Winter 2023
Clive Carroll, "The Abbot (Plays the Music of John Renbourn)," 2023
Guitarist and composer Clive Carroll had a long working relationship with acoustic guitar giant John Renbourn, touring with him and collaborating on the soundtrack for the movie, Driving Lessons. Carroll's career has
included extensive touring, several solo albums, film work, and teaching. He's taught workshops based on Renbourn's music and undertook this album during the coronavirus pandemic, wanting to create fresh interpretations of
Renbourn's music and bring his body of work to a new audience. This wonderful album is the result. The Abbott begins with "Orlando," originally a hushed Jansch/Renbourn duet incorporating harmonics and a charming call and
response section, included on the Bert & John album. Carroll plays it with an ensemble consisting of glockenspiel, harp, guitars, mandolin, and celeste. Carroll plays two other pieces from that album, "No Exit" and "Red's
Favourite." British guitar icon Davey Graham's influence is evident on on "Buffalo," a jazzy blues which Carroll makes his own with staccato attack and aggressive string bends. Renbourn recorded "The Pelican" as a guitar
duet, double-tracking to play both parts. Here, Carroll rearranges it for bass clarinet, cor anglais (English horn), glockenspiel, guitar, and accordion. It's a lovely and wistful rendering. A solo guitar begins the
stately, Moorish-flavored "Estampie," which develops with percussion, a second guitar playing a single-string line, and flutes. Carroll sings and plays a lyrical instrumental break on Jackson C. Frank's well-known
"Blues Run the Game," which Renbourn often performed live. "Faro's Rag" highlights rapid, classical-sounding lines and motifs within the ragtime form, a genre that became popular among guitarists in the wake of Dave
Laibman's early recordings and the soundtrack for the film, The Sting. Two previously unrecorded compositions, "Intrada/Danse Royale," which Carroll discovered among Renbourn's music manuscripts, show Renbourn's
interest in emulating early music, in this instance with recorders, cornet, shawm, dulcimer, bass, and guitar. Carroll also plays "The English Dance," with an early music ensemble, whereas Renbourn crafted it as a
driving guitar showcase. Carroll performs "Pavan d'Aragon" sensitively, perhaps even reverently (he regards this as Renbourn's finest solo guitar composition). Another solo on the album, "The Lady and the Unicorn,"
comes from earlier in Renbourn's career than "Pavan," and is likewise superb. "O Death," which Carroll sings with his sister, Airavata Carroll, reflects Renbourn's interest in vocal arranging. The album closes with
"Sidi Brahim," a supercharged Indian/jazz hybrid number. While the John Renbourn Group performed the piece as a showcase for its instrumentalists, Carroll uses it to frame an audio collage, inserting new performances
by several of Renbourn's collaborators and a snippet of Renbourn's own voice. Wizz Jones, Mike Walker, Rémy Froissart, Jacqui McShee, and Stefan Grossman all appear in the collage, which helps round out the album's
coverage of Renbourn's musical world. The Abbott lovingly reaffirms the of breadth and quality of John Renbourn's music. Kudos to Clive Carroll for conceiving and carrying out this listenable and important project.
In 2011 Tom Caufield released the album The Slow Dance of Time, a meditative and contemplative collection of original nylon string guitar instrumentals. Four more albums followed over the next three years.
The guitar is dominant, front and center, with only an occasional string or synth accompaniment throughout these first three albums, however his focus shifted to steel string acoustic guitar on the fourth.
In 2015 Caufield's tool box and sonic palette expanded. A vintage Fender Rhodes piano, arp strings, as well as samples were woven in and around his fretwork. Twenty plus minute melodic voyages also began to
hint at the way forward for his remarkable compositions. In the next eight years Caufield's music developed, evolved, expanded, and subtly metamorphosed in terms of resonance, depth and breadth. His
compositions and performance began to tap into something essential in terms of spirit, awareness and vibratory existence, rivaling the great acoustic releases of Windham Hill and Narada in the 80's and
90's. His delightfully absorbing and often intoxicating fret work was still the primary element, but it became more of a foundation on which he layered instrumentation as well as electronic sample based
elements, and less the primary auditory focus. On The Whisper Resistance, Caufield continues to pursue and develop the craft of spinning sonic tales while achieving a level of compositional, mixing and arranging
mastery, as well as a fine tuned studio acumen. The seductively rich and ambrosian vocals of Maya Rosenbaum, which at first appear surprising, resolve into an exquisite sonic element in "Whisper One," the
opening track. Her voice, bathed in echo and synthesizer, greets the ear as a wave cresting the shore of some secret sun drenched coastal bay, represented sonically by the gentle phrases of acoustic guitar
and pulsing ambient synth of "Grace And Cascade," which follows. Caufield's compositional bent is based in a belief that there are fluid, dynamic, incredibly complex laws of nature taking place outside the
human sensory spectrum, yet reaching out to us nonetheless. He aspires to give us an auditory taste, or fleeting experience of nature, which so often is just beyond the periphery of awareness; Music as
conduit, Caufield hopes to "hint a little at the elusive complex design of the world." Although it isn't necessary to understand this about Caufield's artistic process, it is hard to miss whilst immersed
in the honeyed musical paradise he creates on The Whisper Resistance. Track three, "Navigating The Fall," invokes an image of leaves fluttering in an autumnal breeze, cascading to and fro, as they descend.
Half way through this tune we are introduced to the expressive and evocative violin of Richard Downs. The dimension this adds to Caufield's composition can't be ignored. It is as if a window is opened in
the sonic tapestry of melody. Downs doesn't just add to the melody, he creates something entirely new, yet born out of that melody, which transforms and elevates. Downs does this consistently on the last
five tracks of the album, each a slice of compositional and sonic splendor. It is through the rhythms and melodies Caufield performs with an uncommon clarity and articulation that his artistry and
virtuosity are keenly expressed, rather than ostentatious or flamboyant fretwork. Virtuosos like William Ellwood, Eric Tingstad, Will Ackerman, and Alex DeGrassi come to mind. Caufield's true gift is
that his guitar always serves the song, which means he often allows other elements to come to fore, like Downs's violin or Maya Rosenbaum's voice, which makes another appearance in "The Balance Of
The Road." On both "The First And Last Day In The Garden" and "Fold In Slowly" Caufield begins with acoustic guitar, then opens the door to Downs incomparable violin, adding a whole new dimension to each
sonic narrative. If Caulfield were a writer I would liken his instrumental stories to those of D. H. Lawrence, the early-20th-century English writer. Like Lawrence, Caufield's compositions create a milieu,
albeit sonic in nature, through which a willing listener is transported via passion, intimacy, and a unique intrinsicness that result in contemplation of a wider plain. The only percussion on the album can
be heard on the title track, interwoven with Caufield's almost Knopfer like guitar and Richard Downs's spirited Celtic gypsy tinged violin, creating a mirthful frolic of rhythm and melody. It is rather
fitting to note that Tom Eaton, whose resume includes many years at Will Ackerman's Imaginary Road Studio, mastered the album. On his website Eaton sites Caufield "as having raised his awareness of how
best to make music." Certainly high praise and, perhaps more importantly, acknowledgment of the amazing level of achievement and artistic prowess Caufield has attained. The Whisper Resistance, in many
ways, is a fruition of of Tom Caufield's prolific instrumental journey, one that has opened a door or two for this very talented creator of musical tapestries and melodious reveries to wander down. As an
addendum, Caufield's just released an album with violinist Richard Downs, on which Caufield explores composition and arranging sans guitar. A rather fitting adventure.
Dominic Miller, "Vagabond," 2023
Dominic Miller has toured with and played guitar for Paul Simon, Plácido Domingo, and Sting. He calls himself an "instrumental songwriter," strongly influenced by "Sting's lateral sense of harmony."
On Vagabond, his third outing on the prestigious and venerable jazz label, ECM, Miller and his three collaborators weave a multi-hued tapestry full of interlocking rhythms and wistful harmonies. While
the palette of this album is polychromatic, the hues tend to be subtle, as if revealed by winter light, as if the tunes were colored stones seen through rapidly flowing water. As Miller says in the press
release announcing the album, he didn't intend to make a guitar album, per se. This is truly a collaborative effort, with magnificent contributions from bass player Nicola Firzman (who has also played with
Sting, as well as other luminaries including Alphonse Mouzon and Angélique Kidjo) and drummer Ziv Ravitz (who has played with a couple of Avishai Cohen's groups). But the standout here, to me, is the delicately
sensitive piano of Jacob Karlzon (Kenny Wheeler and Billy Cobham, among others). Karlzon's playing slyly slips notes around harmonic corners, bathing us in upswellings of grace and awe that make for a gorgeous
listen. As marvelous as the players are individually, it is their collective sense of timing that makes this album beautiful, ethereal, timeless, and a melancholy joy. Recorded in southern France, the tunes here
are open, as if painted en plein air. Even the slightly menacing bass-drum figure in "Clandestin" evokes not so much spooky figures hiding in a dark forest as it does a clever fox leading you astray with the
promise of revealing something hidden and wonderful. Many of the songs on Vagabond are guided by a motif from Miller's guitar--motifs that remind me, though rather obliquely, of Miller's late labelmate, John
Abercrombie: so deceptively simple and yet so capable of generating lots of emotional movement. If Miller's first two albums on ECM (Silent Light, 2017, and Absinthe, 2019) were marvels, Vagabond has Miller
and company playing with consummate skill, care, and deep compassion.
David Wilcox, "My Good Friends," 2023
There's a quietness on David Wilcox's My Good Friends, a quietness that extends from the veteran singer/songwriters lyrics and into his guitar playing. Though the 10-track collection - all penned by Wilcox with
the exception of "Just A Trace of Light," co-written with Robert Vincent - isn't a solo record, the effect definitely trends toward a one-man effort. Technically, it's more stripped-down than solo, as Bill Berg
provides percussion, and that's Steve Cohen on bass. But the two able sidemen are fully in support mode. Wilcox, for his part, provides deft fingerpicking, especially "Dead Man's Phone," and displays sure-handed
strumming throughout. All of the instrumentation seems designed to place the focus on Wilcox's feathery voice and heartfelt lyrics. He is, first and foremost, a storyteller, and his songs often unfold like little
movies, the effect of which is not lost on Wilcox, who on "This Is How It Ends," sings, "If this were a movie, here comes the part where the camera pulls back, just like my heart." He further refines the cinematic
angle as he sings, "Guy gets betrayed by his best friend, I'm that old cliché again, can't believe this is how it ends, never saw it coming, charade was so complete, the camera does a crane shot high above the street."
Wilcox conveys such a sincerity in his song stories that one would believe they are all confessionals, but Wilcox has said that his good friends formed the inspiration for many of the tracks: "The kind of friends that
you go to for a fresh perspective when the future looks grim. These songs grew out of conversations with friends, and they hold ideas that I like to have around." Still, the autobiographical focus comes through time and
time again, as in the retrospective of "Privilege," the paranoia dread of life in "Jolt" or in the soft ache of "Calling It Brave", where he intones, "I survived by being selfish, and calling it brave." One gets the
impression that if you were fortunate enough to run into Wilcox in a pub in his Asheville, NC, neighborhood, he would be a warm, welcoming soul with whom you could enjoy a thoughtful, heart-to-heart conversation. He
does seem to have his ear tuned into the various twinges, pangs and gnawing doubts we share as we maneuver through our interconnected worlds.
Shadwick Wilde, "Forever Home," 2023
Shadwick Wilde's Forever Home bristles with the tension between an idyllic life and a heart of darkness while offering delicate language and downright pretty melodies. Most of the arrangements lean
heavily on the artist's fine voice and guitar making this dichotomy even edgier. Throughout the set, what-comes-next lyrics undermine affirmations. "Easy Rider," opens, with sweet six-string picking
belied by the first words we hear, "Don't worry, mama." She--the "you" addressed in almost every song--has worries indeed. Later, "I'm living out the best of all days" precedes "...why do I piss it away?"
And, behind Wilde's graceful, overdubbed falsetto harmonies is a drone that hits on the one but extends beyond, ghostly feedback haunting the entire track. "Gardener's Blues" follows, another uneasy homebody
tune. Every gardener feels "all it takes is one idle day" for the weeds to "swallow you up." But that's how this "I" goes through life, one moment away from darkness. The track features a lovely guitar solo
from Wilde. The percussion of Ken Coomer (former Wilco drummer and the album's producer) propels the cut. Lines like "...let me sleep / With the honeysuckle vines / The ironweed and the dandelion" are
overpowered by the less lyrical, but more piercing, "I spent the whole summer down on my knees." In "Without You," a solemn tune with a band-like arrangement, the "I" grapples with the ennui we all feel.
"I don't want to leave this place without you," he croons. "But... / Everybody leaves this world alone. " Two Girls with Hazel Eyes," the album's jauntiest arrangement, with overdubbed strings and an upbeat
vocal, offers a welcome respite with its portrait of wife and child, a "surprise/ in the dark heart of this sinner." "Better Version of You," with its mariachi-like horn section is a kiss-off song,
stylistically jarring but fun. "Please Love Me (I'm Drowning)" follows, with affecting lyrics ("Careful you don't drown with me"), and a George Harrison-esque electric solo by Shadwick himself. "Forever Home" closes dramatically.
"You're my forever home... " he says, but if "There's a better home for you / I would burn it all to the ground / so you could start anew." Heavy, indeed. As Wilde says in the penultimate track, though
"There will be dark hours in all lives," there may also be a Forever Home.
©
Patrick Ragains
Buy it here
Listen to "I Know My Babe"
Listen to Clive Carroll at our podcast 
Tom Caufield, "The Whisper Resistance," 2023
©
James Filkins
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "Navigating the Fall"
Listen to Tom Caulfield at our podcast
©
Brian Clark
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Altea"
©
Fred Kraus
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "This is How it Ends"
©
David Kleiner
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "Lonesome Road"
