Interesting 9-string jazz guitar
Nobody important | 06/07/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There is a small but distinctive tradition in the realm of jazz guitar based on adding more strings to the instrument. George Van Eps added a bass string to create a 7-string "lap piano," as he called it. His style was almost entirely chordal, and he rarely ventured beyond a mellow, pre-bop style when playing on his own. Lenny Breau added a high string to create his own variant of a 7-string guitar. Unlike Van Eps, Breau did not just stick to chords, although he, too, took inspiration from piano players (Bill Evans in particular). He combined post-bop, classical, flamenco, and a few other styles into his own unique hybrid. He developed a technique of fretting chords with his index and middle fingers, while soloing with his ring and pinky fingers, using all of his right hand fingers to pick (not to mention his artificial harmonics). Later, Charlie Hunter began playing an 8-string guitar, combining five guitar strings and three bass strings with fanned frets. He advanced Breau's conception of guitar by essentially mimicking the sound of a guitar and a bass played separately, and plays in a modern jazz-funk style. Michael Coppola fits firmly into this tradition with a 9-string guitar. Stylistically, he is closest to Lenny Breau, with a pianistic conception of the instrument and a combination of chordal playing and soloing. The arrangement on this album is a trio, but of course, Coppola's guitar is the star. Most of the tracks are a flurry of notes in an advanced bop style with just a hint of Chet Atkins-style country (he is, after all, a follower of Lenny Breau). The tone is a little odd, and may take some getting used to, but the music is well worth it. If you miss Lenny Breau and want to hear somebody carrying forward his tradition, this is a solid pick. You should then track down some albums by Phil DeGruy. DeGruy plays a 17-string "guitarp," which combines a 7-string fanned fretted guitar with 10 harp strings. Yes, you read that right. The harp strings are high strings, which gives you a sense of the odd sounds to expect from DeGruy.
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Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
