Resonance

Jazz guitarist John Stowell unplugs for a solo set on acoustic guitars built by Portland luthier Mike Doolin. Playing a variety of Doolin's steel-, nylon-, and 12 string guitars, Stowell performs several excellent originals and covers such jazz standards as John Coltrane's "Equinox," Steve Swallow's "Peau Douce," and Jerome Kern's "Nobody Else but Me." The various acoustic textures of Doolin's instruments are intriguing but it's Stowell's brilliant technique and ceaseless flow of musicial ideas that account for the high quality of this exceptional recording. Stowell is a thoughtful improviser who explores and elaborates on the myriad possibilities he finds in basic harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic structures while consistently avoiding formula and cliche. He virtually redesigns pieces like Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time" and Sammy Cahn's "Yesterdays," using long, intertwining phrases, counterlines, and exquisite chord voicings played with effortless finesse. If you're not familiar with the music this modern jazz-guitar masterhas been making for more than 25 years, the CD - one of Stowell's best - is a perfect place to start.