Hit List

Jamie Findlay and Duck Baker, Out of the Past.

Subtitled "Classic Jazz Guitar Duets," this CD might well become a classic in its own right. These great fingerpickers cover material ranging from Jelly Roll Morton’s "Wolverine Blues" to bop and postbop tunes by Thelonious Monk and Clifford Brown. Findlay and Baker have technique to spare, and their arrangements and improvisations are involved, intricate, and imaginative. But what really drives this CD is the spirit of fun cooked up by two kindred spirits who really know and love this music. (Day Job, www.jamiefindlay.com)

—Ron Forbes-Roberts

Chris Thile, Not All Who Wander Are Lost.

Much as the original David Grisman Quintet album blew away an entire generation of acoustic musicians some 25 years ago, mandolinist Chris Thile’s latest recording is likely to have a huge impact on a new generation of acoustic musicians. This, his third CD, moves far beyond Thile’s previous releases in both the depth and maturity of his compositions and the dazzling skill he displays as an improviser. His hymnlike saga "Sinai to Canaan, Part One" will move many listeners to tears, while such progressive acoustic melodies as "Wolfcreek Pass" and "Eureka" allow Thile and costars Bryan Sutton, Béla Fleck, Stuart Duncan, and Jerry Douglas the kind of freedom not heard in an acoustic ensemble since the old Strength in Numbers CD. A deep, multileveled work of art that offers new revelations with each listening. (Sugar Hill, www.sugarhillrecords.com)

—David McCarty

Lydia Mendoza, La Alondra de la Frontera: Live.

Lydia Mendoza made her first record in 1928, playing mandolin with her family’s band. In 1934 her solo recordings, especially her rendition of "Mal Hombre," made her a star in the border region between Mexico and Texas. La Alondra de la Frontera (from her nickname "The Lark of the Border") was recorded live in 1982 in Berkeley, California, and features Mendoza performing a collection of 16 rancheras, corridos, tangos, and canciones backed by her distinctive, pioneering 12-string guitar picking. Mendoza’s music has the instrumental simplicity and emotional directness of the Delta blues, and though she was in her 60s when she performed these pieces, she played the rolling bass lines and rippling melodies with as much finesse and power as she did in her youth. (Arhoolie, www.arhoolie.com)

—Michael Simmons

Robert Earl Keen, Gravitational Forces.

Produced by Gurf Morlix, Gravitational Forces leans closer to alt-country than to folk, giving Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen more bite than he’s ever had. Every song is filled with Morlix’s and Rich Brotherton’s guitars—acoustics, electrics, resophonics, 12-strings, lap steels, pedal steels—and every song packs a punch. Keen and company capture all the languid heat of a Texas summer in "Not a Drop of Rain" and all the weariness of heartbreak in "Falling Out." The covers, such as Johnny Cash’s "I Still Miss Someone" and the trad blues "Walkin’ Cane," are recast in new, personal terms. Keen succeeds beautifully at every new thing he tries on Gravitational Forces, including the jazz poetry of the title track. (Lost Highway, www.losthighwayrecords.com)

—Kenny Berkowitz

Doug Smith and Mark Hanson, Power of Two.

Fingerstyle guitarists Mark Hanson and Doug Smith are good friends who have played together for some time, but this is the first time they have composed and arranged an entire CD of duets together. Hanson’s contributions reflect his eclectic interests, from the languid Hawaiian slack-key piece "Waimea Canyon" to the lively jig "Ryan Time." Fans of Smith’s solo work will enjoy the pastoral "Confluence" and the jazzy and mysterious "The Long Wait." The playing is first-rate, but the seamless interplay of the two guitars is what makes this CD shine. (Solid Air, www.solidairrecords.com)

—Matthew Haavisto

Blue Highway, Still Climbing Mountains.

Blue Highway’s fifth CD stretches the road map of contemporary bluegrass to discover new destinations around each melodic bend and harmonic curve. On this album of original compositions, the band moves from the lightning-quick instrumental "Monrobro" to the real-life tale of "Union Man" with the mastery of true professionals. Buoyed by Tim Stafford’s airy, harplike flatpicked guitar and Rob Ickes’ emotional Dobro and slide guitar, Still Climbing Mountains presents one of bluegrass’ greatest bands reaching for ever higher musical peaks. (Rounder, www.rounder.com)

—David McCarty

 

Kevin Salem, Ecstatic.

Kevin Salem’s third solo release proves that his ability to write memorable melodies rivals his talent for crafting distinctive guitar hooks. Considering his reputation as master axman for Yo La Tengo and Freedy Johnston, that’s some achievement. Ecstatic opens not with a blast of guitars, however, but with a spacious jazz-funk groove driven by piano, bass, and organ. On the standout tracks "Magnetic" and "It’s Only Life," Salem’s voice carries the melodic weight while solid rhythms percolate in the background. Occasional bursts of guitar punctuate the songs with well-placed moments of intensity. (Future Farmer, www.futurefarmer.com)

—Drew Pearce

Ray Lema, Tyour Gnaoua.

This collaboration between Zaire-born guitarist and vocalist Ray Lema (who also adds keyboard and percussion) and the Berber group Tyour Gnaoua, providing multipart vocal harmonies, guembri, kora, and percussion, is one of the most exciting African ethnic fusion CDs to come along in years. The Gnaoua traditions connect sub-Saharan and Islamic roots, which Lema weaves with Malian grooves, Caribbean counterpoint, and European polish. The result crackles with the fire of the best of Ali Farka Touré, but on its own textural level. Lema’s subtle keyboard and arrangements can suggest David Lindley’s playfulness or George Duke’s exuberance, while the Gnaoua melodies simply hypnotize. "Mister X" joins a classic ’70s Kingston reggae groove with sub-Saharan call-and-response, while other tracks, often set up with solo bass guembri (a three-stringed instrument played like a fretless bass), take off in surprising and varied directions. (Tinder, www.tinderrecords.com)

—Danny Carnahan

Jesse Gress, The Guitar Cookbook.

Open The Guitar Cookbook to any page and you will be drawn into an engaging presentation of musical wisdom. Jesse Gress’ experience as musician, author, and educator is apparent in his clear teaching style, and he has a knack for concise explanations of such thorny concepts as reharmonization and quartal harmony. Chapters on notation, intonation, melody, harmony, rhythm, technique, and improvisation build from basic concepts to a surprising level of complexity for a single-volume resource. The 240-page text can be read straight through or used as a bookshelf reference. (Backbeat Books, www.backbeatbooks.com)

—Gary Joyner

Visit the reviews archives to read dozens of reviews of great acoustic-guitar oriented CDs.

 

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, March 2002, No. 111.

 

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