Naked Guitar by Earl Klugh
In Earl Klugh?s newest release, Naked Guitar, listeners are treated to a rare form of unplugged music that draws its power not from AC, but from bare fingers driving phosphor-bronze and nylon, which in turn set spruce and rosewood into harmonious, sympathetic vibrations. And if those sounds could be translated into Pound?s "splotches of colour," they would surely require a palette that goes beyond the visual spectrum. In like manner, Klugh's music breaches the boundaries of what even seems possible to do on the instrument.
Indeed, no single approach to playing the guitar pushes its limits more than fingerstyle, where the greatest potential of the instrument is realized. And in Klugh's gifted hands, melody, improvisations, independently moving bass lines, and inner voices combine to create all the dynamics of a symphony. And yet with his newest outing, as the title suggests, he does so with unusual intimacy.
Naked Guitar, Klugh?s KOCH Records debut, is just that?Earl and a guitar, with nothing else coming between that union and the listener. Just pure, unadorned music in all its glory. No overdubs, no tricks, no effects, no net. And through it all, familiar melodies soar above his simultaneously executed, rhythm-infused self-accompaniment. While this exciting new music is at once complex and warm, overwhelming and inviting, memorable and original, it is, in every sense, uniquely Earl Klugh. From the opening passage to the last note, Klugh's long-time fans will know they're in the company of an old friend. Even those hearing Earl's music for the first time will find in it a peculiar quality of familiarity. And that's not surprising. Considering a career that spans 30 years and as many albums, his immense influence on the landscape of "smooth jazz" has been filtered through legion imitators. Yet the best anyone has ever mustered is a mere hinting of the real thing.
In Earl Klugh?s newest release, Naked Guitar, listeners are treated to a rare form of unplugged music that draws its power not from AC, but from bare fingers driving phosphor-bronze and nylon, which in turn set spruce and rosewood into harmonious, sympathetic vibrations. And if those sounds could be translated into Pound?s "splotches of colour," they would surely require a palette that goes beyond the visual spectrum. In like manner, Klugh's music breaches the boundaries of what even seems possible to do on the instrument.
Indeed, no single approach to playing the guitar pushes its limits more than fingerstyle, where the greatest potential of the instrument is realized. And in Klugh's gifted hands, melody, improvisations, independently moving bass lines, and inner voices combine to create all the dynamics of a symphony. And yet with his newest outing, as the title suggests, he does so with unusual intimacy.
Naked Guitar, Klugh?s KOCH Records debut, is just that?Earl and a guitar, with nothing else coming between that union and the listener. Just pure, unadorned music in all its glory. No overdubs, no tricks, no effects, no net. And through it all, familiar melodies soar above his simultaneously executed, rhythm-infused self-accompaniment. While this exciting new music is at once complex and warm, overwhelming and inviting, memorable and original, it is, in every sense, uniquely Earl Klugh. From the opening passage to the last note, Klugh's long-time fans will know they're in the company of an old friend. Even those hearing Earl's music for the first time will find in it a peculiar quality of familiarity. And that's not surprising. Considering a career that spans 30 years and as many albums, his immense influence on the landscape of "smooth jazz" has been filtered through legion imitators. Yet the best anyone has ever mustered is a mere hinting of the real thing.
