November/December, 2019
Ronny Wiesauer, "Monologues," 2019
Ronny Wiesauer's Monologues is a gorgeous collection of pastoral, sonic vignettes. The release features all original compositions, seamlessly performed on a nylon stringed acoustic. The Austrian born guitarist
began playing guitar at an early age, eventually studying classical music at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg. Wiesauer soon saw how the intricacies of baroque music shared common musical boundaries with jazz and
began to integrate an improvisational approach to his classical foundation. Upon graduating from the Mozarteum the guitarist traveled to Berlin and began playing in a variety of musical settings from classical, jazz,
and rock. Although Wiesauer has his own unique voice, one can hear echoes of Ralph Towner and Egberto Gismonti in his masterful playing. Monologues is a departure from his previous ensemble works and finds the eclectic
guitarist recording in an intimate solo setting. Much of the album was conceived during long peaceful walks through the historic and picturesque streets of Salzburg. According to Wiesauer, he wanted to create an album
of "quiet music that can breathe, (and) let you breathe." The solo guitar pieces are pristinely recorded, capturing in gorgeous detail the subtle intricacies of these wonderfully crafted compositions. The meditative
opener, "Monologue I" is delicate and deliberate, with perfectly constructed introspective fingerboard harmonies and lush melodic excursions. "Three Sisters I" eloquently swings offering impressive jazz comping flanked
by sophisticated single note improvisations. "Suite Part III" is a pensive and reflective musical sojourn, while the following "Suite Part IV" features dramatic classical inspired motifs. The album fittingly ends with the
contemplative ballad "Monologue III" containing thoughtful melodies and chord sequences. Although this album is at times restraint and meditative, the offerings are complex and impressively performed. Ronny Wiesauer's
Monologues is an exceptional musical offering and hopefully will be followed by more music featuring this prestigious talent. This release is highly recommended for all listeners of classical, jazz and new age music.
Bruce Cockburn, "Crowing Ignites," 2019
With a pulsating rhythm wrought by his much acclaimed "right thumb," "Bardo Rush" opens Bruce Cockburn's second release of an instrumental collection of original compositions, Crowing Ignites.
Instantly recognizable as Cockburn's fretwork, the mesmerizing melody is an interweaving of bass rhythm and muted chords with energetic lead flourishes. "Angels in the Half Light," is another fine
example of intense rhythm with an undeniably Cockburn melody, punctuated with exotic filigrees. Much as Cockburn's lyrics do, his instrumentals transport to physical landscapes."Iris of the World" and
"Sahara Gold" come to mind. The exotic nature of Cockburn's sonic vision is further represented in"April in Memphis," featuring delicate classically lilting waves of arpeggios, echoed with haunting chimes
and punctuated by bluesy riffs, as well as "Bells Of Gethsemane," played on an electrified baritone guitar immersed in layers of chimes, singing bowls and Tibetan cymbals, all of which builds into a sonic
tempest. Perhaps, the most enchanting tune, "Pibroch The Wind In The Valley,"connects to the CD's enigmatic title with its distinct Scottish Gaelic drone, again driven by superb thumb work. The liner notes
explain the Cockburn's clan's family crest, "Accendit Cantu" translates from Latin to English as "Music excites" and "He arises us by crowing." Although I would not compare Bruce Cockburn's music to crowing,
it certainly excites. On this, his 34th release, Cockburn's fretwork acumen, often taken for granted, is at once refined, elegant, visceral and absolutely singular of style. In the five decades of listening to
Cockburn, I am struck by how perfectly suited his guitar work is to his voice, and he never utters a vocal sound in the CD's 11 compositions totaling nearly 60 minutes. As is true of all Cockburn's recordings,
there is a cadence embodied here in both fretwork and voice - a musical watermark, that signifies unique grace and artistry.
Sandy Prager, "Jubilee," 2019
Delicious. You know it when you taste it. It could be food, it could be music. Sandy Prager's CD, Jubilee, is not just tasty. It is delicious – the playing and the compositions (all originals). Longtime
readers of Minor 7th will remember a review we did of Prager's last release in 2007, as well as the lead review in Minor 7th's inaugural edition way back in 1999. His playing and composing have only matured since those excellent recordings. Prager has the chops of a classical guitarist
(playing an Alan Carruth nylon string), combined with serious jazz leanings, and a healthy dose of melody. It all makes for a delightful album of solo guitar music, 13 songs. His playing is quite technical – chordal
and tempo changes, complex phrasing; yet he pulls it off seamlessly, so the listener is not just in awe, but also enjoying the songs as they unfold. The title track, "Jubilee" is a fine example of this. In the
Hebrew Old Testament, the year of Jubilee occurred every 50 years when all lands were released and all slaves given their freedom; it was meant as a time of renewal and redemption. Beginning with a simple 4-note theme
(repeated throughout), the song contains some challenging passages, but maintains a sweet melody. "Catch as Catch Can" is full of color, with a sassy vibe. "Rich's Hoedown" ventures into territory usually reserved
for steel-string guitar, but a dynamic bed of chords makes this a different kind of hoedown. The final cut, "Tati," is rich and lush with a lilting melodic current. This is a wonderful record of solo guitar music,
played by a master composer and artist. Great stuff.
Eli Cook, "High-Dollar Gospel," 2017
Eli Cook plays the blues. And he plays them really, really well. It might be because he started young. It may have do with his Appalachian roots. Or maybe it's because he taught himself by watching his older
brother play and by listening to local radio shows — no TV was present in the Cook household. But he nails it from several directions on High-Dollar Gospel, his seventh CD. There are three covers mixed among
the eight originals and the singer/songwriter/guitarist shows himself to be open to everything from finger style Delta blues to Chicago blues, from grunge to gospel and a few genres in between. Cook's gravel-on-dirt
road vocals power through several tracks but he's just effective when enlisting a smooth and mellow croon. He displays the latter to excellent effect covering Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight." Cook slows it down,
puts it on a low simmer and reinterprets the master of reinterpretation. It's a wonderful, sensual arrangement, five-and-a-half minutes of pure genius. Cook opens his CD with his balls-to-the-wall hair-raiser
"Trouble Maker," enlisting the able forces of his bandmates, Peter Spaar on bass, and Nathan Brown on drums. Cook contributes a variety of sounds throughout the 11-track disc, including various guitars, mandolin,
lap steel, electric bass and percussion. Cook's "Pray for Rain" is another gem, this one in the blues/rock/jazz realm featuring his stellar lead guitar work. He describes it like this: "I came up with the baseline
and wrote a Tom Waits-inspired lyric for ‘Pray for Rain.' Then in the studio, I brought a Robin Trower kind of thing to the song with the guitar work/tone/chordal phrasing. You don't hear upright bass with Strat-rock
very often, but it helps keep a pass element in play. Again, creating a moody landscape with the sonics was very important for this — specifically to accentuate the lyrical content." Cook lives and breathes in these
songs, and really inhabits these compositions. There is authenticity to his work, as well as a nod to the blues masters, but he continues to blaze forward on his own path.
Roland Chadwick/Detlev Bork, "The Beast of Many Colors," 2019
Listening to German guitarist Detlev Bork's recording of Roland Chadwick's compositions for guitar knocked me back on my heels. This is what Laurie Anderson meant when she welcomed us to "difficult listening hour" in
her film Home of the Brave. The liner notes, written by Chadwick, reinforce this idea. A few of the manuscripts are reproduced therein, and the torturous tempos, fingerings, and repetitions like gnashing teeth leap
from the page like a large, frightening animal. Bork, in other words, is a virtuoso unafraid of wild things and he here records for the first time many of Chadwick's most important classical guitar compositions.
Chadwick describes one moment in "Partita No. 2" that contains "multiphonics," a word he coined to describe "the sounding of a harmonic simultaneously with the note produced by the open string." A technique well
known to modern fingerstyle players (including MIchael Hedges, among others, who were tapping multiphonically in the 80s when this piece was composed), it is rare in the classical repertoire. Many of these pieces
feature what I'd call picado, a trill-like flamenco technique; classical players call a similar maneuver a rest stroke. The opening piece is called "The Study of pi," which involves a strange kind of picado, the
use of thumb (p, in classical terminology) and index (i) finger. "The Study of pi" is a single line that drills scale-wise through a bunch of modes including, intriguingly, the "enigmatic." Influenced by any number
of twentieth-century composers, what comes through for me is the ghost of Igor Stravinsky: several of these pieces (including the title piece) are quite strident and discordant. The gorgeous exception is "Variations
on a Theme of Benjamin Britten," full of colorful intervals and luxurious harmony. Based on Britten's beautiful "String Quartet No. 1," Chadwick's variations soar like an ascending lark and are worth the price of admission.
Ricardo Peixoto, "Scary Beautiful," 2019
Guitarist/composer Ricardo Peixoto was born and raised in Brazil. He
started studying classical guitar formally at age 17, but the
attraction of jazz improvisation brought him to Boston's Berklee
College of Music. He now resides in the San Francisco Bay area, but
frequently returns to Brazil; for his third album as a leader he draws
musicians from both places. These songs are an excellent showcase for
both his guitar playing and composing. The rhythmic lilt of "Circles"
opens the set with Paul McCandless' soprano saxophone--in combination
with Peixoto's 7-string classical guitar (his main instrument here)
the sound is definitely reminiscent of the eclectic band Oregon,
McCandless' main gig. The leader switches to 12-string guitar for
"Santos e Demônios," an atmospheric landscape including flute, bass
clarinet, and three percussionists. The title tune has the first Luiz
Brasil arrangement, a string quartet that accompanies guitar and
rhythm section. On "Morro da Paixão" Brasil arranged a horn section,
in addition to playing tenor guitar, a higher pitched sound
reminiscent of the small cavaquinho often heard in Brazilian samba and
choro music. Several tracks reflect Peixoto's classical background.
"Simpática" is a beautiful duet with pianist Marcos Silva;
"Pixinguinga" sets two classical guitars (one overdubbed) against a
wind chorale; and "Noturna" spotlights solo classical guitar. He does
go electric briefly on "Velha Amizade," which includes an overdubbed
electric guitar solo. Scary Beautiful displays all of the charms of
the best Brazilian music: memorable melodies, seductive rhythms,
colorful arrangements, and elegant guitar playing.
©
James Scott
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Three Sisters Part I"
Listen to Ronny Wiesauer at our podcast 
©
James Filkins
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Sweetness And Light"
©
Kirk Albrecht
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Jubilee"
©
Fred Kraus
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Month of Sundays"
Listen to Eli Cook at our podcast
©
Brian Clark
| Detlev Bork's Website
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "The Study of Pi"
©
Mark Sullivan
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Pixinguinga"
