Search - Loren Mazzacane Connors :: Airs

Music to creep by you (waters not necessary)

El Cootero | St. Anthony Falls | 05/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What's most impressive about this side of Connors' work (referred to elsewhere as "Venusian blues") is its singular approach to an improvisatory lyricism. Connors composes "free" music that maintains a connection to the Blues, while avoiding its exploitation and crass troping. Even as Connors explores such overtly Romantic themes (Evangeline, "The Death of Shelly" [sp], The Little Match Girl, etc.), the guitarwork leaves any such distinction behind and transcends thematic constraints (here, he wisely chooses to leave 19 of the disc's 20 tracks untitled).On Airs, notes are struck, sustained, and sometimes cohere into outright melodies that wobble and fade back into the thicket of sound. The music vacillates and roils, expressive of its transitory nature, and more widely, the nature of time and memory. The album is best listened to in whole.Try playing this on a stereo in a sparsely decorated room. Bare walls help with the reverberation. It seems as if the ever-present background noise holds its breath, as if the ghosts go quiet and lean in to listen. As abjectly Romantic as you may find that image to be, I believe that, despite the skepticism against such identification that I advanced above, it portrays the same sort of contradiction and paradox that the music contains. (And its apparent pithiness especially works for such a dead form as the record review).With the recent passing of John Fahey, Connors may be justifiably considered a contender for the title of America's greatest living guitarist. It's silly, as all such titles are, but it does mean that I think this is music worth hearing above everything else. Airs is the most accessible, convincing distillation of his talent. If you agree, I suggest seeking out Portrait Of A Soul on import, or either of his collaborations with bassist Darin Gray; preferably the beautifully-realized live document, This Past Spring, which serves as a fine showcase for all sides of this artist, by turns delicate and excoriating."

Deceptively good

El Cootero | 02/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just to be clear: the album is uniformly quiet and just consists of electric guitar without lots of special effects except long sustain. The genius of the record is that MazzaCane can bring out so much with minute details -- muffled string noises, minute pitch changes, perfect arhythmic timing of notes. Don't mistake apparent simplicity for emptiness, as another reviewer did. One of the most moving records I've heard, with a rare, sad, clear quality. I'd recommend this as a first album by this artist (he calls it his best too)."