Summer 2022
Janet Noguera, "Myriad Worlds," 2022
At the age of 19, modern fingerstyle guitarist and composer Janet Noguera was featured in the Acoustic Guitar Magazine, May 2014 issue as one of the '30 Great Acoustic Guitarists under the age of 30' and, in that same year,
she won the international Lowden Young Guitarist of the Year competition for performers and composers under 25, organized by the Lowden guitar company of Northern Ireland. Other awards and accolades followed, as did classical
guitar studies with Bill Coulter, and summer workshop fingerstyle guitar studies with Alex de Grassi and Thomas Leeb. Noguera's debut album Myriad Worlds features original solo, duo, and quartet pieces, played on acoustic guitar,
electric guitar, electric bass, and harp guitar serving, according to Noguera, to convey a "collection of guitar dreamscapes, tales, and adventures, which are inspired by life, science, nature, as well as imaginative worlds
and characters." Synths from Andy Sorenson, who also produced the album, add an extra textural layer to some tracks on the program. "Window into Wonder" is an excellent example of Sorenson's tastefully patient synthesizer
enhancements, and it is also a stand-out piece on the album. Inspired by the beautiful landscapes around Noguera's home in the Bay Area, the composition is simply gorgeous. The open tuning DADFGC sonically sets this piece
apart from the rest of the program, as does its extensive use of two-handed tapping and percussive elements inspired by both Christie Lenne and Jon Gomm. Another stand-out piece on the album is "Endless Journey," a
modern fingerstyle guitar quartet of four steel-string acoustic guitars and electric bass first premiered by the UC Santa Cruz guitar ensemble. The tuning for two of the guitars is standard tuning, one is in drop D, and
the fourth guitar is in standard tuning, but with the 2nd string tuned to C. Although practically done to smooth the modulations and key changes, and to make some of the parts a bit easier to play, Noguera's tuning decisions
also bring a timbral uniqueness to this lyrical Metheney-esque piece. Indeed all twelve tracks comprising Myriad Worlds function as a joyful, uplifting, and unified whole, and Noguera's flawless technique and approachable
compositional style make this album one to best savor on repeat.
Calum Graham, "Sympatheia," 2022
Disclosure - three days before I got this assignment, I saw Calum Graham on tour with Andy McKee in Pittsburgh. They say life is timing - for me, good timing! It was a great show, and being able to dig into Calum's
new CD Sympatheia has been a treat after hearing him live. He certainly has incorporated many of the sonic and melodic ideas of both McKee and perhaps the father of Canadian modern fingerstyle guitar Don Ross, with
two-handed tapping, harmonics, and percussive use of the guitar body (and they all come as progeny of the late great Michael Hedges). What sets Graham a bit apart from others is his rich use of looping and high reverb
to create ethereal musical portraits. The opening and title cut "Sympatheia" is a case in point - a simple single note expands into tapping, then other elements are added, even a saturated electric guitar part to
blossom into a well-conceived song with a catchy melody. "Nebula" is a faint whisper of resonating and vibrant melodic lines shimmering in bright tones. "Song of the Forest" brings you right into the heart of a lush,
verdant space with early morning light and mist as the sounds echo and shine. "Tranquaility" brings some eerie slide guitar and hints of "House of the Rising Sun" with its first phrase, backed by a simple picking riff.
Graham's electric guitar chops come out on "Rainy Day" as the water pours down while the foundation of the song repeats on acoustic. Graham's vibe is natural and organic while using some technology to give us that
experience. There are many who prefer just one guitar and one mic for solo acoustic guitar music (I personally love that sound). But Calum Graham shows us more fully the musical possibilities the guitar can reveal in
all kinds of forms.
The Accidentals, "Time Out Session #2," 2022
To say that praise that has been heaped upon The Accidentals in their relatively brief musical careers is an understatement at best. More than likely it's an ever present reality check for these three multi-instrumentalists,
songwriters and intrepid sonic warriors who, whilst still in their mid 20's, have produced four full length albums, three EPs and two live releases, not to mention a film score for the Indy film One Simple Question and
"Requiem for a Lark" recorded with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra. Each release has seen them take a major leap in development, expanding the landscape of their melodic
menagerie. Upon listening to their most recent release, Time Out Sessions #2 EP, it becomes clear that just below the surface of their collective musical acumen, virtuosity and vocal prowess, the songwriting of Katie
Larson and Sav Buist has improved, both melodically and lyrically, with each successive release. Odyssey (2017) was our first glimpse of the true potential of their songwriting abilities. Yet, it was the pandemic
inspired Time Out Session #1 EP (March 2021), with its collaborative mission-writing songs utilizing Zoom with artists from whom Buist and Larson have drawn past inspiration, that foresaw the leap in
tune-smithing achievement evidenced on Vessel (October 2021). With the release of the Time Out Sessions #2 EP, Larson and Buist have crafted six songs filled with musical and lyrical hooks and epiphanies that satisfy
on every level. There is simply no way to avoid getting caught up in the undulating passion and grace of Time Out Sessions #2. The poetic and pristine "Eastern Standard Time'' sets a tone and indelible sonic signature
for the EP. The Accidentals adorn co-writer Peter Mulvey's acoustic guitar fretwork with violin, viola, cello, electric guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass and floor tom. Eric Darken adds piano and percussion. Time Out
Sessions #1 was performed by the Accidentals alone, whereas on Sessions #2, guest musicians add nuance and a dimension to each of the recordings, further indicating the confidence gained by these burgeoning maestros.
Part of the magic Buist, Larson and Michael Dause create is an uncanny and savant-like ability to layer instruments, primarily stringed, around a melody with unmatched breadth and depth. A big part of this is mixing,
which is essential and seems to be a skill Dause is honing with aplomb and panache. Lyrically, Buist and Mulvey find language that accents the mystic charm, allure and majesty of Lake Superior while touching on
contemporary and ancient threads such as the Three Fires Council and the Line 5 pipeline.
The songs on Time Out Sessions #2 form a tighter whole than its predecessor. Each song builds upon the previous track, although the two EPs combined would comprise an incredible album. The vocal work of Buist,
who handles lead vocals on all but "Just a Town" (co-written with Maia Sharp) is exceptional. "Leave it in the Dust" (Co-written with Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr of the Blue Sky Riders) is an exquisite
example of her command of phrase and pace. I would be remiss if I didn't mention "Just a Town," lead vocals by Larson, is my favorite track. "Remain the Same" (co-written with Tom Paxton) which follows, is the
perfect example of The Accidentals ability to weave together a tapestry of vocals, strings, mandolin, guitar and upright bass (played by bass man extraordinaire Dominic Davis) into a delightful playful musical
trampoline that defies the body to stay still. Like so much of their catalog, the songs on Time Out Sessions #2 are at once addictive while also demonstrating a certain impeccability, simultaneously uniting and
transcending the best of what is happening on the folk-acoustic scene today.
Frederic Hand, "Across Time," 2022
Across Time spans four decades of original compositions by classical guitarist and composer Frederic Hand, a student of Julian Bream and veteran guitarist and lutenist at the Metropolitan Opera. In addition to more
than a dozen volumes of original compositions and arrangements published worldwide through G. Schirmer, Theodore Presser, Cherry Lane, and Mel Bay, Hand's playing and improvisations have been heard in the scores of
numerous films, and his original scoring for television includes Sesame Street, As the World Turns, and The Guiding Light, for which he was awarded an Emmy. The fourteen selections on this album, released on ReEntrant,
an imprint of New Focus Recordings spotlighting guitar music, showcase a broad range of influences with inspirations from diverse traditions, and include contributions from Hand's spouse, the vocalist Lesley Hand,
on three accompanied songs. The programmatic word painting in these songs, with texts by Shakespeare, either Mary Elizabeth Frye or Clare Harner (the poem's author is in dispute), and Italian Renaissance philosopher
Marsilio Ficino, reveal a master composer at work. A thoughtfully curated melodic and textural attentiveness to each song's overall meaning, colorful harmonic shading, and Lesley Hand's exquisite vocal delivery earn
"The Poet's Eye," "I Am" and "There is a Splendor" equal pride of place on this recording. The re-release of two early pieces from 1977, the three-movement work "Trilogy" and "Late One Night," both originally
recorded in 1982 and digitally remastered for this release, are perfectly programmed toward the end of the album. These pieces evince the influence of jazz on Hand at that time, particularly the music of pianist
Bill Evans and the open-string chordal sensibilities required to impute those signature voicings on the guitar. The album's track sequence itself is chordal in nature, with each third moving toward the top of the
triad not in order of composition (the album's first three pieces are the newest, composed in 2021), but in a sequence informed by momentum and mood. The arrival at "Cooper Lake," the program's final offering played
on steel-string guitar and inspired by one of the composer's favorite places in which to enjoy the beauty of the Catskills, rewards the listener with a peaceful, calming end to a worthwhile journey. Frederic Hand is a
brilliant performer and a master composer whose work is eclectic, lyrical, heartfelt, and superbly presented on this compendium.
Spencer Elliott, "SE3," 2022
Elliot Spencer puts the pedal to the metal in this collection of instrumental tunes. With new material plus rearranged songs from his previous solo releases, on SE3 Spencer calls on his prog credentials to deliver a
thundering trio performance. This new release opens with an effects-soaked banger that wants to make both Metallica and Andy McKee fans smile. Called "Torque," the tune delivers acoustic revelations atop driving drums
(Chris Hudson) and bass (Sean Sydnor). Spencer deploys all the extended techniques you'd expect from a modern fingerstyle player: alternate tunings, harmonics of all sorts (natural, touch, and so on), tapping and
slapping-everything but guitar-body percussion, as Hudson plays like the ghost of John Bonham on fire. The next tune, "Silver Maple," is a ballad with a melancholy melody counterbalanced with an uplifting progression
in the chorus. The tune might be named after a guitar he plays in the videos for this album, a gorgeous blonde piece of work (he also plays a couple custom made guitars with sinker redwood tops). A later track,
"Insignificant," reimagines a solo number Spencer released ca. 2015. Sydnor's magnificent bass playing, which sounds like it has its origins in some underground metallurgical lab in darkest Norway, brings the thunder of
Thor and couples perfectly with Hudson's none-spared battering of the toms. The mix of ballads and bangers continues with "The Wolf and the Hawk," a ballad that by turns swoops, soars, and leaps with amazing dexterity.
The album concludes with "There's Something in the Airlock"-but whatever it is, Spencer and company apparently have no fear of it. The thing in the airlock gets taught a lesson in modal harmonics and rhythmic intensity
that must leave it slamming and cavorting like a punk in a mosh pit. Anybody up for a sonic adventure is strongly advised to check into Hotel Spencer for a night of consummate musicianship, compositional exuberance and,
hell yes, a damn good time. These guys rock.
Ronny Wiesauer, "September," 2022
Austrian guitarist Ronny Wiesauer has released a number of albums, many featuring his New Classical and jazz-tinged compositions. With this new release, we get twelve gorgeous tracks of meditative, spirited, sensual
music played with great sensitivity and panache. A sonata in three movements displays not only compositional finesse but amazing technique. Wiesauer has recorded guitar albums featuring the works of classical composers
such as Barrios, Giuliani, Diabelli, and Gramatges but his own compositions are definitely building bridges between classical and jazz--rich harmonic textures spring from classical motifs in beautifully affecting ways.
A great example of this is "Open Doors," a piece that strongly evokes the influence of Ralph Towner, a musician greatly admired by Wiesauer. This lovely, lively piece features Wiesauer taking improvisational leaps between
chord stabs. "Unexpected" has a melancholy sense of something ancient in it, as if a Celtic folk song suddenly emerged from the fingers of a player who can't resist melding the old with modernist, jazzy extended chordal
harmonies reminiscent of Eric Satie, say, or Pat Metheny. Lyricists looking for something new might be well served by listening to "The Detective," a melodic number with enough swing to make me wish Cassandra Wilson
would record a cover version. Bookending the sonata is "Three Short Stories," wonderfully impressionistic pieces that invoke, for me, a naturalist's wanderings through sea mists, mountain airs, and along a narrow path
high on a cliff face. The final number, "Exit Theme," again dives into the evocative past to bring forth a lost tune from the Great American Songbook-perhaps a sad number from an imaginary musical production of
"A Streetcar Named Desire." Stella! This is a beautiful album full of mellow delights and pleasurable surprises played with uncompromising elegance.
Seth Walker, "I Hope I Know," 2022
For many artists, the coronavirus pandemic served as a catalyst, pushing and pulling musicians such as singer/songwriter/guitarist Seth Walker into realms outside of more familiar universes. For Walker, the onset of
the pandemic followed the breakup of a romantic relationship, and then a move from Nashville to Asheville, NC. The shakeup shook up Walker, leading him into deeper reflection, and, in the absence of touring, into a
somewhat darker, and certainly bluer period. It culminated in his eleventh studio album, I Hope I Know, a ten-track collection that includes seven songs that he co-wrote. In the liner notes, Walker, a heartfelt,
feelings-on-his-sleeve kind of guy, alludes to the album's two-part theme and message: search and surrender. And his lyrics certainly bear this out, as some songs search for meaning in a world turned upside down, while
others reveal a surrender to forces far beyond our understanding. Again, his liner notes are revealing: "When I needed some rope, this music is what I grabbed ahold of. I immersed myself in the unknown of it. I tried this.
I tried that. I failed. I sailed. I swerved. I landed. I crashed. I learned. I loved. I searched. And I surrendered as best as I could to what I may never understand." Walker and longtime producer Jano Rix convey this
earnest expedition through a variety of tones, styles and approaches, though they don't stray too far from their wheelhouse of bluesy Americana. Walker's strong and slinky guitar work provides the engine for the
propulsive "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be," and then slows things down for "Why Do I Cry Anymore?" A Hawaiian poem provided inspiration for the whimsical "Hope I Know" and "Remember Me" gets a bouncy, jazzy
arrangement. His "Satisfy My Mind" features a darker, unsettled vibe, as the singer seeks what is "just out of reach of my satisfied mind." It's a treat when singer/songwriters choose to cover some classic tracks,
and Walker's take on Bob Dylan's "Buckets of Rain" is pure joy. His nuanced phrasing and genuine vocals breathe new life into a standard that was just about perfect to begin with. He also takes on Van Morrison's
"Warm Love" and comfortably inhabits Bobby Charles' gentle ballad, "Tennessee Blues." Rix, in addition to his production prowess, also contributes percussion, keys, and background vocals. Other players include Matt
Glassmeyer on horns, Rhees Williams on bass, and Scott Walker's emotive cello work on "Buckets of Rain." An accomplished guitarist and expressive vocalist, Walker manages to entertain even as he weighs in on earthly
and metaphysical questions.
Jono McCleery, "Moonlit Parade," 2022
"Walk with Me," the opening track of Jono McCleery's Moonlit Parade CD, instantly presents his calling card: a sweet, vibrant and captivating baritone vocal over a subtle and expressive rhythmic fingerstyle acoustic
guitar. The combination of his often subtle and rhythmic fretwork and the powerhouse of expression his voice achieves, results in a seductively subtle, nuanced and intimate musical experience. "Moonlit Parade," "Walk
with Me," "A Thing," "What If," "The Heart Of Another," "Pictures," and "The Sun Chime" are all constructed with McCleery's vocals and fretwork as the core and primary sonic forces, creating a magic carpet ride through
cumulus clouds. The opening track builds with percussion and keyboards rhythmically intertwined with his vocal phrasing in a tune that would be equally at home on the R&B and pop charts. Track two, "Now And Here," pulsates
with and undulating interplay between the piano, guitar and vocals, followed aptly by the delicate but equally rhythmic title track. Both accentuate the pristine and intricate production that stands out on every track
of this album. Track four, "From a Place," opens up to reveal the underpinnings of a jazz vibe that is present in many of his compositions, accented in this tune by the explosive and expressive piano work of Steve Pringle.
The final track, "The Sun Chime," is a mesmerizing and textured instrumental that is a bit advant-garde, but a fitting coda. The musical ebb and flow that McCleery creates instrumentally and vocally within the tracks of
Moonlit Parade create a tactile magic. Moving the listener with subtle seismic shifts of tempo and rhythm that carries them on a sonic current. It is not surprising that McCleery, bassist Dan Gulino, keyboardist Steve
Pringle, and drummer Dan See recorded these original compositions in just five days. The chemistry of these musicians is tight, articulate, vibrant, in the moment, and above all intimate. On tunes like "A Thing" and
"Now And Here," McCleery achieves a similar velvety vibe and sultry essence to Sade's jazz influenced work, both vocally and musically. Similarly, I can't help but hear a connection to the late Kenny Rankin, who so
superbly synthesized vocal and instrumental textures to create recordings of such subtle, natural and organic grace. Jono McCleery is well on his way to carving out such a niche. I would imagine that in the right
venue his performances are transcendent on many levels.
©
David Pedrick
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "Endless Journey"
Listen to Janet Noguera at our podcast 
©
Kirk Albrecht
Buy it here
Listen to "Never Ending Sky"
©
James Filkins
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Eastern Standard Time"
©
David Pedrick
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Romantic Etude"
Listen to Frederic Hand at our podcast
©
Brian Clark
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "The Tournament"
©
Brian Clark
Buy it here
Listen to "The Detective"
©
Fred Kraus
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Hope I Know"
©
James Filkins
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Walk With Me"
