Acoustic Guitar Trio "Acoustic Guitar Trio", Incus Records CD 46, 2001
Before you put this disc into your CD player, take a few deep cleansing breaths and open
your mind very widely. Nels Cline, Jim McAuley and Rod Poole, by exclusively improvising
extemporaneously on three acoustic guitars for 57 minutes, have produced an iconoclastic
work characterized by slack-stringed quarter tones, mantra-like discourses, simmering chaos
and shamisen percussives. Most musicians attempt to take the music somewhere, this CD is
unique in that the music takes the musicians somewhere.
©Alan Fark
Judy Handler and Mark Levesque "Acoustic Blend", 2001
Judy Handler and Mark Levesque's "Acoustic Blend" features 16 tracks
spanning from musical trajectories as diverse as Dutch Gypsy, Brazilian,
Irish, Russian, Venezuelan, American, and French Canadian. In this
sense "Acoustic Blend" represents not a singular aesthetic thematic but
rather an exploration into some very sophisticated tunes. The listener
will readily come to recognize an intriguing blend of
jazz/folk/swing/classical musical strategies being deployed in virtually
every selection. Handler and Levesque's nylon-string guitars
constitute the dominant texture for the entire work, which provides the
perfect vehicle for expressing the more traditional feel that the album
seeks to cultivate. One of my favorite pieces, "Muriel" (composed by
Handler and Levesque) contains an elegant set of interlacing themes
counterpoised by some rather exquisite flute solos. I recommend this
album for anyone who enjoys the beauty and cleanness of a nylon-string
guitar unhampered by glittery neck runs.
©Bernard Richter
Kasey Anderson "Harold St. Blues", Resonator Records, 2001
Kasey Anderson wraps his bruised-orange voice around a song like a third
skin. His scratchy, world-weary narrative conjures the spirit of
singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt and brings to mind such folk-based
stylists as Steve Earle and Bob Dylan.
It comes as a bit of surprise that a 21-year-old can evoke such classic
imagery and characterization. Anderson uses the spare, almost stark
arrangements on his 10-track CD, Harold St. Blues, to further carve out a
world of hurts both big and small.
But Anderson manages to infuse a warmth throughout, offering hope and a
gentle nudge toward life's pleasures. Anderson enlists his bandmates to
complement his minimalist guitar work with the occasional banjo, mandolin,
mouth harp and bass, but it is mostly all Anderson and that straw dog voice.
Anderson offers his own thoughts on the liner notes for "Harold St. Blues,"
which is on Resonance Records: "These songs are about the spaces between
childhood and adulthood, love and hate, fact and fiction, or, usually, all of
the above." He adds, "They're songs about knowing where you stand in relation
to where you once stood. Mostly, though, they're songs that helped me get
from one day to the next without too many scars." And he sings them like he
means what he said. Though he missteps when he ventures into the rollicking
bluegrass of "Gambling Man", Anderson's definitely one to watch.
©Fred Kraus
Joe Carter (with Nilson Matta) "Two for Two", Empathy Records E 1011, 2001
American jazz musicians have been in love with the soothing vibe of
Brazilian music for years. Antonio Carlos Jobim and Baden Powell are
practically household names, known even in popular music, with the likes
of "The Girl From Ipanema". In this 3rd Brazilian journey, Joe Carter
brings over a decade of immersion in the feel of Rio and Sao Paulo to
listeners, along with Brazilian bassist Nilson Matta. Carter does
justice to the music in a stark duet, yet brings the full flavor of samba
and balao through nuanced phrasing and sensitive interplay with Matta,
who shines in establishing groove, and taking the listener on his own
journeys. "Papa's Balao", a Carter original, reveals the simple but
lovely northeast Brazilian form, and perhaps Carter & Nilson are at their
best here. Carter never plays it fast, or tries to do too much with the
music, allowing it to stand on its own, to the pleasure of the listener.
Matta's own "Nascente" gives us some of the richest textures of interplay
between guitar and bass, highlighting Matta's powerful technique.
Included are some gems by Jobim, "Ligia", Luciana", and closing with the
beautiful "Estrada Do Sol". A fine CD for relaxing on your favorite Rio
beach!
©Kirk Albrecht
Andrew Wagner "thank you, but our princess is in another castle", Losing Blueprint Records LPB 010, 2001
Many are the guitar virtuosos who lose themselves in self-absorption and
technical showmanship. Then there's Andrew Wagner, a master player with a
sense of humor, intellect, and a penchant for compiling melody upon melody. A
self-proclaimed "math geek", overtly proud of his inner child, Wagner
addresses his observations of the human condition with surrealistic word-play
and a myriad of guitar styles fused into compositions that read like
novelettes. Wagner tosses out multiple hammer-ons, harmonics, arpeggios,
inverted guitar voicings, and every known rhythmic device to get his point
across with measured reckless abandon, even going as far as to forge trippy
backwards tape-loops on the intro to "Your Penmanship Is Deplorable " and
the bridge of "The Glass Engine Room." A must for acoustic guitar
aficionados of all ages.
©Tom Semioli