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1999/2000
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Winter
1999/2000
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| CD Reviews | Feature | Reviews & Features Archive | Photo Archive | Contact | MWE3 Home |
| Email: Info@mwe3.com |
Copyright ©2000-2002 MWE3.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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Written
by the late, great English pop composer Jerry
Lordan and taken to number one in the U.K. by The Shadows, “Apache”
has been a staple of numerous instrumental guitar groups for four, going on
five decades. First inspired to become professional guitarists by surf-rock
legends The Ventures, both Jeff Richman and Wayne Johnson are accomplished
studio musicians who’ve been performing as an acoustic guitar duet for over
15 years. Recording together on their recent Miramar
CD, they rekindle the spirit of “Apache” along with ten other
guitar-based tracks. There’s even an extended version of “Apache” as the
set closer. Recorded in L.A., Apache is
a noteworthy and inspired album featuring an assortment of tastefully
performed nylon, steel string and (the occasional) electric guitars. 
Perhaps
the only thing more beautiful than the sound of one or two classical guitars
would be the sound of four well-played classical guitars, which is exactly
what is at the center of the Delos
Records debut CD from the Brazilian Guitar Quartet. Featuring brothers Edelton Gloeden and Everton
Gloeden, Tadeu do Amaral (all
Brazilian) and English-born and
Brazilian-based eight-string classical guitar master Paul Galbraith, the ensemble refine the spirit of the Brazilian
guitar sound on a wide ranging and sonically satisfying set of music by
legendary guitar composers such as Heitor
Villa-Lobos and Carlos Gomes.
In addition to the masterfully performed and recorded music, the CD features
extensive liner notes and detailed biographies of each member as well as the
composers covered. One of the most accomplished classical guitar ensembles on
the planet today, the BGQ offers long-time nylon string guitar fans and
newcomers reason to celebrate with Essencia
Do Brasil. 
Following
session work with singer Peter Wolf and Santana percussionist Mingo Lewis,
Boston-based guitar ace Johnny A. steps out on his new and appealing album
debut. Inspired by the retro ambience of ‘50s jazz and the high density
guitar rock of the late, great Danny Gatton and guitar gods, The Hellecasters,
the all-instrumental Sometime Tuesday
Morning covers all the guitar bases, from jazz and blues to rock, country
and surf as well. A. cites Chet Atkins and Jeff Beck as big inspirations,
while other big influences are quite apparent on A.’s distinctive covers of
“Wichita Lineman” (Jimmy Webb),
“Yes It Is” (The Beatles),
“You Don’t Love Me” (Willie Cobb)
and “Walk Don’t Run” (Johnny
Smith). Also featuring Ed Spargo (bass)
and Craig Macintyre (drums), Johnny
A.’s Sometime Tuesday Morning is a
solid spin from start to finish. 
If
the mere sight of Buckethead doesn’t cause you alarm than surely a dose
of his new CD might have you scurrying for cover. Like Jimi Hendrix did in
the ‘60s, Buckethead is on the way towards reinventing a scintillating
new language for electric guitar in the new century. Assisting him are
esteemed avant-gard heavyweights like Bill
Laswell, Les Claypool, and Bootsy
Collins. Although Cyberoctave is
renowned for their sonically harmonious space music, Monsters And Robots is another kettle of fish entirely. Intense
instrumental funk-rock-electronica, with several incidental vocals, Monsters
And Robots is New Age music for heavy metal fans. 
It’s
been well over 20 years ago since Sweden’s Samla changed their line-up and
name to Zamla Mammaz Manna and eventually in the mid ‘80s to Von Zamla, but
lo and behold now there’s a disc of new studio and live material from the
original band. Imagine an electric rock group that effortlessly combines
Swedish folk music with strange, often comical vocal interludes topped off by
a lightening fast approach to instrumental European jazz-rock fusion and you
may begin to understand where SMM is coming from. The interplay between Lars
Hollmer (keyboards), Swedish guitar great Coste Apetrea, Lars Krantz (bass)
and drumming ace Hans Bruniusson picks
right up from where their mid ‘70s albums ended. Revered as innovators in
the world of Scandinavian progressive rock and folk music for nearly 30 years,
Samlas’ new one should prove to be a real treat for their long time fans. 
Back
in the ‘70s classical guitar master John Williams recorded a series of
albums that paired his classical guitar with a symphony orchestra. In the same
spirit, American guitar great Pat Metheny succeeds with a comparable project
on his latest solo album. Subtitled Music
From And Inspired By The Motion Picture, Map Of The World is the perfect
sonic pallet for Metheny’s expansive acoustic guitar work. The Map
movie was so inspirational for Metheny that he recalls, “I almost had the
feeling that the story itself had written the piece, and that all I had to do
was to try to translate into sound the things that were musically implied
between the lines of this haunting journey through this special world.”
Metheny’s expressive and ultra melodic acoustic steel string enhanced with
the lush symphonic backdrop makes A Map
Of The World one of the most sonically appealing soundtracks of late.
The
country of Finland lives up to it’s reputation as a bastion of superb
guitar-based instrumental groups with the first U.S. release by The Hypnomen.
In the spirit of the hard-hitting fuzz-tone guitar sounds of Davie Allan, The
Hypnomen expertly blend ‘60s surf-rock ala The Ventures with a futuristic
lounge groove inspired by early ‘60s albums from John Barry and late great
producer Joe Meek. In keeping with the band’s reverence for all things
‘60s, there’s also a track called “Orson”, presumably a tribute to
film legend Orson Welles, complete with snippets from “The Third Man
Theme”. Instrumental guitar rock fans are strongly advised to check out Watusi
99. Keeping the spirit of instrumental rock alive and well, MuSick have also just released new CDs from Pollo Del Mar (The Devil And
The Deep Blue Sea) and Fifty Foot
Combo (Go Hunting). 
Subtitled
Original Music For Fender Stratocaster And Gu Zheng (Chinese Harp),
Liquid Gardens artfully blends a number of
The
brainchild of guitarist Ralph Oleski,
the new AMAXIS CD employs a wealth of synthesized sounds and gives new
significance to the term electric guitar. At times similar to Alan Holdsworth
and Jan Akkerman, Oleski camouflages his ‘85 Strat guitar with a electronic
devices like Roland synths, MIDI interface and Digitech equipment. Essential
for New Age and fusion fans, the airy, accessible jazz/pop sound of Astral
Images makes for an entertaining yet compelling spin. A self produced one
man affair, the highly imaginative Astral
Images finds Oleski performing everything from guitars and keyboards to
drums and percussion. Influences like Jan Akkerman and Jan Hammer will help
create a buzz for Oleski, a rising name on the instrumental guitar front.