...a fine little gem of a recording, a true find.
Mike Denny has a gift for gorgeously reinventing a familiar tune. On Looking In, his 1997 debut solo guitar recording, he went for beautiful melodies that carry the unmistakable scent of romance; misty ballads like "My Foolish Heart" and "Imagination;" and subtle swingers like "Beautiful Friendship" & "After You've Gone."Denny's elegant musical ideas and astounding technical proficiency put him among the elite of jazz guitar artists. His improvisations are replete with fleet, pianistic runs and dense, colorful chords but the melody is always in sight.
Track Listing:
1. Desifinado 7'09
2. My Foolish Heart 6'41
3. Willow Weep For Me 6'43
4. Imagination 7'33
5. Beautiful Friendship 3'45
6. A Flower is a Lovesome Thing
7. Baja Blues 5'15
8. I Fall in Love Too Easily 5'22
9. After You've Gone 5'15
10. Lush Life 7'32
11. Makin' Whoopie 4'07
Performers:
Mike Denny - Guitar
Production Info:
Produced by Don Latarski
Executive Producer: Christy Bishop
Recorded and Mastered by Don Latarski at Crescent Studio, Eugene, Oregon, October 4 & 11, 1997
DAT transfer by Jim Rusby, University of Oregon
Painting by Todd Bishop
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
The acoustic sound of the guitar was captured using a rode classic mic. The electric sound was produced by using a Fender Bandmaster Reverb head running through a Weber VST p12n speaker. Close and distant mics were placed on the speaker cabinet.
Reviews of Looking In
All Music Guide (Dave Nathan)
A nice solo album from guitarist Mike Denny. Very light, warm jazz emerges from his fingers with a series of classic ballads from the songbook. Partially due to the choice of ballads, the tone remains particularly calm throughout the proceedings, with some flights of imagination, but only subdued flights. The subtlety of Denny's playing is a key to ...
