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WINTER 2006
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JOHN
FAHEY
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JERRY
DOUGLAS
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THE
FLYIN' RYAN BROTHERS |
TIM
PITTS |
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ANDREAS KAPSALIS
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A TRIBUTE TO JOHN FAHEY
I Am The Resurrection
(Vanguard)
Honoring
the 40th anniversary of his signing with Vanguard Records and the fifth
anniversary of his passing on February 21, 2001, Vanguard is reissuing
the 1968 John Fahey classic, The Yellow Princess as
well as feting him on a new 13 track various artists tribute to the
late great guitar hero entitled I Am The Resurrection: A Tribute
To John Fahey. Faheys legendary instrumental sound
is given a solid send off by a number of todays new artists including
Fruit Bats, Calexico, Lee Ranaldo (of Sonic Youth),
Grandaddy, Howie Gelb, producer M. Ward and more.
In the words of album co-producer Stephen Brower, As relatively
obscure as he was, John Faheys unmistakable stamp is all over
the current strains of rock and folk music. In the hands of these
gifted artists, Faheys near religious, acoustic-based sound is
given an elegant, modern twist on I Am The Resurrection: A Tribute
To John Fahey. www.vanguardrecords.com
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JERRY
DOUGLAS
The
Best Kept Secret
(Koch)
Jerry
Douglas kicks his dobro into overdrive on his tenth solo album and first
for Koch Records, The Best Kept Secret. Although hes played
as a session man on over 1500 albums hes truly at his finest here
laying down some astounding finger board work on Dobro, Resophonic guitar,
Fender Tele and Hamos lap steel guitars. Singer Alison Krauss lends
her vocal skills on a cut, but overall the primarily instrumental eleven
track CD rolls a select blend of bluegrass, country, rock, jazz, blues
and even Celtic sounds. Several tracks here, including the lead off
track She Makes Me Want To Singwith fellow slide-master
Derek Truckskick up a rockin bluegrass / instrumental
rock sound thats quite effective. Other artists guesting on The
Best Kept Secret include Creedence front man John Fogertyadding
vocals on Swing Blues No. 1banjo ace Béla
Fleck and avant guitarist Bill Frisell. Demonstrating his
desire to break out of the straight country bluegrass mold, Douglas
also offers a haunting reading of the vintage Weather Report number
"A Remark You Made." This record ended up being a surprise
to me, states Douglas, and it wasn't until I was halfway
through it that I realized it was gonna be different. For a minute,
I worried about what the bluegrass people would think and what the country
people would think, but I know better than to think too much about that
stuff. www.jerrydouglas.com
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THE
FLYIN' RYAN BROTHERS
Blue
Marble
(Ryanetics)
Renowned
for their rockin guitar based instrumental approach, guitarists
Jimmy Ryan, brother Johnny Ryan, Bill Kopecky and
drummer Johnny Mrozek have made some great music together as
The Flyin Ryan Brothers over the past few years and they reach
a new zenith with their 2005 CD Blue Marble. Kicking off with
the barn-burning Middle Eastern tinged Baghdad, the Ryan
brothers proceed to draw the focus on their rocking, dueling guitar
extrapolations while Kopecky on bass and Mrozeks heavy duty drum
beat drives the proceedings to further sonic heights. With their dueling
electric lead guitar sound, some have compared the Ryan Brothers to
an instrumental version of Wishbone Ash, but with their highly original,
innovative and melodic approach to instrumental guitar rock, The Flyin
Ryan Brothers go boldly where few instro rockers dare to tread. www.ryanetics.com
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TIM PITTS
Yesterday
Today
(Wave Guide)
A
master guitarist is one who can clearly combine melody, technique and
atmosphere. All three of those qualities can be found in the music of
acoustic guitarist Tim Pitts. Earlier Pitts classicsan outstanding
2001 CD Castle Ghosts and his 2003 release, Shadow
Of An Owlfeature a wide range of superbly recorded instrumental
guitar-based tracks. Produced, performed and recorded by Pitts, both
CDs showcase unbeatable guitar chops and a compositional knack. In 2005,
Tim released his latest efforta 15 track acoustic guitar CD tribute
to guitar heroes, The Beatles entitled Yesterday Today: An
Instrumental Tribute To The Beatles. Released on his own Wave
Guide label, Yesterday Today proves beyond a doubt that these
timeless Beatles melodies are eternal. One of the keys to the Pitts
guitar touch is his ability to layer guitars and fittingly, this Beatles
tribute blends his signature acoustic guitar sound with some well chosen
electric guitar nuances. Next up from the Kentucky-based Pitts is a
fourth CD featuring intense electric guitar soloing over lush acoustic
guitar parts, while shining a light on his jazz and shred influences.
www.timpitts.com
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JUKKA
TOLONEN
Cool
Train: Tolonen Plays Coltrane!
(Prophone)
Having
recorded over 40 classic jazz and rock records in Sweden and his native
Finland, guitarist Jukka Tolonen is no stranger to rock and jazz
aficionados in Northern Europe. As acclaimed as he is for writing some
of the most memorable music of all the great Nordic guitaristsincluding
Janne Schaffer and Terje Rypdal Tolonen pays homage here to his
big John Coltrane influence on the 2005 CD release of Tolonen
Plays Coltrane! If ever there was a guitarist capable of covering
the harmonic intricacies and nuances of Coltranes remarkable jazz
edge, its Jukka Tolonen. Backed up by three gifted Finnish accompanists,
Tolonen fuels his jazz foray with his famous, tasteful rock sensibilities
all in all making Tolonen Plays Coltrane! a fine tribute to the
brilliance of both Tolonen and Coltrane. www.jukkatolonen.com
/ www.prophonerecords.se
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ANDREAS
KAPSALIS TRIO
Andreas
Kapsalis Trio
(O.I.E.)
In
a class with top players before himlike Steve Tibbetts and Michael
Hedgesguitarist Andreas Kapsalis works magic with his acoustic
guitar. Backed by Darren Garvey (percussion, concertina, moog)
and Jamie Gallagher (drums), Andreas covers a spectrum of musical
moods that makes the most of his Greek heritage and his affinity for
jazz, flamenco, Americana, Latin, and Mediterranean music. Suffering
a left hand tendon injury when he apprenticed as a luthier early in
his life, Kapsalis went on to experiment with a rare technique, eight-finger
tapping, which does not require the use of a plectrum. One of the highlights
of his live show includes a version of Blue Rondo a la Turk,
which has also garnered praise from the songs composer, Dave Brubeck.
With fantastic cover art to match, the CD debut from Andreas Kapsalis
Trio is a surreal excursion into a place where words are ineffectual
and musical emotion and imagery rules. With Gallagher and Garvey keeping
pace, Andreas weaves his web of musical wizardry, combining deft guitar
precision with an expansive gamut of jaw-dropping musical tactics. Overall,
Andreas is good bet for acoustic guitar fans who like their sounds challenging
and way left of center. www.andreaskapsalis.com
Attention Artists and Record Companies: Have your CD reviewed
in mwe3.com and 20th Century Guitar. Send to P.O. Box 630249, Little
Neck, N.Y. 11363-0249
Contact: rss54@mwe3.com
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Attention
Artists and Record Companies: Have your CD reviewed by mwe3.com. Send to:
MWE3.com CD Reviews Editor Robert Silverstein,
P.O. Box 630249, Little Neck, N.Y. 11363-0249
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