Mort's Review

Well I got the CD’s on Friday morning and I’ve listened to everything at least three times now. I think my overwhelming impression is awe. Not so much at the music, though the standards are astoundingly high in the main, but really at the fact that it was done at all. And so well done by a group of people who mostly have never met each other. This comes down mostly to the determination of Bob Alman and the commitment and hard work of Larry  Pattis, John Sorrell, Dick Schneiders. Tim Wampler, Dan’l Nestlerode and a fair few others also gave of themselves and their time to make this happen. It makes me extremely proud to be associated with this project, with I think is an outstanding achievment.

I have seen quite a few posts commenting on one or two tracks, but no-one seems to have discussed the whole thing track by track. So I though I might as well have a go at it myself. This is a nearly complete review (there isn’t much point in my reviewing my own contributions :)

CD1

1 Alan Horvath Straight and Narrow. Lovely professional recording. An excellent opening track. Alan reminds me of Jim Croce for some reason.

2 Al Evans Benediction. Nice understated playing and a superb baritone voice. Complements the first track beautifully.

3 Steven Dillon Underdog. A strong fingerpicked instrumental. Steve has a powerful attack on the strings. Lovely chordal harmony and a lovely hook.

4 Randal Smith Autumn Wind. This is beautiful. A lovely tune and superb playing. I love the harmonics.

5 Greg Neaga Fritz The Cat. Greg is a superb guitarist. I have heard him play this piece in person. It has a lovely jazzy feel to it. A very distinctive style. I am a fan of Greg's I think.

6 John Williams Nothing Lost. Well us bluesers have to stick together, so I had to get the Lowden out and play a duet with this one :)

7 Charles Park Always On My Mind. Charles voice has that magical quality that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.. If I had to pick a favourite, this is it.

8 Tim Wampler Clear Mountain Aire. Tim has produced a lovely recording here. Slow and soulful. The ringing harmonics are spellbinding.

9 Mort (Mike Salmon) I’m So Glad. Well I can't say much about this really can I? This used to be part of my repertoire about 20 years ago. I recorded this in late 1998 after not having played it for about 5 years. I was trying to record the electric rhythm guitar track for a jazz/blues piece and I just couldn't get it to work. To relieve the frustration, I just picked up the acoustic, tuned it to open E minor and played this. It was the only take and was mostly improvised, but I thought the edge imparted by my bad mood helped somewhat. It is really quite easy to play, if anyone is interested let me know.

10 Bob Clayton A Cowboy’s Life. OK, I have to be honest. When I first heard this, I hated it. By the third listen I was singing along and strumming away with the band. I love it Bob!

11 Donna/Charles Blowing In The Wind. Donna and Charles' voices complement each other so well. We have a star duet here. Much kudos to Bob Alman for sorting out the mix as well.

12 El McMeen Time Will End. What can I say? Some years ago I had a rather nasty accident which nearly severed my right hand. I was told I would never play guitar again. Three months later, casts still in place, I learned my first new tune since the accident, which finally convinced my I was going to be able to play again, even if I couldn't feel the strings. It was El's “Danny Boy”. Thank you El.

13 Neal McDuffie Dixie Blues. Another very authentic blues. I can tell you Neil, I do a cool accompaniment to this! :-)

14 Mikey Fred Wasatch. Mike Fred has produced an absolutely beautiful piece here. I love the slightly metalic piezo sound he has used, it complements a great tune.

15 Jeff Sherman Blackberry Blossom. Frankly, if Jeff wasn't such a lovely man, I might just have to remove a few of his teeth. This is brilliant bluegrass. His lead playing is crisp and confident, you can just see the smug “Ain't I cool” grin on his face.

16 Art Edelstein George Brabzon #2 A very beautiful piece of Baroque guitar/bazouki/mandolin. This is a really elegant arrangement, uncluttered and beautifully precise. An object lesson in how to use instruments together to complement each other rather than clash.

17 Robin Thomas Baroque. This is one of my favourites. I think Robin has produced a lovely fingerpicked piece here. I wish I had written it. I will certainly be playing it pretty soon :)

18 Ed Edelenbos Rennaisance Man. Lovely strumming Ed. That descending D/Dmaj7/D7/D6 line is great, but it makes me sing “Midnight at the Oasis” :)

19 Dick & Twila Schneiders My Funny Valentine. Twila has a beautiful voice and sings this classic superbly. Dicks delicately understated guitar provides a really intruiging counterpoint.

20 Howard Emerson Dust Mop. A touch of Broonzy, Blake Blackwell and Davis all rolled into one. Stunning technique and the tune really gets you going. I am now a Howard Emerson fan.

21 David Lamkins Stairwell Suite. An intriguing improvisation. I would love to hear David play with a violinist or another guitarist to bounce these ideas off.

CD2

1 Dan’l Nestlerode A Winter’s Night. This is a lovely song. Beautifully written, played and sung. I would have changed the title though. Maybe either “Whispers through the trees” or “Leave the light on for me”.

2 Steve McCluskey A Summer Night. Did you do this with the titles on purpose Bob? Excellent rhythm playing from Steve and a gorgeous gravely voice. A Cool Dude indeed :)

3 Larry Pattis The Paths of Swannanoa. Beautiful! But then what did you expect?

4 Bill Chandler Renegade. A very nice song and very well played. Unfortunately, Bill's voice gets a little lost in the mix, which is a shame, because he sings very well.

5 Tom Maynard Night Games. Tom gets a really good groove going here. The timing is absolutely superb. I am impressed.

6 Harold Hedberg Springtime in Paris, Texas. Well I expected the famous “Midgaard Serpent” to give us a rendition of the “Ride of the Valkyries” at least. And what do we get? A soft and beautiful song and a coffee smooth voice to tug at the emotions. Excellent Harold :)

7 Jan Friedman Come Again. Yes Jan, I certainly will! A great recording, which is not surprising from the Nor Cal recording Goddess, but the guitar work is really strong and effective as well. A great song.

8 Stan Milam Dreams of Eden. Stan's fingerpicked instrumental is very nicely played. He achieves an antique tone I really like, reminiscent of early Gary Davis recordings. Complete with hiss :)

9 Chuck Boyer Spindrift. Chuck’s Spindrift is enormously impressive and lovely music to boot. I wont be playing this one myself though. Chance would be a fine thing.

10 Bob Dorgan The Chosen Male. I really like the groove to this, gets you moving around a bit. Excellent sparse and relaxed accompaniment playing.  I'd have preferred Bob's singing a little higher in the mix though because he has a damn good voice.

11 Joel Wummer Fair Oaks. About three bars in, I thought: “where is he going with this?” Then he went! It develops from a very simple beginning, through some extraordinary counterpoints and harmonisation to one of the loveliest pieces of music I've heard for a while.

12 Shirley Worrall Only One. I've seen people comment that this is very impressive because Shirley is a relatively new player. I disagree. This is impressive because it is a  beautiful haunting tune. She plays it with absolute confidence and the ringing tone she achieves is ideal for it.

13 Jas O’Growney Conscience of the King.  Jas has produced a very intriguing piece here. A sort of acoustic “King Crimson”. The guitar work really hits you. I was playing air guitar to this one :)

14 Donna Madden Oh, To Be Back With You. Donna really has a beautiful voice, but her guitar playing is just as good. Just sit with your eyes closed in the dark. She is hypnotic!

15 Tom Loredo Philia. I have always known Tom as the nice chap who posts the FAQ and a few friendly pieces of advice. Well I am stunned! Phil Keaggy meets Villa Lobos. I really loved this piece as music, but technically it is quite awe-inspiring. One of the best things I have heard from a guitarist for a while. I think Tom has to win the “Making Mort Jealous” award.

16 Charles Park Anywhere. So he's not just a pretty voice then :)

17 Mort (Mike Salmon) Maybelle. OK so it was a bit presumptuous covering The Master. But if Dick can do an Adrian Legg piece, I can do Chet Atkins :)

18 Ed Edelenbos Selector. More cool strumming from Ed. He has a powerful rhythm approach. This intriguing instrumental cuts through CD2, providing a powerful  contrast to the predominance of delicate picking.

19 Dick Schneiders Kinvarra’s Child. A soft and delicate rendition of the Adrian Legg piece. Dick has made this his own, by playing it very differently to Adrian.

20 Howard Emerson Crossing Crystal Lake. Catches you immediately. Where can I get his CD then?

21 Steve McCluskey Stop Breaking Down. I spent many years playing this kind of guitar and I still love it. Steve is very good at it indeed.

22 Chuck Boyer North Country Moor. Chuck's playing impresses me greatly. This is another one to listen to with your eyes closed, as you drift and dream.

23 Joel Wummer Grow Old With Me. So he can sing too! A perfect ending to the collection.

Well that's about it for this one then. I’m busy working on a duet with my daughter Emily for the next CD.

Have fun,

Mort