Alex De Grassi - The Water Garden
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Free Music Notes for The Water Garden
Free Music Review: Glass, not wood.
Hit: 5 Stars
Opinion seems to be divided on Alex de Grassi. This is my opinion. THE WATER GARDEN is one of his best recordings, and all lovers of acoustic guitar should find pleasure in owning it. Alex de Grassi has an exceptionally clear tone, and executes complex finger picking patterns in a variety of tunings.There is a lightness of touch about his playing,which has a distilled quality......it is glass rather than wood.....and there is a satisfying compositional structure about nearly all of his pieces. Forget all this talk about Monet , Debussy and Impressionism; that signifies no more than a certain abstract quality.Alex de Grassi creates feelings and moods without depending upon distinctive melodic statements. In his less successful compositions, one may begin to hope that a theme will emerge from the picking patterns, but nothing significant seems to arrive. However, he is very largely a rewarding listening experience, and the charge of lack of emotion is not fair. Yes, de Grassi is controlled, 'glassy', and abstract, but he will move you just like Bach or late Sibelius move the listener in a very different way from Tchaikovsky, or Mahler. In fact, in this age of emotional self-indulgence, (our soap opera culture) de Grassi's intellectual approach is to be welcomed. Listen to the title track, THE WATER GARDEN, or the equally beguiling LOST IN THE WOODS. Listen to THE ZIPPER displaying all the joyful exuberance of Schubert's trout. These are lovely works which leave one satisfied on an emotional, as well as intellectual level. And anyone who thinks de Grassi lacks emotion should hear EMPTY ROOM on the album SOUTHERN EXPOSURE. THE WATER GARDEN ranks with TURNING:TURNING BACK, SLOW CIRCLE, and SOUTHERN EXPOSURE as the best of Alex de Grassi. It is music that,once heard,lingers long and quietly in the memory; music that greets the listener with a gentle purity every time it is revisited. The lack of emotional self-indulgence is a positive quality which assures lasting appeal.Free Music Review: The sound of two hands playing
Hit: 5 Stars
Alex de Grassi is one of our national treasures, a fine composer and a wizard of improvisational guitar playing that crosses from jazz to 'new age' and back again with alacrity. He uses acoustic guitars with anywhere from 6 to 18 strings and countless open tunings, combined with a blazing technique that leaves you perpetually wondering who the other guitarist is. Trust me, there is no other guitarist.At first listening I found this a less accessible album than some of de Grassi's other efforts. After several listenings, though, I realised that I was the problem, not the music. "The Water Garden" requires the listener to be present to the music. This is stuff for contemplative thinking and soft introspection. Something I should probably do more of. This is stuff that fills space with harmony and works with light, not background elevator music.
From the abstract minimalism of Prelude (3:31) and The Zipper (2:46) to the jazzy melodics of The Water Garden (4:03) and the percussive strikes of Lost In The Woods (4:05) this is an accumulation of pieces that draw the mind in and let it relax in a state of wonder and receptivity. The songlike Another Shore (4:29) is one of my favorites. Cumulus Rising (4:37) returns to the jazz idiom and continues de Grassi's investigation of subtle percussive effects.
Ripple (5:09) is another favorite, laying melody over a pulsing counterpoint that almost becomes a conversation. Vanishing Point (5:01) contrasts to alto voices that seek common ground, one contemplative, one seemingly lost in nervous energy. Down Below (4:04) returns to light jazz with some protechnical work on the bass strings. Endless Rain (4:09) ends the CD in the minimalist style it began in but now in an imitation of life. Great meditation music, and highly recommended.
Free Music Review: Crystalline Beauty
Hit: 5 Stars
Alex de Grassi is one of the best contemporary acoustic guitarists, and this is one of his best albums. Nominated for a grammy award, the compositions, guitar technique, and production quality on this album are all superb. This album creates an aura of meditative peacefulness and ordered perfection. Every note is exactly in place, and yet at times they cascade over the ear in rich profusion like a waterfall of sound. But this is a peaceful waterfall, not the niagra of a rock band, but the gentle trickling one would hear in a garden.
Many of de Grassi's albums are good, and it is hard for me to describe exactly why this one stands out as one of his best. There is something about the clarity and subtlety of the compositions that catches one's heart. Many of the songs on this album are beautiful, yet none of them are cloying. Some of the pieces are quite abstract, yet they never lack a clear structure and a few subtle themes to tie the composition together.
I recommend this album whole heartedly to anyone who enjoys acoustic guitar music with a peaceful and meditative side to it. Don't mistake this for background music. The meditative aspect comes from the rewards one gets from listening very closely and careful to a superb craftsman and artist at the height of his powers.
Free Music Review: Perfect Solo Guitar
Hit: 5 Stars
I was taken by some of the comments in the review below. I think its evident that the listener below has never familiarized himself with Alex De Grassi's first few albums on Windham Hill. Mr. Charles Smith, I encourage you to purchase Alex De Grassi's "Slow Circle" and "Southern Exposure". If your EXTREMELY lucky enough, you can get your hands on his first recording which is now out of circulation, and one of the greatest solo guitar classics, "Turning Back".
I think you will find the "inpiration" and "lose" structure your looking for from this period of De Grassi's career. And as a Huge fan of solo acoustic guitar music and practitioner of the art form myself, Im confident you'll be pleased!! Enjoy!
By the way, "The Water Garden" is fantastic in my opinion. And Alex De Grassi did an amazing job capturing the metaphor of water on this recording. It was a grammy nominee, and was a huge hit among many musicians and fans.
Free Music Review: Excellent solo guitar work. One of his BEST albums.
Hit: 5 Stars
The fella before me that gave this album a 1 star, is probably not understanding what he is listening for or bought the CD for the wrong reasons. Alex De Grassi is a self-made virtuostic acoustic guitar finger-stylist and when he is playing solo, he is at his best.
Take it from another practicing guitarist and owner of several Alex De Grassi CDs, this album is absolutely genius. It was written with a water theme in mind, and he captured it! If you like DeGrassi's earliest CDs like "turning back" and "clockwork", then you will like this. NO instumental accompaniment to cloud your vision of his tone and riffs.
I also highly reccomend the WindHam Hill Retropective CD. Its a "greatest hits" of sorts and captures some of the most inspiring early recordings.
either way you cant go wrong. buy it. buy 'em both.