'll Leave
the Light On" features a very Pete Townshend Pinball Wizard-like unrelenting strum
which gives an urgency and intensity to the lyrical lament of love's loss and regret.
Although "Transcendental Highway" is more of a music-lover's CD than a guitar-lover's
CD, it's an excellent one at that. Look for a new release from Hay very soon.
Anthony Hindson, "It's A Curious Life," 1999
Anthony Hindson is a British acoustic guitarist who has assembled an all-star cast from the
jazz and classical Indian worlds to produce an impressive hybridization entitled "It's a
Curious Life", a debut CD which he's characterized as "turn of the century rock and
raga". The stars are Shankar (double violin) and Zakir Hussain (tabla) formerly of Shatki,
Gary Husband (drums) who was a memorable sideman with Allan Holdsworth, and Tony
Williams and Jack Bruce, from, well... you know. "Nomanoni" opens the CD with an
interplay between violin, tabla and acoustic guitar which ebbs and flows like the Ganges
through changeable currents both turbulent, meandering and still. It's sort of a
progressive "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" meets "Lotus Feet" which actually works. "DRH" is
a pretty and melodic guitar-only song which allows Hindson to parade his 13-string guitar
with its sympathetic strings to the forefront. The title track features the sweet and
rock-steady vocals of Jack Bruce in an unusual Indian cadence and melody which is
innovative and again, works exceptionally well. Unfortunately the CD loses momentum
halfway through and slips into mediocrity. "The Waiting Room" noodles around without
a coherent direction. "Kathleen" has the feel of a syrupy soundtrack and detracts from the
thematic thread of fusing acoustic rock with Indian music. "It's a Curious Life" especially
shines when it capitalizes on the synergy of all its excellent participants.
©
A.F.
Buy it at Amazon.com
©
A.F.
Buy it at Amazon.com
©
A.F.
Buy it at Amazon.com
©
A.F.
Buy it at Amazon.com
©
A.F.
Buy it at Amazon.com
©
A.F.
Buy it at Amazon.com
©
A.F.
Buy it at Amazon.com
