| CD REVIEW |
| DUANE ANDREWS - DUANE ANDREWS |
 |
| TO RETURN TO THE CD REVIEW INDEX, |
 |
| There must be something in those frigid blasts of salt-drenched winds blowing off the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland and Labrador that inspires musical creativity. Or perhaps it is the daily arrival of ships from faraway lands that has provided Canada with such a wealth of exotic musical resources to experience.
This song collection is a perfect example of that provision. The completely instrumental 2005 East Coast Music Award-winning CD (for Best Jazz Recording) is heavily concentrated with intricate, head-spinning guitar-picking, coupled with zesty rhythmic strumming played by both Duane Andrews and Power House Blues Band guitarist Steve Hussey, no slouch himself. The only relief from the overall dizzying pace is presented on �Rosa� and �Jamo�s Blues�, two of three originals on the CD. Regarding the covers, Duane pays tribute to Newfoundland influences, notably of Francophone legacy, covering late legendary fiddler Emile Benoit (�The Breakwater Boys�) and the currently popular accordionist Bernard Felix (�Pique Point Reel�). Newcomer accordionist Graham Wells� composition, �Doherty�s�, also fits nicely into the musical portrait here. I should also mention Duane is a diehard fan of Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, and his spirit is channeled throughout the CD. The late, non-Canadian composers resurrected and celebrated here are French Gypsy guitarist Paul �Tchan Tchou� Vidal (�La Gitane�), �Father of the Tango� Angelo Villoldo (�El Choclo�) and various sailors of Portuguese and Italian origin who passed on traditional compositions to accordionist Art Stoyles (�Just Another Dream� and �The Portuguese Waltzes�). Towards the end of the latter, I thought I heard traces of �A Few of My Favourite Things� (Rogers-Hammerstein), albeit with a Flamenco twist, but that could have been purely an auditory hallucination on my part. The instrumentation for these covers has been adapted on acoustic guitar (with Frank Fusari keeping time on acoustic bass), giving them an entirely new flavour - no better or worse, just different. The two exceptions are the opening Duke Ellington track, �Caravan�, and the closing �Jamo�s Blues� (dedicated to Duane�s late friend and guitarist, James Coleman), where trumpet accompaniment is added, played by fellow Newfoundland musician Patrick Boyle. Andrews incorporates a similar light-hearted, life-embracing sensibility to his own composition, �Adrianna�, while �Rosa�, more relaxed in tempo, is the most dynamic in rhythm variation and melody. The individual songs are all sonic masterpieces, but unless you just can�t get enough of a good thing, you might find a full-length play of the CD a bit too one-dimensional. For those who aspire towards Duane�s level of expertise in guitar-playing, the recording, when inserted in a CD-ROM device, provides various chord charts in both standard and tablature format, another progressive collusion within the music world, i.e. utilizing modern technology for marketing purposes. |
 |