May/June, 2018
Ian Ethan Case, "Earth Suite," 2018
A hypnotic tapping pattern on guitar, met with subtle melody from a soft flute. So opens "The Axis" on Ian Ethan Case's latest work, Earth Suite, a journey across aural landscapes, conveying through form and
substance the shadowy elements of life – earth, water, sky, fire. Case has assembled an amazing ensemble of musicians to help bring to life his vision of stretching out his well-crafted compositions that rely on
the improvisational skills of his band mates. What results is a daring journey for a solo guitarist on double-necked guitar, and the scope and breadth of the work is at times jaw-dropping, at times hushing. Case
not only plays his trademark Ovation double neck (you have probably seen some of his YouTube videos), but also nylon string and fretless guitars with power and grace. Flute, percussion, strings, and even horns
all blend in a tapestry of coordinated sound. "Sands" is the first element after the introduction of "The Axis." While it may be a bit predictable to take a Middle Eastern / North African flavor to this movement,
the woven melodies and counter melodies fully engage the listener. Amir Milstein is a monster all over the CD on flute, no place more so than on "Sands." Case's abilities on fretless guitar were a revelation
to me, requiring precision not necessary on a normal fretted guitar. This movement at times sounds like Return to Forever, at times like the late Michael Hedges. We move into water on "Teacup Waterfall" with
Case's acoustic grooving from the start, backed by driving, inspired percussion. "Moonstone" takes us into the stratosphere, with Case opening on the kalimba, but adding nylon and fretless guitars. Like most
of the movements on the CD, "Moonstone" sounds like an extended jam among musicians who just know where to go within a basic melodic structure provided by Case. The longest movement – at over 25 minutes - is
"Slow Burn," evoking the element of fire. Patience is rewarded by allowing the various textures to blend into a kaleidoscope of musical color. Power comes from increasing percussion along with trombone and
trumpet, and Case's compelling guitar work. The entire CD reveals significant influence from minimalist composition, with a simple repeated theme serving as the anchor. The disk ends with "Wind," a showcase
for Case's tapping skills. Earth Suite is a world music disc. It's a guitar disc. It's a jazz disc. It is all of those things, and more. It is certainly a tour de force for young Ian Ethan Case.
Luca Stricagnoli, "What If?," 2018
Italian native Luca Stricagnoli transforms his three-neck guitar into a virtual performing quartet on the first track, "Feel Good Inc.," of his 10-song collection, What If?. Yes, that's not a misprint – he plays a
three-neck guitar. Handmade by luthier Davide Serracini, the necks are mounted on a body somewhat larger than a standard six-string. The first neck from above is the standard six string, the middle neck features seven
strings corresponding to the seven notes of the scale, and the third neck has three bass strings. Check out the spellbinding YouTube video (with 3.2 million views) to see Stricagnoli's arrangement of hip hop/pop/rockers
Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc.," from the group's 2005 CD, Demon Days (quite a fine collection in its own right). Stricagnoli's right hand picks out the propulsive bass line on his guitar's third neck while, simultaneously,
his left hand hammers out the melody on the first neck. Without missing a beat (literally), he strums chords with his right hand on the capo-ed second neck. Though impressive enough as a musical parlor trick, Stricagnoli
really makes this song pop as he uses both hands to propulsive effect through the two amplified click plates on the guitar body, punching out the beat. He also uses the heel of his right hand to thump out a deeper
polyrhythm. It makes for a sublime interpretation that is melodic, listenable, musical art even without the visuals. Other enjoyable interpretations on the CD include "Thriller" (the Michael Jackson hit), again showing
Stricagnoli's flair for fun and listenability, and an equally inspired take on Guns n' Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine." For these two – and others – Stricagnoli plays two different guitars at the same time. He use one
guitar strapped on conventionally while the other is situated horizontally on a stand in front of him. The young guitar phenom – this is just his second CD -- has used up to five guitars in one piece. Stricagnoli
seems as comfortable with Dick Dale's surfy "Misirou" as he is on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' thrashy "Can't Stop." Stricagnoli includes four of his own compositions om the disc – "The Showman," "Round Thing," "Away With
the Wind," and "Stars" -- a varied lot as well. For the closer, Stricagnoli changes it up again on the potent "Now We Are Free," the sole track on this otherwise all-instrumental collection to include vocals.
Stricagnoli, manning the triple neck, employs the vocal stylings of Meg Pfeiffer (also a guitarist, though not on this CD), with whom Stricagnoli has toured. Powerful and pleasing What If? presents a
musical artist just beginning to realize his considerable talent.
Andrea Mele, "DREAM," 2017
Andrea Mele's new CD, its ingenious title using the letters of his name to spell "DREAM," indeed has a dreamy moodiness that carries through even upbeat pieces. The Italian guitarist's touch is pristine, his
fingerpicking impeccable, his control and dynamics authoritative. Mele is also an imaginative composer, a master of DADGAD tuning (and its variant with all strings "flatted": Dflat, Aflat, etc.). There are hints
of Latin, Mid-Eastern, Flamenco, Celtic and other influences, but each piece is utterly distinctive, full of arresting motifs and melodic lines; they almost tell a story in the way they move through shifts of
rhythm or melody, with dashes of stylistic flourishes embedded like small nuggets. One can hear echoes of Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan, and most especially, Pat Metheny. "Treno per la Luna," played on a
12-string, has driving, percussive strumming and jaw-dropping tapping (two-handed hammer-ons and pulloffs) (a tribute as well to Joe Satriani's "Satch Boogie"). On that track and others Mele uses wordless
vocalizing to add a haunting quality. Other pieces are more lyrical, tender, or sorrowful, such as "Rose," with an exquisitely rendered sequence of pulloffs and harmonics. "Dancing With My 6 Strings," has a
jazzy improvisational feel with Brazilian rhythms, while on "Kalimba" a baritone guitar imitates the ancient African instrument. One of the most affecting pieces is "Evangeline Lilly, la Sirène" (a
tribute to the actress) where Mele's meltingly gorgeous tone especially shines through. The album ends with the haunting "Drawing the Sky," an exquisite piece dedicated to a missed, but always close, friend. Its subtle
beauty and emotional resonance reflect the album as a whole and the only words spoken on the CD: "mi Corazon, mi guitarra" (my heart, my guitar). This emotional accessibility is perhaps the greatest among
his many strengths. Without a doubt, Mele deserves to be widely known.
Christian Laborde, "de passage...," 2017
French guitarist Christian Laborde has been releasing his own music since the 1980s. Minor 7th reviewed his 2014 duo album with Benoît Albert, "A Deux." Laborde plays 6-string acoustic in a manner reminiscent of
several early fingerstyle giants, including Pierre Bensusan, John Renbourn, and Bert Jansch. His instrumental compositions are strong and reward repeated listening. The disc opens with "Macca Music's Song,"
dedicated to Christelle and Marcel Maccari, proprietors of a music store in the south-west of France. On this pleasing tune, Laborde uses a partial capo and overdubs octave lines. "Ragtime-blues For Stefan"
follows, which quotes some of Stefan Grossman's pet blues licks before segueing into a pop-influenced second section. "Au Creux de l'Oreille (In the Hollow of the Ear)" is perhaps the best example of how Laborde
integrates his influences into a fully-realized compositional style. The intriguingly-titled "Petit Jeu de Roll (Little Roll Game)" employs a ringing melody played across open and fretted strings, rather like
melodic banjo picking. "Domi's Rag" features deft Travis picking, as does "En Piste," which Laborde plays on a guitalele, a small guitar/uke hybrid. The first section of "De Passage" recalls John Renbourn's
"Luke's Little Summer," with a B part that breaks up the rhythm and utilizes a different melodic approach. Similarly, "Celtic Blues" begins with a monotonic bass before taking off into more adventurous territory.
The program concludes with "Pour François," a meditative piece played on baritone guitar. Throughout de passage…, Laborde's guitars are heard clearly and in near-perfect tonal balance. Christian Laborde's artistic
confidence and maturity are on full display in this satisfying release.
John Zorn, Gyan Riley and Julian Lage, "Midsummer Moons," 2017
Impoverished is the planet, some writers have said, with only one moon. Fortunately, we have a big, fat one, and we have Shakespeare to capture her loveliness in poetry, and now we have John Zorn's gorgeous
Midsummer Moons to complete this phase of lunar celebrations. Performed by two guitarists--and what guitarists!--this set of 10 compositions is very Zorn, inasmuch as it hews closely to a kind of minimalism
that, in the 21st century and more than 60 years after its first expositions by Reich, Cage, and Glass, has blossomed into something as full of muscular improvisation as it is still ripe with the nuance of
repeated variations. Too, there are hints of shred rock and Villa-Lobos and many other flavors besides, creating wonderfully textured tableaux full of craters, rills, and open plains with horizons moving near,
then far. Julian Lage and Gyan Riley, masters of their instruments even while still so young, give Zorn's compositions exquisite verve, layering steel and nylon as if spinning webs to catch that running orb and
bring her closer to the heart. Riley is son to Terry Riley, another of the original minimalists, and has a solo album, Stream of Gratitude, out on Zorn's Tzadik label. Lage, meanwhile, is a brilliant performer
and collaborator, having worked extensively in jazz as well as further afield with the likes of Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers) and Nels Cline (Wilco). Together, from "Silver'd in the Moon's Eclipse" to
"Wand'ring Moon," they work strange and beautiful magic and set a new bar for guitar duos. Suffice it to say this recording puts me in orbit with no desire to ever come down.
El McMeen, "Celtic Guitar Treasures," 2018
The guitar playing of El McMeen enchanted my ears in a way no music had prior to hearing his Acoustic Guitar Treasures CD. The sublime, sonorous beauty in his arrangement of "Pretty Maid Milking a Cow" and the
lithe, delicate articulation of the melody in "The South Wind, "offered a clarity, simplicity and sonic soul. His artistry instilled in me a sense of revelation and his use of low C tuning opened a door to the
acoustic guitar left an indelible mark on my own fretwork. What an absolute treat it is to have a collection of McMeen's finest fretwork gathered into a 24 track digital album, aptly titled Celtic Guitar Treasures.
Drawing selections from prior releases spanning 24 years, this is perhaps, one of the finest instrumental collections that consist of only one player. It is easy to get lost in the mix, to be enveloped in the mood,
atmosphere and spirit that these recordings create. "Carolan's Concerto," with its lyrical and effortlessly bright melody, opens the album followed by the elegantly evocative, dreamlike unpretentiousness of
"When You and I Were Young, Maggie." For me, McMeen' skill, artistry and musicianship reaches a pinnacle on slower tunes. It is there he truly mesmerizes. "Mo Giolla Mear" with its sensual cadence and McMeen's
subtle and effortless vibrato and bass line is, perhaps, the best example to my ears. My jaw drops a little with each listen. So many of theses tracks shine that to single out a few as standouts seems a bit
absurd, but then that is what makes this such a wonderful collection. Ultimately Celtic Guitar Treasures reminds me of what can be achieved by a soloist dedicated to his instrument and craft.
Adrien Brogna, "V," 2017
Adrien Brogna has long proven his remarkable skill as a classical guitarist, first through his success as a young competitor, then via his five ensemble recordings. Now, for the first time, Brogna has released a
solo album; a two-disc set entitled "V", with one disc labeled "Romantic" and the other "Modern". While it's never stated outright, it's clear that the album is constructed in memory of Roland Dyens (1955-2016)
whose recent passing was a great loss to the global guitar community; he was one of the most influential classical guitar composers in history. Most notably, the "Modern" disc opens with the premier recording of
"Hommage à Roland Dyens" by Boris Gaquere; a lovely and varied work that touches upon much of what defined Dyens' compositional style. Meanwhile, the first disc is bookended with two Valses by Chopin, expertly arranged
for guitar by Dyens. The "Romantic" disc also contains a Fantasie by Fernando Sor, a composer who Dyens famously admired, and five Etudes by Napoléon Coste, who was a student of Sor and like Dyens, was one of Sor's
great admirers. Both the "Fantasia Carioca" by Sérgio Assad and the "Reminiscencias" by Marlos Nobre are distinctly South American, with varying degrees of Piazzolla influence throughout, which are a tip-of-the-hat
to Dyens, whose repertoire was often heavily influenced by South American music and Tango. The final work on the "Modern" disc shares its name with the album, and is simply called "V". This delicate and reflective
work by Osvaldo Golijov was arranged for guitar by Brogna and was featured in the film "TWIXT" by Francis Ford Coppola. According to CD's liner notes, the work represents the dead daughter of the main character and
"…appears in the soundtrack every time that the father has a memory of his daughter and when he meets a girl who remembers her, but may or may not be a ghost". Brogna presents this homage to Dyens beautifully,
utilizing the full range of his musical and technical skill, and in doing so delivers a thorough and fitting musical eulogy.
©
Kirk Albrecht
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Teacup Waterfall"
©
Fred Kraus
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Feel Good Inc."
©
Céline Keating
Buy it here
Listen to "Dancing with my 6 Strings"
Listen to Andrea Mele at our podcast 
©
Patrick Ragains
Buy it here
Listen to "Domi's Rag"
Listen to Christian Laborde at our podcast
©
Brian Clark
| Gyan Riley's Website
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Moonlight Revels"
©
James Filkins
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Carolan's Concerto"
©
Timothy Smith
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "Claquettes in the Skai"
