Summer 2025
Robin Nolan, "For The Love of George," 2025
The story behind this project almost sounds too good to be true. Gypsy jazz guitarist Robin Nolan not only played his arrangements of George Harrison's songs, but also recorded them in Harrison’s Friar Park mansion using
three of Harrison’s guitars. The two men became friends when Harrison hired Nolan and his band to play for one of his parties in the 1990s, as a result of hearing a CD that one of his gardeners brought back to him from a
trip to Amsterdam. The title tune opens the album. It is another story in itself: Nolan wrote the song using some chords and ideas Harrison sketched out on the back of an envelope, making it a Harrison-Nolan collaboration
as well as a new song in the Harrison catalogue. Nolan crafted a Harrison-like melody, and used all three of the mainly acoustic guitars made famous by Beatles recordings–the electric Rickenbacker 12-string that was used
extensively on the Hard Day’s Night album; the acoustic/electric Gibson J160 that is the only guitar that was used on every Beatles album; and the Ramirez Spanish guitar that is remembered for the
song "And I Love Her." "Wah-Wah" jumps right into Gypsy jazz, complete with an overdubbed rhythm part. "I Want to Tell You" has a similar feel, and does an outstanding job incorporating Harrison’s original guitar
parts. Of course, "And I Love Her" had to be included, in a lovely arrangement for two Spanish guitars. "My Sweet Lord" swings so hard that it is almost unrecognizable at first. Nolan plays "Something" straight at
first as a ballad, before swinging it up-tempo. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" concludes the set, a beautiful reading with just a hint of swing. This recording has all of the hallmarks of a passion project: Nolan
combined his love of Harrison’s music with his love of Gypsy jazz in a remarkable way.
Alex Anderson, "Shadowlight," 2025
Alex Anderson, based in Connecticut, has emerged as a leading exponent of harp guitar. Shadowlight, his second solo album, displays his strengths as a player and composer. "No-Way Mirror" begins the program with a
strong rhythmic groove, supported by string slaps, a pleasing melody, and prominent chordal pivots, all of which characterize his approach. "Restless Dreams" introduces some attractive dissonance on the harp strings.
"Brighter Than The Fire Around Her" is played more slowly and has a reflective feel. "NeverGreen" features interplay between a harmonized melody and the low harp strings. One of my favorites is "Between Darkness"
and Light," as Anderson plays at a slower tempo and incorporates nuance and spacing in a truly beautiful performance. "The Art Of Letting Go" alternates a melodic section with answering chords for some nice, shifting
dynamics. The concluding piece, "Suite - Every Shadow Came From The Light," is a tour-de-force of the the guitarist's technical strengths, and includes good dynamic contrasts. Anderson's playing is technically solid,
extroverted and rhythmically infectious. The program would have benefitted from more variety, since his guitar's tone remains unchanged throughout and the near-constant rumbling basses on some tracks render a sound
that's too dense for my enjoyment. On the other hand, I was rewarded by closer listening - I'll be returning to "Brighter Than The Fire Around Her," "Between Darkness and Light," and surely others. A 2024 harp guitar
anthology, Clouds: Inspirational Harp Guitar Solos, which includes Alex Anderson, displays varied approaches and is an excellent example of the instrument's potential in a solo setting. Shadowlight will no doubt please
Anderson's followers, attract new listeners, and do well on streaming playlists.
James Filkins, "North Manitou Trail," 2025
Guitarist and composer James Filkins, whose earlier releases have been reviewed at Minor 7th, is back with a fine collection of originals. But North Manitou Trail isn't an album of solo guitar - it's something more.
Throughout, Filkins adeptly uses nylon string guitar to create a foundation that's overlaid by other instrumentalists, who often answer or double his own themes. He also conveys images of the outdoors, via titles of
individual pieces as well as the album artwork, which depicts loons, leaves, rocks, and abstract blossoms. The set opens with "Walking Mojo," a tango featuring interplay with Valentin Stanté on violin, supported by Luis
Vilca on flute and Alex Somov on accordion. The somber and perhaps mournful "Ashes to Ashes" begins with an arpeggiated introduction from Filkins, after which Crispin Campbell covers the melody on cello, with Jack Dryden
adding upright bass. Campbell returns on "Keweenaw," a conversation between guitar and cello that beautifully evokes the area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula for which the piece is named. "Raft of Loons" finds Filkins'
guitar in the foreground and supported by violin and cello for its first half, after which he engages in sympathetic call-and-response with the other players. Flautist Luis Vilca introduces "A Tunnel of Trees," with
Filkins joining him for a dialogue of melodic and chordal statements. Filkins and cellist Katie Larsen play closely integrated parts on the slightly pensive "Wysteria in Bloom." "Winter Vine" is another guitar and cello
duet, this time with Crispin Campbell. "Sunny Park in Harbor Springs," with violinist Richard Downs, Jr. joining Filkins, follows in the same manner. Things change up on "North Manitou Trail," which has a smooth jazz feel
and more improvisation, with saxophonist Brian Donohoe and bassist Jack Dryden playing along. Filkins's guitar lines define "Regrets," an Eastern European-sounding piece that's strengthened by Oleksandra Vyentseva's
answering lines on violin and Alex Somov's shimmering accordion - the piece could easily work as a solo guitar number."Redheads on the Wing" is a pretty duet with Luis Vilca returning on flute. "Tending the Garden," with
violinist German Dmitriev, is arranged in a similar manner as "Regrets." The set ends with "Squall Line," which has Filkins and cellist Crispin Campbell playing multiple parts with a bit of reverb added, and an unexpected
addition near the end that reinforces the imagery of an advancing storm. On North Manitou Trail, Filkins presents an outstandingly effective and coherent collection of music, based on relatively uncomplicated melodic ideas
and harmonic underpinning. His ensemble arrangements add much variety and interest, including both composed parts and improvisation. Filkins is promoting streamed tracks on Facebook; I encourage listeners also to experience
the album as sequenced - it's a creative triumph.
©
Mark Sullivan
Stream it at Spotify
Listen to "I Want to Tell You"
Listen to Robin Nolan at our podcast 
©
Patrick Ragains
Stream it at Spotify
Listen to "NeverGreen"
Listen to Alex Anderson at our podcast
©
Patrick Ragains
ChromaDuo, "What I Saw in the Water," 2024
Approaching two decades as one of the world's leading guitar duos, The Chroma Duo is Tracy Anne Smith and Rob MacDonald, both guitarists, teachers, adjudicators, and advocates for new music. They have performed across
the United States, Mexico, England, Germany, and their home country of Canada. Additionally, they have performed for, taught at, and adjudicated competitions at major festivals, including the GFA, Boston's Festival 21,
the 30th International Guitar Festival in Iserlohn, and the Festival Internacional de Guitarra Sinaloa in Culiacán. Their latest recording opens with the eponymous What I Saw in the Water, the first movement from "Siete
pinturas de Frida Kahlo," a musical reflection on six artworks by the Mexican master, composed by Simone Iannarelli. This lyrical and sweeping opening is the only piece on the program that was not explicitly written for
the duo, though all compositions earn their debut recordings. Leo Brouwer's 2021 piece, "The Circle Game (after Margaret Atwood)," continues the trend of new music emerging from other art forms, in this case, Ms. Atwood's
1964 poetry collection, and it clocks in at exactly ten minutes, not wasting a precious second in disengagement. Occasional stylemarks flicker from the Cuban master, but less frequently than expected, making this piece
particularly captivating. The polished modernity of Dušan Bogdanovic is cloaked in a seemingly classical form on "Sonata No. 2 for 2 Guitars," commissioned by the duo in 2013. This four-movement work achieves several
goals at once, notably deriving the first theme of the sonata from the Hindustani classical purvi thaat. A secondary theme then borrows a chromatic harmonic progression reminiscent of a popular song, and these elements
stir in tandem throughout the piece, creating dramatic tension while also complementing each other until the final page. "The Ghost of Peggy's Cove, Op. 14" tells the story of Margaret, who is believed to haunt the
lighthouse on the eastern shore of St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia. Dale Kavanagh skillfully converts a narrative into music here, even conjuring the spectral jig to which Peggy's husband danced on the rocks before
slipping and falling to his death. Sérgio Assad's "Dyens en trois temps" is a homage to the great Roland Dyens, cast in three movements that showcase different aspects of his friend's career, while capturing the core
of his musical development. It is a sincere, heartfelt conclusion to a remarkable program of 21st-century works for two guitars, and the Chroma Duo performs it so convincingly that any other interpretation would seem
insufferable.
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "North Manitou Trail"
©
David Pedrick
Duo Wang-Zadra, "Incantation," 2025
Incantation documents the unique pairing of Roberto Zadra's nylon stringed guitar with Zihao Wang's saxophone. Zadra holds a master's degree in composition, devoting much of his time teaching and performing in a
variety of musical environments. Wang completed his bachelor's degree from the Wuhan Conservatory of Music playing solo and ensemble recitals throughout Europe and China. "Incantation" explores the sonic intricacies
created by this unusual combination of instruments. Although the release can be challenging at times, there are numerous rewards obtained with each repeated listen. The opening "Moderately Funky" begins with deliberate
percussive guitar sequences followed by articulate unison pentatonics. The piece transitions to dramatic rhythmic playing by Zadra and expressive melodic excursions by Wang. The ethereal title track is the first
movement of Stephen Goss's reflective "Motherlands." The piece features dissonant melodies and virtuosic playing bringing to mind Oregon's seminal work. "Koshicka" contains elements of Klezmer music fervently and
playfully executed by the musicians. The introspective "Hymn" features pensive melodies from Wang flanked by thoughtful fingerboard harmonies by Zadra. The album culminates with Einojuhani
Rautavaara's "Sonata for Flute and Guitar" eloquently transcribed and performed by the duo. The composition contains hauntingly dissonant phrases with complex dialoging of the instruments. The intuitive interplay
between Zadra and Wang is extraordinary. Together they redefine the tonal parameters of their instruments in this unusual setting. Incantation offers a unique musical sojourn with impressive performances and
thoughtful transcriptions throughout. This is a recording of inspiring contemporary music and is highly recommended for adventurous listeners wanting to explore the tonal opportunities produced by this unique duo.
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "The Ghost of Peggy's Cove"
©
James Scott
Roberto Zadra's Website | Zihao Wang's Website
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Guitar"
