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by Rick Holland
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 Resonance | | Personnel: John Stowell, solo acoustic/electric guitars. | | Tracks:Nobody Else But Me, Picture in Black and White, Prelude to a Kiss, Peau Dance, Equinox, Ron’s Return/Eclipse, Bolero Algorhythm, How Deep is the Ocean, Some Other Time, I Wish/Everything I Love, Yesterdays, I Should Care, Maybe Later.
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Resonance by guitarist John Stowell is a recording that simply defines what good taste, imagination and beautiful sound are all about. For those who do not know John Stowell, he began his successful career in the early 1970’s with private study with guitarist Linc Chamberland and pianist John Mehegan. Several years later he met bassist David Friesen in New York City, and they formed a duo that recorded and toured prolifically for seven years, with performances in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The duo continues to perform thirty years after their first meeting.
In 1983, John and David joined flutist Paul Horn and Paul’s son Robin Horn (on drums) for a historic tour of the Soviet Union. This was the first time in forty years that an American jazz group had been invited to play public performances in Russia. In 1993, 1995, and 1998 John returned to Russia, playing in numerous cities. His two sold-out performances in Kursk may have been the first appearances there by an American jazz musician.
John continues to tour, record and teach internationally. He has been Artist-In-Residence at schools in Germany, Indonesia, Argentina, and in the United States and Canada. He served as assistant director and performer in Oregon Public Broadcasting’s PDX Jazz Summit in 1991, and since 1995 has been a contributing columnist for a number of magazines, including “Downbeat”, “Guitar Player”, Canadian Musician”, “Soundcheck” (Germany), and “Guitar Club” (Italy).
This disc is simply a masterful performance of solo guitar work. It will remind those who listen to just how beautiful this instrument can sound. Furthermore, he picks music that many jazz aficionados will recognize from the standard song collection, known as the American Song-book.
If you’re a fan of tunes such as these, you’ll be in for a pleasant listening experience. What really impressed me was John’s use of rubato throughout the disc. Each tune breathes ever so gently and beautifully. He then wows the listener with splendid harmonic interpretations that brings this music to life.
So many times, attempts of solo recordings like these are made without the experience needed to pull off performances that convey the necessary maturity needed for this kind of music. For example, the type of substitutions and phrase lengths that the music in much of this era commands, John plays this music masterfully. This disc will command multiple listens and wow listeners with the musical maturity that only a handful of musicians find in this lifetime.
If you like guitar playing played with sensitivity, control, and beauty, there is no one out there doing this better than John Stowell.
For more information about the music of John Stowell, please visit:JohnStowell.com |
Rick Holland |
| About the author: |
| A versatile musician and veteran performer in organizations such as the Louie Bellson Big Band (Chicago Based Band), Jimmy Dorsey, Mike Pendowski, Rob Parton , Buddy De Franco, Buselli-Wallrab and Terry Gibbs Bands, Rick Holland brings a wealth of experience and musicality to each performance. |
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