zhao selects: guitar

some of my favorite avant-folk guitar music arranged in an 80 minute compilation. mostly the younger generation in the lineage which stretches back to Charlie Patton and the Mississippi delta blues (and beyond). a few of the tracks have some Middle Eastern influence, and of course the sound of the Sitar weighs in heavily on these compositions as Brij Bhushan Kabra (thanks Duck!) among others have inspired a lot of these players directly.

another great example of magic produced by cultural hybridity, this music explores and revels in the expansiveness of the blues (insert clever rhyzome stuff here), and in my mind testament to the deep interconnectedness of all cultures. but this connection is not as fantastic as i make it sound, all these styles are simply genetically linked: the Guitar came from Gypsies imitating the Arabic/North African Oud, which also became the European Lute, and it's all descendent of the Ethiopian Lyre (or something like that...), why, it's like being shocked that a child looks like his brother!

all are acoustic except track 08, all are solo except a couple have a harmonium or other minor additional instrumentation. i realize the Hisato Higuchi doesn't really fit with the rest so much in terms of style, but i think it sounds nice in there, a bit of a breather like.

James Blackshaw is playing here on monday! woooooo-hooooo! :D

made it for someone's birthday but thought i would share here as well. hopefully will introduce a name or 2 to a few out there.

this kind of compilation is a good way to share music that is in print and made by living artists methinks... suggestions for future volumes welcome!

01 Steffen Basho-Junghans - A North Thuringian Raga
02 James Blackshaw - The Elk with Jade Eyes
03 Robbie Basho - Seal Of The Blue Lotus
04 Jack Rose - tower of babel
05 Sandy Bull - Triple Ballade
06 Hisato Higuchi - Borei No Ude
07 John Fahey - when the springtime comes again
08 Sandy Bull - Gospel Tune
09 Sir Richard Bishop - provenance unknown

enjoy!