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From
Acoustic
Guitar Magazine, July 1999, No. 79
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CDs
Peppino D'Agostino, A Glimpse
of Times Past
It's easy to invoke superlatives when describing Peppino D'Agostino's
solo work, which mixes American fingerstyle influences with his
Mediterranean heritage and a pop essence. Melody, physicality, and
brilliant control are the hallmarks of his in-your-face style. It's
difficult to pick a favorite, but the title track, inspired by film
composer Nino Rota, is especially compelling. So is the languid
closer, "A Salty Dog," which features coproducer Peter Finger on
second guitar. D'Agostino's charisma and charm interweave on his
best album yet. (Acoustic Music)
—Gary Joyner
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Chris Smither, Drive You Home
Again
The dark angel with the blue guitar strikes again. Drive You
Home Again is vintage Smither—funny, heart-wrenching evidence
that he's been around blocks most people never get to. On his ninth
album, Smither offers up lyrics even more brooding than usual (except
on "Get a Better One," which includes a droll litany of troubles
with women who have two first names). This is his third and most
interesting collaboration with producer Stephen Bruton. Smither's
gutsy picking and pensive vocal delivery are underscored by driving
arrangements full of character and unexpected horn and percussion
details. (Hightone)
—Rani Arbo
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Lucy Kaplansky, Ten Year Night
Shawn Colvin's (and most everyone else's) favorite backup singer
returns with another solo effort, and this time the woman with the
diamond-studded voice seems ready to take on some of the heavy hitters
of the singer-songwriter world. Kaplansky cowrote nine of the ten
songs with her husband, Rick Letvin (including the mesmerizing title
cut), and she also delivers a memorable rendition of Steve Earle's
"Somewhere Out There." Armed with a Ph.D. in psychology and a bevy
of backup players, including Larry Campbell and Duke Levine, Kaplansky
delivers these songs in her own unforgettable way. (Red House)
—Steve Givens
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Debashish Bhattacharya and Bob
Brozman, Sunrise
This CD brings together a pair of consummate, original masters
of the slide guitar—one Indian and one American. Bhattacharya, one
of the leading exponents of Hindustani slide, plays a souped-up
24-string guitar that, under his fingers, is capable of all the
emotional nuance of a sitar or sarod. Brozman is well known as a
fiery purveyor of a dozen styles, including Hawaiian, blues, and
swing. Together they explode with irrepressible fun and mutual musical
respect. Each seems to be utterly at home with the other's milieu
while retaining his own unique voice. The melodic conversations
that result are nothing short of glorious. Backed by percolating
tabla, the moods range from dreamy to boppin', always with a sly
glint. Tremendously entertaining. (Sagarika)
—Danny Carnahan
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Hazel Dickens, Carol Elizabeth
Jones, Ginny Hawker, Heart of a Singer
These three powerhouse singers perform old-time and bluegrass songs
with a simple, raw passion that's rare in these days of slick arrangements
and vibrato-laden voices. Pete Kennedy's straight-ahead guitar on
the old-time numbers highlights the melody with sparse ornamentation.
Dudley Connell plays strong, clean, driving guitar on the bluegrass
material, and for a rare treat, old-time fiddle wizard Bruce Molsky
contributes some fine, spooky fingerstyle guitar on "Times Are Not
What They Used to Be." On Heart of a Singer, you can hear
the soul of Appalachian music. (Rounder)
—Sue Thompson
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Margaret Slovak, Undying Hope
Margaret Slovak is an intelligent and complex guitarist whose compositions
lay somewhere outside the boundaries of jazz and classical music.
She has studied with Ralph Towner, John Abercrombie, and Art Lande,
and on Undying Hope she creates thoughtful, impressionistic
music that draws the listener in. This solo effort includes two
cover tunes: Miles Davis' "Blue in Green" and Luiz Bonfá's
"Manhã de Carnaval"; everything else is original. A lovely
piece of work. (Slovak Music)
—Gary Joyner
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Eva Cassidy, Songbird
It's hard to review music by an artist you've fallen for when you
know there won't be any more music to come. Eva Cassidy lies somewhere
between Bonnie Raitt, a little girl, and a gospel singer up the
street, and when she sings—just about anything—it's utterly convincing.
Although she was a reluctant performer, Cassidy made one studio
and one live recording (on guitar, with a great backup band) before
she passed away in 1997. Songbird is a compilation that includes
"Wade in the Water," Sting's "Fields of Gold," and Curtis Mayfield's
"People Get Ready." If you're thinking, "Everyone does those songs;
I've heard 'em a dozen times," think again. (Blix Street)
—Rani Arbo
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Various artists, The Gypsy
Jazz Guitar Festival '98
The 1998 Gypsy Jazz Guitar Festival, organized by English jazz
guitarist and Djangophile Ian Cruickshank, brought together talented
swing and Gypsy jazz performers for a one-day event in a drafty,
noisy English railway station. The highlights have been captured
on this excellent CD. Aside from Cruickshank and Diz Disley, none
of these players is well known, even in this relatively narrow musical
field, although the astounding Limberger Quartet could soon become
a recognized force in the Gypsy jazz world. The music ranges from
beautiful renditions of Django Reinhardt standards such as "Nuages"
and "Dark Eyes" to more traditional jazz guitar playing by Jeff
Green and even some outstanding Gypsy violin and accordion. (Fret)
—David McCarty
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Grupo Changüí and Estrellas Campesinas,
Changüí
Changüí is a style of rural Cuban dance music
considered by the elite in recent decades to be "lower class." This
collection of live tracks by two bands was recorded in 1988 on a
Guantanamo rooftop. The resulting sound is real, alive, and almost
eerily spare—just tres backed with guiro and bongo under the vocals.
Much of the tres is played by veteran Reyes "Chito" Latamblet, who
founded Grupo Changüí over 40 years before this session.
Latamblet's playing in these mostly happy dance songs moves from
simple, solid rhythm to deceptive counter beats and playful flashes
of syncopation. (Traditional Crossroads/Rounder)
—Danny Carnahan
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David Leisner, J.S. Bach
On this solo recording, David Leisner presents his arrangements
of some of Bach's works for cello, lute, lautenwerke (a baroque
keyboard instrument designed to sound like a lute), and flute. The
amount of arranging for the lute and lautenwerke pieces is minimal.
Leisner adds a bass line on the cello and flute works, using as
a model Bach's own practices in transcribing his music for various
instruments. Leisner's phrasing has a natural, breathing quality
that is free of the bombast that can often weigh down this music.
This is demonstrated by the way he uses ornaments to propel the
melody forward. The result is a recording that reveals the music's
intimate joy. (Azica)
—Stephen Dick
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SOURCES
Acoustic Music, Postfach 1945, D-49009 Osnabrück, Germany;
(49) 0541-71-00-20; fax (49) 0541-70-86-67; www.acoustic-music.de.
Azica, 1645 Eddy Rd., Cleveland, OH 44112; (216) 681-0778;
www.azica.com.
Blix Street, PO Box 1129, Burbank, CA 91507; (800) 851-5825;
www.blixstreet.com.
Fret, 31 Grimmer Way, Woodcote, Reading RG8 0SN, U.K.
Hightone, 220 4th St. #101, Oakland, CA 94607; (510) 763-8500;
www.hightone.com.
Rounder, 1 Camp St., Cambridge, MA 02140; www.rounder.com.
Sagarika, available from Snazzy Productions, 1851 Branciforte
Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95065; fax (831) 423-3484; www.bobbrozman.com.
Slovak Music, 4125 S.E. 33rd Ave. #1, Portland, OR 97202;
(503) 234-5963.
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