new guitarists : review page 9

EM Rec. William Eaton : music by.. (US,1978)****'

For the wide view, the matured personal experiment and a few other qualities in the guitar excursions, I could easily think that this music has been made by some Australian musician, but William Eaton comes from another area with comparable natural conditions, the northern Sonoran desert in Arizona, where William Eaton, so he says, wandered for a few years from 1977 through, amongst canyons, amongst coyotes, medicinal plants, sleeping under the stars. In this environment, after having learned to construct guitars, he had the time to listen to the “voice” of the guitars, and he started to give concerts, while feeling one with the environment. Many listeners suggested he should make a recording. In 1978 he took the opportunity to record a series of tone poems, published on a privately pressed LP of which 1000 copies were pressed. 3 self-build instruments were used : a 6-string and a 12-string dreadnaught acoustic guitar, made from Nicaraguan Rosewood mostly, and a special 26-string guitar called the “Elesion harmonium”, which is a 12-string guitar with 2 sets of 7 strings attached with zither pins right and left before two small resonance holes on the front.

The album isn’t too different from an inspired and holistically-concentrated, meditative-melodic guitar album, with another difference that the range of harmonies from the guitars are a bit wider. When the harmonies on certain resonating time intervals are shown, I have the impression there has been worked on the maximum range of the resonance possibilities, reaching a level where the instrument starts to get its individual character, with more like extra attached overtones, which are not always 100 % exactly harmonious over the whole line, so which reaches also its maximum range of “harmonic” character. The music pieces themselves, and the playing are extremely harmonious and peaceful, and feel conscious on tone and colour, are very much in harmony with everything. The album should not be considered as an experiment with guitar instruments, rather than it is a conscious exploration of guitar pieces, with a very “normal” character. An album that will stay with you, for many listens to come.

PS. Two of William Keaton's more experimental guitars, the Koto Harp Guitar and the “O’ele’n Strings were build after this album.

Audio : "track 1", "track 2" ,"track 3", "track 4", "track 9", "track 10" , "track 17", "track 18"

Homepage : http://www.william-eaton.com/

Eaton music instruments page : http://harpguitars.net/luthiers/eaton-06.htm

from a harp guitars webpage on http://harpguitars.net/

Intro on William Eaton : http://www.otodance.org/Reviews/eaton/About%20William%20Eaton.htm

Info on album : http://waxidermy.com/2006/02/07/william-eaton-music-by/

Label info : http://www.emrecords.net/records/00074.html

Descriptions on : http://www.mimaroglumusicsales.com/... & http://www.fusetronsound.com/...

& http://www.dustygroove.com/... & https://www.forcedexposure.com/...

No other reviews known..

Drag CitySir Richard Bishop : Polytheistic Fragments (US,2007)****°

It is great to notice how Richard Bishop in this collection spans and uses a very wide range of possibilities of expressions, which brings us also back to the first chapter of his works, and the now sold out album “Salvador Kali”. It is incredible how he sounds intuitive, inspired and skilled in so many semi-genres and areas, which always seem to be chosen at will. I will try to describe the featured tracks shortly, to give an idea of which kind of excursion is travelled to, the next. The title “Polytheistic fragments” I guess refers to this variety, from different origins, which are all founded by some kind of spiritual ground of foundations to live, to encourage, and to inspire. If someone, like a guitarist, adapts himself to that essence to live, he captures that spirit also in his creative force, like small flames of inspirations.

“Cross My Palm with Silver” has a certain Spanish flavour, with use of certain heavy brushing strokes that seems to wish to wash away the chords of resonance, as well as with fast played pickings and rhythmic wheels ; performed as if like by a gypsy who you can not fool with the limitations of musical patterns. “Hecates Dream” is a multi-track excursion on electric guitar, using echoing pickings –I will describe it as if picking flies from the sky, with the specific cries that follow-. “Elysium Number Five” is an up tempo acoustic track, which is more dancing and swinging. It lasts two minutes only, but is rich enough to contain a whole story. “Rub’al Khali” sounds a bit like an oud improvisation, but I guess is played with guitar. “Free Masonic Guitar” follows greatly after this. It is a strange combination of heavily resonating chords that could recall many traditions without belonging to any of them (Spanish, American, Middle Eastern, blues …). This track is full of instant invention, and captures the genius possibility of the moment. It increases its energy like the best flamenco, raga or whatever developed musical form is able to do so, while this is more avant-garde than any ethnic style, while still holding the middle between melody, rhythm, and invention. Not out of its place is the track after this, called “Cemetery Games” arranged with piano, percussion and guitar. This sounds more like prepared notes of piano with guitar, as if taken from a Cage composition, mixed with a simple ritual rhythm. After this short track and idea, “Quiescent Return” returns to a guitar composition piece, slightly classical in nature. “Saraswati” with piano (slightly resonating) and tampura drone refers of course to Indian music, and makes a raga sound like a moody random piano improvisation. “Tennessee Porch Swing” brings us back, with a melodic composition of a variation of its origins, to some good ol’ American pickings. Also “Canned Goods & Firearms” with amplified guitar, and a hump stomp double bass rhythm Swing on the background, gives a variation of …-I am not absolutely sure what to name this context or genre-. It is as if suddenly one guy in that genre has so much pleasure in what he’s doing, jazz-swing almost becomes Hawaiian, in a way a cowboy magician could hypnotise people so much (with his playing) they would see him swing with a Hawaiian skirt on (not true, but the feeling remains). “Ecstasies in the open air” is a calmer closer. It features also flute sounds, and sounds more like the ending of a classic early 70s pop album, perhaps with some Beatles associations.

Maybe everybody would see these tracks a bit differently, or will have different associations while listening, perhaps even depending on the moment and the degree of concentration. But in any occasion, I think every listener must be convinced that this is not a regular journey. In daily reality, it is hard to notice so much on any single occasional trip, without the right feeling for the backgrounds of things and people and facts someone meets on their way. Just imagine that someone could really capture so much variety when meeting things in the world..

Audio : "Cross My Palm With Silver", "Elysium Number Five"(or here), "Hecates Dream" , "Cemetary Games", "Saraswati" & http://www.juno.co.uk/products/281052-02.htm

Other reviews : http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Sir-Richard-Bishop

& http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=41629

& http://heavenlyhouseboatblues.blogspot.com/2007/09/sir-richard-bishop-polytheistic.html

& http://cdreviews.com/2007/09/20/sir-richard-bishop-polytheistic-fragments/

& http://thelineofbestfit.com/2007/09/19/sir-richard-bishop-polytheistic-fragments/

& http://www.yourfleshmag.com/artman/publish/article_1063.shtml

& http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/sir-richard-bishop-polytheistic-fragments/

& http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Review.aspx?id=5456

& http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=2839

Catalogue entry : http://www.dragcity.com/catalog/records/dc349.html

Homepage : http://www.sirrichardbishop.net/ & http://www.myspace.com/sirrichardbishop

Strange Attractors Harris Newman : Decorated (US,2007)****°

Harris Newman proves once more how brilliant and captivating guitar music can be. The first three tracks are taken together. The first track quickly leads the listener to hypnotic spinning wheel rhythmic excursions and varied worlds. The tensions are speeded up until it calms down again to is essence. This more sound like a western typed raga, with sections of ambition (the speeding up tension) and an inner control of the situation (the resume). The most melodic theme returns once more in full ornamental beauty. Then we’re taken to a different variation of the ride. The themes become then bluesy-moody and then more like a flamenco-energetic ride. It is a triple track alone worth taking a “hear journey ticket” to experience. “The malarial two step” is a two-step rhythmic melody, a brilliant and skilled rhythmic variation of pickings with a melody flooding smoothly on top it. “Blues For Vilhelm” is a different track, using experimental amplified slides, droning and pitched strings. This leads nicely on “Golden Valley as seen from the east” to another brilliant track. It inhabits an odd, vivid, almost singing variation of melodic pickings, which consists of a complex combination of themes in bass, pitches, and middle melody, as if a few instruments at once communicate and interact with one another. This thoroughly and slightly melts together directed by a one point minded drive, while keeping each part as separately participating entities, as if each finger of Harris Newman has its own will and contribution with its own character. This is something I only heard with the most gifted guitar masters. “We return to black wolf mountain” has more a semi-eastern hypnotic feeling. Last two tracks takes us to a last and once more different section. “Opera House Stomp” more is like a rock track, a repeated tremolo riff with drums by Eric Craven, and just seemingly also electric bass, a variation of the directions of some independent post-rock bands with good guitarists (like Gastr del Sol or Cul De Sac,…). This is easily concluded with a small improvisation called “a quarter to call the ambulance”. Here it is as if something of the previous track, in its shadow, is stretched in length and in slow motion and is taken to a new exploration. Another future classic from one the new guitar gods, who for his talent is part of the already interesting new guitar scene.

Homepage : http://www.harrisnewman.com/ with audio : http://www.myspace.com/harrisnewman

Label info : http://www.strange-attractors.com/catalog/saah052.html

Other reviews : http://www.harrisnewman.com/press_decorated.html

Previous, 2005 release is reviewed on http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/guitar5.html#anchor_123

His 2006 Triple Burner release is reviewed on http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/guitar7.html#anchor_202

New American Folk Hero Andy Futreal -3"cdr- (UK,2007)****'

This new artist’s release comes as a nice surprise. “Like Twilight Bleeding” is long, beautiful warm breathing improvisation on acoustic guitar, followed by the shorter, faster-melodic composition, “Kaftan”, having its own inner flamenco blood. Both tracks are recorded in one take. Last 4-track track piece has additional insect-like sounds in the background, and sliding and droning feedback strings, which accompany like additional keyboard arrangements. It is like old time blues in a faraway mountain wooden house of which the environment and landscape, as an impossible to neglect factor, describes itself along with it its composition and improvisation.

Andy grew up in North Carolina, but has lived in Cambridge, UK for the past 7 years now. Influences include Monk, Feldman, African guitarists like Phuzekmesi, Madala Kunene, Manfila Kante and Ali Farke Toure, the Chinese erhu of A Bing, the American folk blues of Leadbelly and the Cuban Son of Arsenio Rodriguez. The last twenty years he has privately recorded many tracks, and with his brother released a cd as the Offramps. This mini-cdr proves he is a neglected talent, living outside the commercial entities, but he deserves attention.

Audio : "Like Twilight Bleeding" (from WMFU)

Homepage : http://andy.futreal.com/

Catalogue entry : http://www.musicfellowship.com/catalog.html

& http://musicfellowship.bloodteam.com/tamburo/newamericanfolkhero/artists.html

& http://www.tomentosarecords.com/newamericanfolkhero.html

Other review : http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=2511

Bickering Bray John Miller -: A description of the movement of the sun : two ragas (US,2007)***'

To some degree, for the first track, I can approve that with a certain simplicity but with the right sensitive moves this kind of performance of a raga can have as much if not even more effect as a well performed Indian classical music sitar raga, but I need to add immediately that if one uses this as a background and don’t listen too closely to eventual achievements over a range in time, this music works pretty perfectly. A bowed steel-string droning tone takes care of the tambura effect (as the instrument which is usually accompanying with a melodic drone to a classical sitar performance). The lead instrument for the raga mood is a contemplative fingerpicking acoustic steel string guitar. At first this evolves in a perfectly organic way, with drone and raga guitar in close harmony, and with pauses by the bass drone. Some extra ritualistic bells accompany as well. After the third pause a part with bowed strings of higher tones lead instead to a build up harmonically, in development with the looped bass strings. Some finger cymbals are used as well. But with clear listening attention it is more clear how the consciousness slumbers slightly with monotony, showing how the bass strings are just looped, and improvised upon, with some doubts what to do next after some while, making it a bit too improvised, as I let it go for the moment, a little bit too unprepared to be completely one with the now moment, as if a being prepared in what could happen wasn’t necessary, and thus this leads us to not much else,... still it is a nice 30 minute excursion/improvisation, without highlighting anything it remains like just nice background music. The second track’s title sounds like a humoristic Buddhist wisdom : “painted cakes do not satisfy hunger”. But here I am even more left with my hunger. The still naturally sounding and beautiful drone loops forever and only bits of simple handpercussion are added, almost like a none-performance, close to nothing, as if nothingness means that nothing should be done any longer. As a combination of tracks it is more simplified music as it could be, but it still remains a really nice background cd to work as an accompanying something for various sorts of occasions. 50 copies were printed only (my copy is number 50).

Homepage with audio : http://www.myspace.com/bickeringbray

Unhip Rec. Egle Sommacal : Legno (I,2007)****

Italian composer Egle Sommacal has participated since 2001 with movie scores, but his main interest is contemporary “primitive” guitar, in the tradition of John Fahey. He himself is an autodidacti guitarist but he explores and continues this melodic tradition well, on tracks like “Gli Avamposti Sono Minati”, a track which also made it to a video*. Often, a well developped autodidact vision keeps an attention to sound exploration very alive. “Lo spirito Dietro Al Palo” has nice rhythmically sliding sounds in the composition. Also strong is a professional indepency in sound which keeps compositions at least far enough away from any too obvious chords and melodic fundaments ; the composer constantely and freshly explores and creates moodily, also in the few more simple and bluesier tracks.

Only 300 copies printed. Recommended !

*This video shows a great piece of guitar which is played in a room while things are fallen and thrown from above onto the ground, providing a colourful environment for the solo performance.

Audio : "Gli avamposti sono minati" & live video here

Info, audio and video : http://www.myspace.com/eglesommacal

Label : http://www.unhiprecords.com/

Locust Music Sir Richard Bishop : While my guitar violently bleeds (US,2007)***°

On the first track, “Zurvan”, for me, the difference between flamenco, Indian raga, Middle Eastern music, more often like with Sir Richard Bishop’s guitar music, in his rather improvisational approach, becomes very thin, because he seems to connect all worlds with this kind of playing. The track sounds rather short at under 7 minutes. The second track, “Smashana” is an electric guitar soundscape, droning with distortion a bit endlessly, while a second guitar haunts in the background presenting its infinite space. For me it is much too long for going nowhere and while showing no other aspects, so I grew a bit tired of it quickly, even when it has an acceptable form with some vague attraction to it. Last and longest track, “Mahavidya”, with use of a droning alternative to a tampura, is an Indian raga on acoustic guitar, is very slowly evolving, while developing itself deeper into it. The album can be interesting for those who have not hear Sir Richard Bishop yet, but for me it does not show the best moments I have heard from the master.

Audio : "Smashana", "Mahavidya"(or here)

Review with audio : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=39423

Other reviews : http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3705 & http://harpmagazine.com/reviews/cd_reviews/detail.cfm?article_id=5817 & http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2007/7/12/albumReviewSirRichardBishopWhileMyGuitarViolentlyBleeds

& http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/sir-richard-bishop-james-blackshaw/while-my-guitar-violently-bleeds-the-cloud-of-unknowing.htm & http://spidey.kfjc.org/?p=2574

& http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/44403-while-my-guitar-violently-bleeds

& http://www.sirrichardbishop.net/reviews.htm

Label info : http://www.locustmusic.com/...

Homepage : http://www.sirrichardbishop.net/ & http://www.myspace.com/sirrichardbishop

Next release of Sir Richard Bishop see below->

Tompkins Square James Blackshaw : The Cloud Of Unknowing (UK,2007)****

I could have expected this from James Blackshaw, but his individualistic ideas here still surprised me. This is not the average approach to guitar music, especially not when related and published on a guitar based label. Every track is built in multi-track of a multitude of meccano-like quickly played arpeggios, with a moody to hypnotic effect. These pickings climb, step-wise, up and down. Added on the second track are extra glockenspiel and violin. The third track, “sound collapse” has a more “Chinese” feeling. On this third, but also the last track are added some drone-like sound explorative loops based upon what I assume are tape-experiments with electro-acoustic sounds. A sort of sound meditation must have been used for it, to make this sample musically attractive. On this last track, “stained glass”, the clustered compilation of violin/orchestra-like sounds almost sounds like an abstract bird-like world, between chaos and organisation, which is, in a contemporary way, loaded with a frightening vision.

Audio : "Running To The Ghost", "Clouds Collapse"

Review with audio : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=41710

Other reviews : http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/43336-the-cloud-of-unknowing

& http://www.bigtakeover.com/reviews/james-blackshaw-the-cloud-of-unknowing-tompkins-square

& http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=39250

& http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article2133344.ece

& http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26295

& http://www.soundfixrecords.com/products/james-blackshaw-the-cloud-of-unknowing

& http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3624

& http://indycdandvinyl.com/2007/06/28/james-blackshaw-the-cloud-of-unknowing/

& http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/sir-richard-bishop-james-blackshaw/while-my-guitar-violently-bleeds-the-cloud-of-unknowing.htm

Label info : http://www.tompkinssquare.com/blackshaw.html

Homepage : http://www.jamesblackshaw.com/ & http://www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw

private Cian Nugent EP (IR,2007)****

“I am an 18 year old self-taught guitarist from Ireland. I have been playing for roughly four years. My musical passions would obviously be blues and folk from the 30s and 40s although I am in love with John Fahey and the later, more abstract solo guitarists, despite never having heard these people when I started writing solo guitar music. I also really enjoy the modern solo guitarists such as James Blackshaw, Jack Rose, Cul De Sac, etc., who I feel are really pushing the limits forward in a great way.”

Despite being so young, it is the Fahey tradition (especially well done on "I will take the top of a tall cedar and break a tender sprout"), of taking real fundaments to expansion, which delivered Cian Nugent the right ideas to do so for his own explorations and experiences, during writing and composing. Only “The Wagoners Lad” is a traditional (taken from Buell Kazee). But it is “Baka Dance” which more clearly refers to older blues and ragtime, changing speed and transforming its activity in the theme a few times, a track which then ends quite unexpectedly. On the last and 6th track is added a second layer of string stretching sounds, with a rather violin-, and musical saw-like effect, while the Faheyesque blues keeps dominating and seemingly restricting the strangeness added to it.

A promising guitarist, who I assume will grow steadily and further in the near future.

CDR of only 100 in hand printed package (design by Conor Lumsden).

Homepage with audio : http://www.myspace.com/ciannugent

Fallout Rec. Malachi : Holy Music (US,1966)****'

When I hear/read about a ’66 album of one of the first psychedelic records, with an Indian influence I feel moved to check it out. Unlike the Seventh Sons album recorded in 1964 which I think really was the first psychedelic record of its kind, this album from 1966 much more is a meditation, like a raga. Perhaps it is often still not fully understood then, after all these years. Even when 1966 stood on the foundations of a movement to free boundaries and to explore, when looking back some of it still is too quickly called psychedelic, if not fitting within jazz for instance. But this is a spiritual record, digging into sound, and developing with it some kind of raga.

The liner notes say how John Morgan Newbern was born of Swiss and French ancestors was expected to pursue a military career. After having visited Mexican pyramids in 1955 he was determined to search for meaning in his life, and embraced the growing interest in eastern spirituality. This album was recorded with future Red Krayola member Steve Cunningham on jew’s harp. Of course the label Verve could not categorise it, but it sold respectably. But they never let him make another one. John still makes comparable music, writes about meditation, and builds guitars.

The first track slowly begins with jew’s harp and guitar, beginning to occur like drops of water dripping on a silent water surface, finding its sound and effects of self-discovering and its purely developing movements. This definitely is a western alternative of raga guitar music in a very early stage. There is used a meditation on strange harmonies on the edged frame of guitar used to start with, mixed with droning strings, and bits of jew’s harp, finding strange tonal harmonies to develop. This is developed with raga-like techniques of developments and bluesy arpeggios, clever addition of ideas with emphasizing slides. Just the last track adds vocals to it, improvised like a native Indian. This track sounds really psychedelic, and uses arpeggio chords that are energetically heading to formerly unknown upper chakras in a manner of saying. A very interesting record, and for those who are curious about early raga guitar explorations, this one was very intuitive but also very explorative with it.

Audio : "Wednedday - Second", "Wednedday - Eighth" & fragments on http://www.samgoody.com/...

Descriptions on http://www.forcedexposure.com/artists/malachi.html

& http://www.soundlinkmusic.com/catalog/fallout/malachi-holy-music/prod_112.html

& http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=7knnq3p9s3

Other review : http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/malachi-holy-music/

Drag City Randall Of Nazareth (US,2007)****

While this is in fact a song album, it is presented like a guitar album. Randall was in rock band for a while, called Pearls And Brass, and this is his first solo singer/songwriter/guitar album.

The songs are grounded within convincing guitar pieces, which stylistically have a rather folkblues association, but even with certain -roughly judged- simplicity they succeed to have a timeless character, very aware of time intervals and evolutions, creating a warm sound. For using "young" which means recognisable ideas, a very matured control is shown, in what he’s doing, so that nothing sounds obvious at all : this is inspired, music of high quality and integrity, giving this album the impression this is some true and classic album.

PS. Only the sixth track is not accompanied by guitar, but is played with certain colour changing rhythmical patterns on either an un-tuned or a prepared zither.

Audio : "Ballad of a Sorry Lonely Breaking Man"

Label entry : http://www.dragcity.com/bands/randall.html

Other reviews : -