Autumn 2024
Al Di Meola, "Twentyfour," 2024
Al Di Meola's newest double-CD entitled Twentyfour has been nominated for the best jazz instrumental album for the 67th Grammy Awards. If he wins this deserved honor, it would be the second Grammy for the jazz guitarist,
the first in 1976 for Return to Forever's "No Mystery." It must have recently been a couple of years of highs and lows for Di Meola, having had a dramatic wake-up call in the form of a heart attack in the middle of a performance in
Bucharest in 2023. Still, the 70 year-old guitarist exudes youthfulness, not only in his appearance, but showing no signs of flagging artistically and sounding technically much like the younger virtuoso in his twenties.
Twentyfour is a collection of 15 tracks on two CDs, generally following one of two formats. Many of the tracks are polyrhythmic and pleasantly meandering acoustic soliloquies (or double tracked) paired only with
percussion on tabla (expertly played by Amit Kavthekar), cajon or conga but only occasionally supported by a full drum kit or bass guitar. A few tracks on disc #2 ("Paradox of Puppets," "Genetik," "Testament 24")
follow this "minimalist" approach but allow Di Meola's legato or arpeggiated electric guitar to also hurtle into the spotlight, as always searing and precise. The tracks which step away from these two formats are the
most epic and nearly jarring, in contrast. Especially, "Eden" with haunting vocals by Siuxx (Ivan Lopez) showcases Di Meola's talent for emotive composition over technical flash. "Tears of Hope" begins with lush
orchestrations reminiscent of Nelson Riddle's arrangements from the 1950s, so much so that you might expect Old Blue Eyes's vocals to suddenly break in. Di Meola's tasteful acoustic phrasings instead complete the
sentiment nicely. "Ava's Dance in the Moonlight" caught the attention of the Grammy committee, who nominated this composition for the best jazz performance and best instrumental composition. Also heavily
orchestrated, the style sits in a place of comfort for Di Meola with hints of Spanish and Flamenco nuance conspiring to stir up a groundswell of emotion. Al Di Meola, with the release of Twentyfour, has cemented a
vaulted position in jazz guitar history.
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Alan Fark
Dylan Fowler, "Ebb & Flow," 2024
Dylan Fowler, a Wales-born acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and composer, displays breathtaking virtuosity and soulful playing on Ebb & Flow. His pieces are miniature journeys, constantly changing, constantly surprising.
He melds together many strains of music, from Welsh Celtic to classical to jazz in an organic, complex, and satisfying whole. Fowler has had an extensive international touring career for decades, working with various
groups and collaborating with musicians as different as Richard Thompson and Don Ross. His musical influences range widely too. About half the pieces on Ebb & Flow are originals and half interpretations, including of Pat
Metheny, Lennon and McCartney, John Coltrane, Keith Jarret, and Bulgarian composer Petar Liondev. While paying homage to the original versions, Fowler makes them his own, whether giving a sensuous, mournful take on
lovely traditional Scottish ballad "Black Is the Color (of My True Love's Eyes)" or his own pieces, such as the jazzy, impetuous "Joy," which races through chordal and single-note passages in the blink of an eye.
His composition "Six Thaal" is emblematic of his style. Ruminative and rhythmic, it segues into a peppy melody punctuated with super-fast runs. Other original compositions include "Rhigos," percussive, meditative, and
improvisational, and "Llyn y fan," an exceptionally beautiful Celtic piece with jewel-like tones that exemplifies the tonal quality and resonance of his playing. His renditions of others' music are equally compelling.
"Erghen Diado," by Bulgarian composer Petar Liondev, is one standout among many, an intricately rhythmic propulsive piece with jangly chords and resonate bass, punctuated with harmonics, all interlaced with a soulful
melody. "My Song" (Keith Jarret) is flowing, intimate, and emotionally resonant; here Fowler's proficiency with effortless single-note passages is on full display. His "Norwegian Wood" (Lennon/McCartney) is the most
original and intricate version I've ever heard, with spikey intensity, upbeat shifts in tempo, rambunctious chordal passages, and some wild flashes of staccato. On the exceptional "Naima" (John Coltrane), Fowler
brings a sultrier and more improvisational sensibility. A fitting end to the album, his original "Lâr Fach yr Haf" is a soulful "airy hymn to Welsh butterflies." Beautifully rendered, it highlights Fowler's lush,
flowing, and resonant tone. Ebb & Flow, breathtaking, original, complex, and soul satisfying, is one of the best I've heard in a long time. A must for any lover of guitar, this is music listeners will return to over
and over again.
Bill Mize, "The Southwind," 2024
Native Tennessean Bill Mize is a master of steel string fingerstyle guitar and a past National Fingerstyle Guitar champion. He's released over half a dozen CDs and this album finds him playing engaging, individual
renditions of well-known tunes and exploring more styles on five originals. Mize's fingerstyle work is highlighted on all but one track, and he has subtle backing from Beth Bramhall on accordion, Mike Baguette on
electric guitar and Daniel Kimbro on upright bass. Mize plays slide dobro on several tracks as well. He emphasizes texture throughout the set, using his dobro and the others' contributions for both interplay and background,
setting him apart from many guitarists who record in a strictly solo setting.
Mize concentrates on subtle variations and occasionally creates tension by playing melodic lines or chords outside of a tune's predominant harmony. All of this lends an introspective feel to his music. The album begins
with a loving rendition of the Irish tune "Southwind", inviting comparisons with earlier versions by Robin Bullock and Al Petteway, who recorded it as a duet, and John Renbourn, who recorded the tune in solo and group
settings. Mize's version will likely have a similar influence on fingerstyle guitarists. On "Shenandoah" he plays pleasing chords and moving lines in the guitar's middle register. "Tennessee Waltz" gets a similar treatment,
with a rhythmic freedom that really swings. Beth Bramhall's accordion leads "He's Gone Away", with ambient backing on electric guitar. Bobby Charles's "Tennessee Blues" has an intriguing introduction that leads into an
unhurried conversation between guitar and bass. Mize's own compositions have a rhythmic liveliness that add interest and variety to the album. "On Girl From Ekaneetlee", he evokes Delta blues, adding some adventurous
melodic lines at the tune's midpoint, with Baguette playing subtle accents on electric guitar. Likewise, "The Snake Song" has a strong Delta groove, but is harmonically more adventurous and has nice interaction among the
guitars and upright bass. "Advize the Wize" is a solo piece that incorporates more dissonance with a strong rhythm and a quote from Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol's "Caravan." The lyrical "Sundog Serenade" differs from his
other originals, with a relaxed feel that recalls both James Taylor and Mark Knopfler and another attractive dialogue between acoustic and electric guitars. Bill Mize is a fine player and arranger with a distinct approach
as a fingerstyle guitarist and arranger. His music is best appreciated by close, unhurried listening, and I'm sure The Southwind will please guitarists and nonmusicians alike.
Aoife O'Donovan & Hawktail, "All My Friends," 2024
This six-song collection is essentially a stripped-down acoustic reimagining of Aoife O'Donovan's full length All My Friends. Front and center throughout beams O'Donovan's voice, an instrument so pure and lilting
that its power permeates rather than pummels. Her phrasing enthralls as she stretches lyrics, fades syllables into nothingness, and taps into Irish lilts and ear-wormy rhythms. She's supported by Brittany Haas on fiddle,
Paul Kowert on double bass and Jordan Tice on guitar on these Irish folk-based tracks. The songs were inspired by the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave American women the right to vote.
O'Donovan wrote most of the songs on two commissions, one from the Massachusetts FreshGrass Festival and one from the Orlando Philharmonic. A hint of a Woody Guthrie Americana vibe resonates throughout the work: Timeless,
powerful statements about America and democracy, and of its preciousness. O'Donovan's musical catalog is quite accomplished, including being one-third of the trio I'm With Her, the front woman of the string band Crooked
Still, the featured vocalist on the Goat Rodeo Sessions, and a regular contributor to "A Prairie Home Companion." The title track of this current work is slow and achy, timeless Irish soul: "All my friends / Will meet
the end someday / So I'll sing a song for them / To guide them on their way / Through the violet highs / and the ocher lows." The tenor of this work leans toward call-to-action political, as we work our way through
"Crisis" (featuring Kowert's inspired bass work), "War Measure," "Daughters," "America, Come," O'Donovan eases a bit on the final track, a love song of sorts, "Middle/The River That Runs Both Ways," which makes the case
for compromise and healing and meeting in the middle. Fitting, as that's a sentiment that's as true as it is timeless.
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Fandango"
©
Céline Keating
Buy it at Acoustic Music Records
Listen to "Joy"
Listen to Dylan Fowler at our podcast 
©
Patrick Ragains
Buy it at billmize.com
Listen to "Milky White Way"
Listen to Bill Mize at our podcast
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Fred Kraus
Ronny Wiesauer, "Figures and Shapes," 2024
Figures & Shapes is Ronny Wiesauer's eighth studio album which, like three previous releases, "Monologues," "All Yours," and "September," feature the Austrian-born composer's original works for classical guitar,
excepting the final track, an arrangement of Scarlatti's "Sonata in D Minor (K. 32)". Wiesauer studied classical guitar at Mozarteum Salzburg with Marco Tamayo and later moved to Berlin where he performed with
various ensembles and bands. He eventually returned to Salzburg and founded "The Corium Project," a contemporary jazz trio featuring double bassist Heinz Hasenauer and drummer Klaus Sauli. His innovative fusion of
classical and jazz components and a singer's sense of phrasing throughout the album are captivating and wonderfully reflective, keeping the listener fully engaged and open to passages spanning the virtuosic and tuneful
to the slowly expressive and improvisatory. Wiesauer's sure advantage in giving life to such a wide-ranging yet thematic program is his incredible tone; it captivates from the first phrase of the opening piece,
"West Winds," and never wavers. Wiesauer is also a master composer in that he knows how to distill all he has heard and performed into material that sounds fresh, interesting, and vibrant, and the overdubbed improvised
sections of the Lydian-tinged Metheney-esque "Farewell" are a brilliant example as the composer still has more to say compositionally through the improvisation; it does not present itself as a tacked-on solo. The
influence of Bill Evans comes through delicately in "Song for a Movie," with its subtle nod to his "Peace Piece" in mood and flavor, and, as on previous recordings, Ralph Towner's influence is again evident and welcome in
more than a few places. At first glance, finding Scarlatti's "Sonata in D Minor (K. 32)" concluding the program is a bit perplexing - until it is heard. Only then does it reveal itself as a fitting conclusion to the
album, not only because Scarlatti's music feels so at home on the classical guitar but also because there is a sense that all of the modernity and innovative complexity heard before it could be reduced to their roots in a
previous era, the Baroque moving into the Classical style; one foot in the past and the other striding into the future. At every turn on Figures & Shapes, Ronny Wiesauer makes both a statement and a leap and invariably
lands on firm ground.
Arlen Roth, "Playing Out the String," 2024
What does a guitarist voted one of the top 50 acoustic guitarists, 100 most influential guitarists of all-time, and top 29 best rock guitarists ever by gibson.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine and Music Industry How-to-Do when
recording an album? Whatever he wants to, of course. Clearly Roth wanted to record songs that are just as legendary as his playing. You will recognize every track on this album as well as Roth's sublime talent in each
performance. The title of Roth's 20th solo album, Playing Out the String, is intended as a misnomer, in that it is clearly obvious that Roth's talent, artistry and fret board acumen is at level that is simply staggering in
terms of brilliance, execution and tone. He simply hasn't lost a step in a career that has spanned over 50 years. Roth recorded and toured with Happy and Artie Traum and has worked with seemingly every guitar legend on the
planet. Far too many to name (yes, we're talking Dylan, Seeger, Butterfield, etc.). He has also been on the leading edge of every facet of playing, instruction and recording. Did I mention his Hot Licks Audio and Video label?
You get the idea. You will also get the idea when the first notes of "Walk Right In" saunter out of your speakers before shifting into gear and up to cruising speed. This is Arlen Roth on a full force acoustic bender.
Pun intended. His playful and rollicking rendition of Gus Cannon's classic is a delight. The pristine production throughout Playing Out the String puts Roth's silky smooth technique and equally smooth vocals smack dab in your
living room or the front seat of your car, depending on your listening environment. Track two, Norman Blake's "Church Street Blues" has a mellow warmth that exudes charm vocally and musically. Perhaps the finest
instrumental version of Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" these ears have ever heard follows, featuring resonate and refined slide work. Roth also includes instrumental versions of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty" and
Freddy Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'." Roth elevates these three classics in a manner that is unassuming, yet offers the touch and vitality that only a consummate true six string sherpa can attain. Two other instrumentals,
Allen Toussaint's "Java" and the title track, an original composition, demonstrate more of the wicked licks and country blues rumble you might expect from a guy who has never let genres fence him in. It is not an over
generalization to state that every track is superb. Classics like "Randall Collins," "Gonna Move Across the River," and "Diddy Wah Diddy," all find new life in the heads a legendary fret-master and musical trailblazer.
Jim "Kimo" West & David Vito Gregoli, "KimoVito," 2024
Jim Kimo West is a sonic adventurer and his mode of travel always consists of strings and wood. His fretboard travels have left behind a trail of sonically delicious recordings. His latest endeavor is an uncompromising
collaboration with equally adventurous multi-instrumentalist and producer David Vito Gregoli. Aptly titled Kimo Vito, this astonishing collection of ten instrumentals offers a rich and enticing depth of melody, texture,
sonic splendor that is exotic and very satisfying.
Mixed in with seven original compositions are three covers, Sting's "Fragile," Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" and the Beatles' "Let it Be." West and Gregoli invigorate these staples of pop music with freshness through
the use of diverse instruments including sitar, charango, Tricordia, tabla, Irish Bouzouki, soprano guitar, mandolin and fretless bass. Their unique approach to each arraignment creates a melodic vibrancy.
There was an intention to pay homage to Windham Hill Records while producing this album. While West and Gregoli's have certainly achieved their goal, they have also managed to bring the that Windham-vibe clearly into
the present. All of the tracks on Kimo Vito are very much like a musical garden of lush, fragrant and vibrantly diverse colors. "Pandora's Musical Box" and "Land of Dreams" are prime examples of the kind of sonic texture
and melodic verve that those early Windham Hill artists pioneered, but to which West and Gregoli's deft artistry and musicianship offer a new, perhaps, more worldly sensibility. Amazingly they seem to do so effortlessly.
Fittingly my favorite track, the live "Michael And Michael," is clearly a nod to guitarist Michael Hedges and bassist Michael Manring. In fact, the secret ingredient to many of these tracks is Gregoli's fluid and inspired
fretless bass work. The same could be said of West's playing on a multitude of instruments. The artistry and musicianship demonstrated throughout this album is nothing short of world class.
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "America, Come"
©
David Pedrick
Buy it at ronnywiesauer.com
Listen to "Farewell"
©
James Filkins
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Diddy Wha Diddy"
©
James Filkins
| Vito Gregoli's Website
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "Michael And Michael"
