Jeff Sherman's Review
Hey everybody.
I’ve heard some folks say they’re collecting the CDI
reviews. I wrote some but
they were all mixed into Mort’s original thread piecemeal.
Here they are in one document.
make some edits so if you collected my old comments you might
want to replace them with this. But,
do with it what you will.
1. Alan
Horvath: Straight and
Narrow
A great first cut.
Totally unique and hard to classify.
Its like its its own genre, or something. The bongos or congas
really make this tune. Nice
groove, neat lyrics, and nicely performed.
2. Al
Evans: Benediction
This one’s right square in the middle of
the American folk music tradition.
Great lyric writing.
Al puts his work across really nicely, here.
3. Steven
Dillon: Underdog
I love this.
It has great dynamics. Steven
builds and controls the energy all the way through and carries you
along. I can’t not stay
interested when I hear this; its crafted, assembled, constructed so
nicely. It really rings
too.
4. Randal
Smith: Autumn Wind
There’s a
timeless quality on this one. Could be brand new or 500 years
old and sounds beautiful either way.
Makes me think eastern European sometimes and Moorish Spain at
others --- almost a touch of the middle east or something.
5. Greg
Neaga: Fritz The Cat
I love this cut.
Like a super modern rag or something.
Just jazzy enough. Even the string squeeks are perfectly
musical.
6. John
Williams: Nothing Lost
Delta blues all the way and this track
makes me want to go there. John’s
got a great touch for this. More
than touch, though. You
can tell he loves this stuff.
7. Charles
Park: Always On My Mind
Charles really puts this tune across and
makes singing seem easy. He
brings it right to you. Relaxed
and not affected but still right on. He nailed this tune.
Its as if he likes the tune enough to handle it delicately but
still confidently.
8. Tim
Wampler: Clear
Mountain Aire
Haunting sounds cliched but I don’t know
what other word would work. This is so pretty.
I don’t why, but even though there’s there’s no vocals it
makes me think of the moods that Van Morrison creates.
I’d bet you good dough that he would like this, too.
9. Mort
(Mike Salmon): I’m So
Glad
Talk about building energy. If fingerstyle’s different from fingerpicking then I love
this an example of the latter. Mort moves it all around, up and down,
inside and out and takes you with him.
Great track.
10. Bob
Clayton: A Cowboy’s
Life
I would love to be sitting around a
campfire and playing or singing along with Bob on this.
Great song. It
sounds and feels like its name. Its
new but could be 100 years old, too.
In the tradition and all that.
Great lyric writing, melody, changes, singing. Everything works
together perfectly; a great blend that makes a great tune.
11. Donna/Charles:
Blowing In The Wind
When you’re a sideman sometimes songs
just become vehicles for you to do your thing.
Charles and Donna remind me here that the song itself is what’s
important. You can hear
that they loved this killer tune and loved doing it together.
This is one of my favorite tracks.
When you hear people you know and like doing a song like this
it can bring its importance, meaning, relevance, etc. back to you full
force.
12. El
McMeen: Time Will End
This makes me think of Ireland or the Irish
troopsin the American Civil War. I love this track to the max. If it was part of the PBS Civil War soundtrack it would have
fit perfectly. It reminds
me of why I love guitars
and playing guitar.
13. Neal
McDuffie: Dixie Blues
Great harp and guitar in combination on
this tune and authentic-sounding it is.
Neal loves this stuff too.
It’d be nice if he and John Williams collborated on something
for CDII.
14. Mikey
Fred: Wasatch
This is one of my favorites. I agree with Mort’s comments about the about the piezo.
It shimmers, it rings, it moves, it carries you along.
Movie soundtrack material --- great mood making.
15. Jeff
Sherman: Blackberry
Blossom
He’s a pinhead.
16. Art
Edelstein: George Brabzon
#2
How could you add anything to what Mort
said here: “An object
lesson in how to use instruments together to complement each other
rather than clash.” This
is a great piece of work. You
can see why Art has his own CD out.
17. Robin
Thomas: Baroque
Like mort, this is one of my favorites too.
A well constructed piece --- the bridge really sets off the a
and b parts nicely. Its
got craftmaship. This
tune stays in my head.
18. Ed
Edelenbos: Rennaisance
Man
What a neat original song! It has a great concept and neat lyrics. With this calibre of writing you know Ed’s got more up his
sleeve. I hope to hear
more on CDII.
19. Dick
& Twila Schneiders: My
Funny Valentine This is a wonderful performance of a great great great
old tune. A torch song! If you put Dick in a zoot suit and had him playing this piece
in a smoky bar in a movie like The Cotton Club or something he’d fit
right in, no problem. I
like how he starts out simple and fancies it up as it goes along.
Just after you’ve assumed its an instrumental Twila comes in
and sounds killer. Then it keeps building all the way through the last
verse. Its nice to have a
husband and wife collaboration on the set, too.
20. Howard
Emerson: Dust Mop
I’m a Howard Emerson fan now too.
This track just blows me away.
Its up, its jumpy, and its got what it takes.
And its so carefully crafted and executed. Tasty. The
little connecting phrases are all fanatastic.
Each one expands on the one before.
The final phrase leading up to the final chord is killer.
21. David
Lamkins: Stairwell Suite
I like the moodiness of this piece.
The free form aspect comes through loud and clear but its
relaxed and not self conscious at all.
I like this kind of feel.
Mort’s idea about a violin or second guitar is interesting. David sounds like he could do plenty more stuff like this for
CDII. Maybe he might
consider Mort’s idea or even overdubbing another improvised guitar
himself.
1. Dan’l
Nestlerode: A Winter’s
Night
Man, I wish I could write songs like this.
It has a really pretty melody.
I love the lead intro and the chorus especially.
The 12 string adds a nice touch.
2.
Steve McCluskey: A
Summer Night
I like the groove on this one.
Combination of a conventional boogie thing with the open tuning
makes it sound really cool.
This one’s tough to describe but I think its great.
3. Larry
Pattis: The Paths of Swannanoa
What a nice touch this guy’s got!
Unforced and relaxed but really precise and carefully played.
Besides the fact the melodies are
beautiful, the dynamics and attack are wonderful.
Expressive stuff.
4. Bill
Chandler: Renegade
Thisa was a good song choice by Bill.
I’d like to be in a room somewhere hearing him do this live.
He puts it over.
5. Tom
Maynard: Night Games
This has a nice mellow feel but grooves
too. A thoughtfully
written and played piece of music.
Tom’s got some nice chops on the overdubbed guitar.
If anybody’s looking for a lead player to play some fills or
solos for their CDIII submission they should call Tom.
6. Harold
Hedberg: Springtime in
Paris, Texas This is one of my favorite pieces on the cd.
What great lyrics! Everything
works in combination on this. Nice
melodies on the verse and choruses.
Harold’s voice is perfect for this but I could hear Nanci
Griffith or somebody recording it too.
This would quiet the room if you were in a coffeehouse
listening to Harold play it live.
7. Jan
Friedman: Come Again
Wonderful songwriting here. Talk about a song to sell to Nanci Griffith!
This is pro stuff. Great changes, lyrics, melody, structure, feel, mood, etc.
I really like the lead guitar playing on this track, too.
8. Stan
Milam: Dreams of Eden
What a story behind this great, great tune!
Its so sad, but it still sounds like a song for a little girl.
Its perfect --- perfectly titled, perfectly conceived, a
perfect mood. I have
girls around that age and I get all choked up listening to this.
The parents must really appreciate this wonderful and precious
thing that Stan did here. I
love this track. Its
probably the most important one on the whole set.
9. Chuck
Boyer: Spindrift
The unbelieveable precision of this playing
by Chuck floors me. Its
absolutely stunning. Listen
to his attacks and timing on the pull-offs. Every note is played with
attention and care. Has
this guy got a metronome built in to his brain, or what?
Deadly accurate. And
it still grooves and has wonderful expression and dynamics.
If Chuck did this on one take I think I’d like to smack him.
Sheesh!
10. Bob
Dorgan: The Chosen Male
This makes me want to see and hear Bob
perform somewhere. I bet
he’s a crowd pleaser. He
has a very confident and relaxed style.
Its a neat concept for a song and he wrote some cool words
around it --- thoughtful and very interesting writing.
Expressive playing too, I thought. For a big, tough, steel-makin’
football coach of a guy, Bob’s pretty sensitive, isn’t he?
Hidden depths? Still
waters run deep? I really
like this track a lot.
11. Joel
Wummer: Fair Oaks
Joel did some really nice work, here.
It builds so nicely and I love the 2nd guitar part.
You can tell he put a lot of care and attention into putting
the whole piece together --- forethought and planning.
12. Shirley
Worrall: Only One
Shirley applies the old show biz adage: “Always
leave ‘em wanting more.” Less than a minute wasn’t enough for
this beautiful piece of music. Her
guitar is so nicely in tune and it really does have a ringing quality.
I think its partly because she’s got such a careful and precise
attack. This is some creative writing and a really pretty thing to
hear. If Shirley’s a
relatively new player she must be working hard to get this good.
But 57 seconds? Hey Shirley, starting over and calling it Verse 2 is
permitted, you know?
13. Jas
O’Growney: Conscience
of the King
I like how Jas’ intro builds up to the
first vocal line. What
great writing --- lyrics, melody, changes, the works.
I really like the way the different rhythms work together
inside the verses. Nice
little instrumental interludes, too.
14. Donna
Madden: Oh, To Be Back
With You Donna’s got what it takes on this track.
A wonderful original song with a really pretty melody over some
great changes. I like the transitions between verse and chorus and the
way they work together. Great
songwriting, great singing. Its
nice to put a voice to the name.
This is a really special track, imo.
15. Tom
Loredo: Philia
Tom’s playing is nothing short of
masterful. I don’t know
much about Keaggy anymore but I used to see Glass harp around
Cleveland a lot. Even without hearing the original versions I can tell
that this is quite a tribute. The
recording quality captures Tom’s technique amazingly well.
Listen to the perfect and tasty vibrato when he holds a single
note for a beat or two. You
can hear the string wrapping rubbing across the fret wire.
I bet Tom’s a hot
lead player and a great improviser in addition to the talents he’s
demonstrated here.
16. Charles
Park: Anywhere
This is creative stuff here. Charles really put this tune together with care and
attention. Nice chording,
nice picking and executed with feeling.
Very expressive, imo. You
can tell he loves to play. Great
track.
17. Mort
(Mike Salmon): Maybelle
Mort’s got a great touch on this.
It seems almost a combination of fingerstyle and down home
fingerpicking. I like the
little Wildwood Flower episode at the end, too. This is the work of a very skilled player and a great additon
to the set.
18. Ed
Edelenbos: Selector
I like this kind of playing. Its got a free form, improvisational appeal --- not self
conscious at all and very musical.
I hope we hear more on CDII.
Ed sounds like he’d be a fun guy to jam with.
19. Dick
Schneiders: Kinvarra’s
Child
I like the expressiveness of Dick’s
playing a lot. It builds
the energy so slowly and carefully that by the end you don’t realize
where he’s taken you. Dick
moves the chord shapes around really well.
When I hear this I think texture.
20. Howard
Emerson: Crossing Crystal
Lake
What a pretty tune!
All the parts fit together perfectly.
The bridge/chorus draws you back to the melody.
I like the way the notes pass and overlap each other all the
way through. Very relaxed
style but perfect execution.
Tasty playing by somebody with a really nice touch.
21. Steve
McCluskey: Stop Breaking
Down
I like Steve’s playing and singing a lot.
You can tell he’s very comfortable with the genre.
I bet he can do this stuff all night long. It would be a blast
to sit around and jam with him on this tune.
A great submission.
22. Chuck
Boyer: North Country Moor
Again, Chuck blows me away here with his
style. He makes the tune
stand up. It sounds like
a good style for him. More
fingerpicked than fingerstyle, compared to Spindrift at least, and
Chuck does it really well. What a neat song he picked here too.
23. Joel
Wummer: Grow Old With Me
I love everything about this song --- great
changes to carry a really pretty melody and wonderful lyrics. It has a nice little instrumental thing in the middle too.
This is a great song to end a great collection of music and a great
project.