Jan Bengtson - Due Consideration / Toner Till Eftertanke - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Nicola Meecham - Music By Enescu Janacek & Kodaly [COMPACT DISCS] date 07/14/2009

While New Zealand guitarist and composer Campbell Ross cites influences as varied as Claude Bolling, Manuel Ponce and Benjamin Britten when discussing the works featured on Concertante, it is clear that his own distinctive style is manifested throughout the album. The first of Concertante's Modern Works For Guitar opens with the three-movement Concertante for guitar, jazz trio and strings - a work that allows all of the album's performers to be featured as soloists. It's kaleidoscopic first movement reveals elements of Latin, Blues, Jazz, and Classical genres that, when combined with the Spanish touches in the final movement, encompass the major musical styles that have influenced Ross over the past 30 years. The two sets of Variations on the album reflect his life-long admiration for the McCartney/Lennon oeuvre. While playing homage to InchNorwegian WoodInch and InchWorld Without Love,Inch both pieces fall more to the improvisatory end of the compositional scale. The second portion of the , which features works written by Gerardo and Ariel Dirié, is filled with modern guitar works that have never before been recorded. Ross first presents a series of pieces written by Ariel Dirié, who passed in 2010, leaving behind a collection of works, some of which are light and some of which are dark, some playful and some serious. The final three works on the album form a triptych, Si un dia el Olvido (If one day oblivion...), which Inchgather different evocations of time.Inch Concertante reflects both the interpretive and written skills of Ross, who performs each piece with equal parts energy and sensitivity.

Anchored by Gossan's powerful voice and Dangel and Johansen's twin lead guitars, 'Floating Bridge' remains one of the great obscure psychedelic rock albums of the late 1960s. Only adding to the mystery, 'Floating Bridge', was the band's only commercial , and is now a staple of the psych rock collectors market. Released in 1969, it arrived at the height of the counterculture revolution, leaving an indelible mark on the musical landscape of it's time. This true slice of quality acid blues rock features a blend of exciting original material with rearranged cover versions, including a rousing rendition of the Beatles Hey Jude' and a wonderful instrumental medley of the Byrds Eight Miles High' and the Rolling Stones Paint It, Black'.