Invocation
Featuring:
Bruce Arnold—Acoustic Nylon String Guitar
Gilbert Isbin—Acoustic Nylon String Guitar and Lute
Invocation: Shimmering Guitar and Lute Duets Composed and Improvised
During a rigorous three week tour of Europe guitarist-composer Bruce Arnold
took a breather in the beautiful city of Bruges, to visit with Gilbert Isbin, also a composer and guitarist. The two had initiated an online correspondence, exchanging music and ideas for a year, and when the opportunity arose for Arnold to perform in Belgium, it also became an opportunity to collaborate on a recording. The result is “Invocation,” a series of evocative acoustic excursions.
The Lute
Isbin also played lute, adding it’s distinctive, limpid tone to the richness of the two guitars. “it was a rare opportunity for me to play with someone who could also play lute,” says Arnold, “I really fell in love with the instrument, the sound is so delicate and you can easily overpower it, so it is crucial to play to it, and not over it. “
Original Compositions
Both musicians brought their original compositions to the effort. With its strong modal structure, the title track “Invocation” shows Isbin’s lyrical side, while “Knomish” reveals a more angular, rhythmic approach. Arnold supplied "A Day in the Badlands" a 12 tone structured tune with a spacious melody and a minimalist palette. Known more for his electric guitar playing, here he is heard playing classical guitar, with a deep tone and precise touch. Both players worked together to create a sound that is seductive to the ear. The free improvisational pieces, with their contrapuntal passages and inherent lyricism reflect the strong sense of structure that each musician possesses.
The tracks:
- A Day in the Badlands
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/badlands.mp3
- Chanson
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/chanson.mp3
- Knomish
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/knomish.mp3
- Lingering
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/lingering.mp3
- Sonnet for Dowland[
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/sonnet.mp3
- Invocation
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/invocation.mp3
- Radiance
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/radiance.mp3
- Polyphonic Dance
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/polyphonic.mp3
- Efflorescence
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/effloresence.mp3
- Canticle
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/canticle.mp3
- Heard Instinct
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.muse-eek.com/CDAudio/bruce_gilbert/heard_instinct.mp3
- Reviews:
- “I am listening to 'Day in the Badlands' now. It is beautiful, so full of atmosphere and wonderful tone. I’ve added it to our Acoustic Guitar radio station” –Steve Elliot, Acoustic Guitar Workshop
- “The music is beautiful and subtle” -- Jos Demol, Jazz Halo