Two guitars
| Two guitars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Vic Juris | ||||
|
Publication |
||||
| Label (s) | SteepleChase Records | |||
|
Format (s) |
CD |
|||
|
Title (number) |
12 |
|||
|
running time |
62:02 |
|||
| occupation |
|
|||
|
||||
Two Guitars is an album by jazz guitarist Vic Juris . The recordings were made in February 2018 and appeared on the SteepleChase Records label in the same year . The title of the album refers to the fact that Juris played both a semi-resonant guitar and a steel-string acoustic guitar. It was the last release from Vic Juris, who died in late 2019.
background
Starting with Roadsong (1978), Vic Juris recorded a number of albums under his own name until 2018. His long-time partners Jay Anderson (double bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums) played in his trio at Two Guitars , with whom he recorded the albums Omega Is the Alpha (2009), Blue (2014) and Eye Contact (2016) in previous years would have. The album contains the homages "To John" and "Chant for Larry" to the recently deceased guitarists John Abercrombie (1944-2017) and Larry Coryell (1943-2017).
Track list
- Vic Juris - Two Guitars (SteepleChase SCCD 31869)
- Cerise 7:04
- ESP (Wayne Shorter) 4:59
- In Three for Two 3:49
- To John 6:52
- Sarasota 5:35
- A Chant for Larry 7:03
- Julia ( Lennon / McCartney ) 7:38
- Dreaming 5:03
- Mayaguez 7:03
- Kirby's Scene 6:57
- All other compositions are by Vic Juris.
reception
Mike Joyce ( JazzTimes ) praised the album for full of tonal contrasts created by electric hollow body guitars and acoustic guitars with steel strings. When you consider the colorful spectrum of sounds, the fresh themes and the attentive, subtle, sometimes driving support from bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Adam Nussbaum, it's no surprise that Juris considers Two Guitars to be one of his best recordings. The two passionately performed homages to his colleagues Abercrombie and Coryell on the electric guitar "conjure up a decidedly atmospheric mood, also thanks to the finesse that is usual in the rhythm section." in “Cerise”, which is a rather complicated subject. In more straightforward performances on the electric guitar, Juris' gripping intuition is often used, with which one can compensate single-tone runs with resonant chords in order to give the tight arrangements more texture and dynamics. An imaginative rendition of Wayne Shorter's "ESP" moves from arpeggiated lines to fast swing; the shimmering acoustic waltz “In Three for Two” is an elegant match for Juris and Anderson. It is a pleasure to hear Juris on acoustic guitar again; he accompanies his session colleagues in orchestrating a pop hit, Lennon / McCartney's " Julia ", without ever impairing its melodic appeal.
According to Andy Hamilton, who reviewed the album in the Jazz Journal , this album differs from its predecessors in that it mainly contains original compositions by the band leader. Another contrast is that Juris mainly played electric guitar and some acoustic guitar on earlier albums ; this time this is more evenly distributed. Juris is a subtle stylist, “so careful listening is required. It is an intelligently designed program of material in which Juris' own compositions stand out. ”This is another truly delightful release from this excellent musician.
Ken Dryden noted in the New York City Journal: “Juris' inventive lines and rich harmonious gifts are evident from the start, as is the familiarity of the trio with one another. The trio… is really interactive in its breathtaking interpretation. It's hard to describe a jazz artist in his sixties as a 'talent who deserves wider recognition', but Vic Juris made a good argument with CDs like this one.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Mike Joyce: Vic Juris: Two Guitars (SteepleChase). June 6, 2019, accessed on January 2, 2020 .
- ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed January 1, 2020)
- ↑ Andy Hamilton: Vic Juris: Two Guitars. Jazz Journal, August 9, 2019, accessed January 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Ken Dryden: Vic Juris "Two Guitars". kontrapunktmusic.dk, April 1, 2019, accessed on January 3, 2020 .