Bolivia

1. Homegrown

2. Bolivia

3. God Bless the Child

4. Dear John

5. Managua

6. Third World

Bolivia,Freddie Hubbard,Music Masters Jazz,Bolivia,Hard Bop,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Post-Bop

Jazz

Music

jazz

music

Average customer rating: Beyond Music - Exquisite Looking Back While Looking Forward Alex who? Don't worry. Revisiting Alex de Grassi's first "Lucky Thirteen" years. Enjoyable Introduction to a First-Rate Fingerstyle Guitarist

A Windham Hill Retrospective Alex de Grassi Manufacturer: Windham Hill Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Water Garden A Windham Hill Retrospective Now & Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century Returning: Pieces for Guitar 1970-2004 Conferring with the Moon: Pieces for Guitar ASIN: B000000NJ4 Release Date: 1992-03-24

Tracks:

1. Overland
2. Causeway
3. Western
4. Window
5. Clockwork
6. Blue Trout
7. White Rain
8. Cumulus
9. A Momentary Change Of Heart
10. Luther's Lullaby
11. Charlotte
12. Turning: Turning Back
13. Children's Dance
14. Mirage
15. Slow Circle II
16. Blood And Jasmine

Customer Reviews:

Beyond Music - Exquisite.......2006-06-10

Sometimes I read these reviews and think they come from insiders in the music industry, I'm not one of them just a music lover. This CD's music is passionate, dramatic, powerful, brilliant, melodic food for your soul, in total it is for me the finest CD in my collection. Alex de Grassi is in a league of his own. I don't know his work well enough to comment on any of his other CD's but this is a Masterpiece!

Looking Back While Looking Forward.......2004-05-27

The interesting thing about a good retrospective is that it really isn't a collection of 'greatest hits,' but an opportunity for the musician to look again at his (or her) own work and select out the pieces from the past that mean the most now. Sometimes, this brings the listener new insights as well. Alex De Grassi is the kind of musician that one doesn't forget easily. His ability is astounding, his instruments include unusual built guitars, and his vision of where he wants to go leaves not stone unturned. While some of the works included here surprised me, all are examples of his best, simply because Alex De Grassi has nothing to give but his best.

The music offers a wide range of style, from solo to ensemble, from private to public, but there is not one that doesn't demonstrate De Grassi's unique ability to lay down a tapestry-like weave of melodic sound. The music ranges over a 13 year period. The works come from both his own albums and various collections put together as Windham Hill is want to do. Sound quality is, as is usual from this producer, superb.

Take the opportunity to listen to this album. Because De Grassi is, more often than not, classed as 'new age,' he is often written off without being heard. What he really is is a virtuoso guitarist with equally impressive skills as a composer. As this album proves, De Grassi is equally at home writing for ensemble as he is working as a soloist. Whether you call it 'new age,' or 'light jazz,' or 'whatever' is unimportant. What it is, is great music.

Alex who? Don't worry........2003-06-13

I never was a fan of Alex de Grassi but I got 14 classical guitar tunes ... It's all nice! A greatest hits of sorts. Different harmonies and a piece where mr. de Grassi's heard as accompaniment. One live piece and a few "How'd he do thats." This is a paradigm for what Windham Hill is all about---An unknown muscician that has bested her instrument with mistake-free craft and gives other artisans a way to understand the beauty of music, Ok, Maybe not.But please buy this and enjoy it.

Revisiting Alex de Grassi's first "Lucky Thirteen" years........2002-07-17

"The first years of being a recording artist passed in ignorant bliss," Yokosuka/Japan-born and California-raised Alex de Grassi describes the beginning of his musical career in the liner notes to his "Windham Hill Retrospective." "I was succeeding with almost no formal musical training ... I tuned the guitar funny and didn't even think about what notes I was playing."

Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, don't be deceived. The man who wrote these lines is one of the world's leading finger style guitarists; and while he may not have had much formal training beyond his brief jazz guitar lessons with Bill Thrasher while attending U.C. Santa Barbara, he obviously just didn't need a whole lot of teaching; he already possessed most of what it took for a successful career - first and foremost, an abundance of talent, great technical facility and that natural feeling for music which distinguishes the innately gifted from those who will always have to primarily rely on studied skill. (In later years, he did however also study with eminent jazz pianist Mark Levine and took composition lessons with music teacher William A. Mathieu). Music runs in de Grassi's family; his grandfather was a violinist with the San Francisco Symphony and the leader of a string quartet, his father played classical piano and his mother was a jazz fan. Yet, young Alex was encouraged to take up a more "practical" career and eventually opted for a degree in geography - "I could use my college education to find places on the map, go there, and play my guitar," he now comments in this album's liner notes. But like the trumpet which he gave up in favor of his first guitar at age 13 after having heard Bert Jansch's "Lucky Thirteen," de Grassi's career in geography ended before it had ever begun when his cousin William Ackerman, a first rate guitarist himself, invited him in 1978 to join his start-up label Windham Hill Records.

On Windham Hill, de Grassi eventually recorded his debut "Turning: Turning Back" and five other albums (not counting this "Retrospective"); but contrary to that first record's title, he has not had to turn back ever since, soon making a reputation for his exquisite style and crystal clear, often breathtaking technique. Like silver pearls, or like a soft shower of a million glistening drops of water, de Grassi's melodies at times glide, at times trickle from note to note; over multiple layers of point and counterpoint, harmonies, themes, counter-themes, chords, rhythms and airs, almost all of which are produced exclusively on the six or however many strings of his guitar. While his first albums and his more recent "Water Garden," not least because of the many open tunings they contain, have caused de Grassi's music to be labeled "new age," his range in fact far exceeds that classification. His 1983 album "Southern Exposure" was an early foray into Iberian and South American music, and he has lately taken up that theme again with "Tata Monk," recorded in the year 2000 in cooperation with Chilean folk/jazz flutist Quinque Cruz. Similarly, the title of 1999's "Bolivian Blues Bar" describes that album's genesis as much as it is contents; from fooling around with American blues, jazz and folk tunes with a Bolivian friend who had recently moved to San Francisco, to the transcription for solo guitar and eventual recording of such standards as "It Ain't Necessarily So" from "Porgy and Bess" and two other Gershwin songs, Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind" and Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight.'

Recorded a few years before "Water Garden," "Tata Monk" and "Bolivian Blues Bar," this "Windham Hill Retrospective" features some of Alex de Grassi's best work written and performed between 1978 and 1991; from his debut album, represented by no less than five tracks ("Window," "Luther's Lullaby," "Children's Dance," "Blood and Jasmine" and the title track, here taken from the 1983 live album "An Evening With Windham Hill" and almost twice the length of the studio version) to 1991's "Deep at Night" (represented by the songs "Blue Trout," "Charlotte" and "Mirage") and "A Momentary Change of Heart" from the second Windham Hill "Guitar Sampler," likewise released in 1991. This collection is not only an excellent introduction to de Grassi's work; for those who don't already own his first albums, which despite enormous critical acclaim are sadly out of print, it is also a welcome opportunity to get a hold of at least a sample of his early recordings. In addition to the tracks from "Turning: Turning Back," the "Retrospective" also contains three eloquent pieces from de Grassi's second album "Slow Circle" ("Causeway," "White Rain" and the title track) and the centerpiece of his third album, "Clockwork" (again in the live version recorded on "An Evening With Windham Hill"). The remaining three tracks ("Overland," "Western" and "Cumulus") are graceful, intricate representatives of ""Southern Exposure."

"Since those [early] days I've become painfully aware of what I don't know," Alex de Grassi writes in closing in the liner notes of this "Retrospective" and adds, humbly: "Now I'm a student of music. Learning is discovering how little you know. I feel like I'm starting all over again every day." But while it may be true that the boundless wealth and endlessly receding horizon of the musical universe reveals itself even to the truly gifted only slowly and gradually, it is a true joy to accompany Alex de Grassi a little along the way of his personal field trip into the rich and varied world of guitar music - or to look back at his own first "Lucky Thirteen" years of that journey, as this "Retrospective" does.

Enjoyable Introduction to a First-Rate Fingerstyle Guitarist.......2002-03-11

This is a marvelous introduction to the acoustic finger-picking mastery of guitarist Alex de Grassi. This retrospective covers his first five albums for Windham Hill from his 1978 debut Turning: Turning back through 1983's Deep at Night. In addition, you get "A Momentary Change of Heart" from Guitar Sampler Vol. II and two live tracks from An Evening With Windham Hill: the haunting "Clockwork," the only track to feature additional musicians (lyricon, violin, bass, percussion) and the only song from 1981's Clockwork, along with "Turning: Turning Back," which at nine minutes is nearly twice as long as the studio version found on his debut. In his liner notes, de Grassis says he wanted to be a guitar player ever since he first heard Bert Jansch's album Lucky Thirteen. After listening to this album, Jansch's influences may seem subtle, but de Grassi shows himself to be a guitar player worth hearing. And with many of the albums this set draws from currently out of print, this is your best opportunity to enjoy de Grassi's early work. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Average customer rating: Captures Barbieri's Virtuosity and his Few Weaknesses Soaring Melodies and Dense Rhythms classic

Bolivia/Under Fire Gato Barbieri Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Brazil | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Brazilian Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Latin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: El Pampero: Live in Montreaux, Switzerland Che Corazon Fenix Que Pasa Last Tango in Paris ASIN: B0000C8AP3 Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

1. Merceditas
2. Eclypse/Michellina
3. Bolivia
4. Ni
5. Vidala Triste
6. Parana
7. Yo le Canto a la Luna
8. Antonico
9. Maria Domingas
10. Sertao

Album Description

The two complete albums contained on this CD, Bolivia (recorded in 1973) and Under Fire (recorded in 1971), both released in 1973, are the most successful from his Flying Dutchman years. Created upon the solid grooves created by an exceptional band led by Lonnie Liston Smith. Features 10 remastered tracks packaged in digipak format. Includes original cover art & rare photographs along with original & newly commissioned liner notes. Bluebird. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Captures Barbieri's Virtuosity and his Few Weaknesses.......2006-04-28

This album is apparently two albums put together. I am familiar with "El Gato," an album that is hard to find and too bad because it has wonderful songs on it, some of which are on this one. They are "Merciditas," "Ninos," and "El Parana" and "Vidale Triste." The first three are powerful compositions, affording Barbieri many opportunities to showcase his passion for music, his soaring altissimos, and his versions of John Coltrane's wall of sound (tens of rolling, boiling notes, packed into a time frame that is literally unbelievable). In addition, the percussion, piano and bass voices are all compelling, especially some of the bass lines, which, inspired by Barbieri's visions, scamper about and bubble up out of sheer joy.

When expressed through music, romantic (sexual) passions can take on spiritual or universal dimensions that far exceed the parameters of the original inspiration. Music can reframe our perspective from a stationary being in a stationary room to the reality of an object spinning in a circle on a globe that is whirling around a star that is itself twirling around a galactic center whose galaxy is flying around a galactic cluster. Good musicians always keep their eyes on the center as they trek through the dizzying loops of infinite forms (circles, ellipses). Some of the views the musicians on "Bolivia/Under Fire" offer up are truly spectacular. They are adept at contorting tempos almost beyond recognition, only to have them come careening back with added vigor. This, to me, is the most powerful kind of jazz fusion, where the violence is continually mitigated by sensitive hands.

Barbieri often starts at the destination and moves in retrograde fashion, which makes for some rough contours and sudden shifts. This is because he is intoxicated by visions and unconcerned with the future. Contrasted with this impulsiveness is the perfectly formed and developed structure of "Merciditas." On "Ninos," the most dramatic song, Barbieri pulls out all the stops, and lets out screetching altissimo wails near the end which are followed by a weathered descending line that is wonderfully fatigued. Meanwhile, the bassist has been charmed and his rubbery, supercharged notes fly about maniacally before drifting airily into the folds of Barbieri's luxurious curtain. Barbieri creates the musical equivalent of a South American revolution, with lots of little kids running around with machine guns.

This music has the anonymous character of, say, gothic art. And, like that art, it is engulfed in suffering and insights.

I usually do not listen to "Eclypse/Michellina" or "Bolivia" in their entirety - Barbieri can get overbearing and amateurish at times too. Another weakness is on "Antonico," a short, beautiful latin composition that he botches (in my humble opinion) by overproducing multiple sax voices that are spliced together rather clumsily. This ravishing melody needs only one voice, one that is allowed to convey its romantic thoughts in an unhurried manner, without interruption. Instead of the certainty of love, we get its confusion. I think what he was trying to achieve here could have been done, but by having multiple sax voices only in the last iteration of the melody, which would convey the scattering of the personality that romantic passions can produce. In the recorded version, they come in too early and muddy the water.

Some of Barbieri's vocals sound like an animal dying in the rain forest and do not produce the desired effect. (He's kind of a nutty guy.)

But this music is very powerful, has something existential about it, reflects what is now an extinct animal: the human being evolving, in touch with God. The musicians are more like supplicants, sacrificing themselves in the music, which is liquid and runs. The early 70's were heady times, especially in New York, where this music was recorded. Nothing else I've ever heard surpasses the intensity recorded on this album.

Soaring Melodies and Dense Rhythms.......2004-12-16

I remember the days when Gato Barbieri became the toast of jazz. Caliente had recently been issued and the song Europa was all over jukeboxes and FM radio. It was at long last a North American breakthrough to the mainstream for a man who had toiled in relative obscurity for the better part of two decades. Caliente is today still a best seller for him, but what about his other work?
Old-time cognoscenti and early-adopters of Gato Barbieri can be thankful now that his pre-Caliente solo work on the Flying Dutchman label is being reissued and made available to those of us who are second or third-generation Barbieri fans. I remember listening to more knowledgeable jazz fans talk of Barbieri when I was a young teenager but I never got to hear what they were talking about until Caliente swept the airwaves. I did eventually obtain Bolivia on cassette, but it certainly didn't have the rich fullness of sound as does this CD.
Gato Barbieri is perhaps the best tenor saxophonist of my lifetime and starting with the fabulous Merceditas, he wastes little time living up to that accolade. Soaring melodies and dense rhythms envelop the listener in a state of entrancement as the music progresses.
The entire CD is good, but I particularly enjoy Merceditas, Bolivia, Ninos, the frenetic El Parana, the smooth, flowing Antonico and Maria Domingas. Barbieri's rendition of Atahualpa Yupanqui's Yo Le Canto a La Luna demonstrates his rarely presented vocal ability.
If you are a Barbieri fan who came to his music upon the release of Caliente or later, you owe it to yourself to get this and hear where he came from. If you are an early fan, well you just need to get the CD and give your scratched up LPs a rest. Double your pleasure and order this today!

classic.......2003-11-24

the soul of latin america in this album .
great ! innovator !
pioneer !
see also SUDAKA, by Ramiro Musotto , to check out one of the last Gato's recording in the track "Antonio das Mortes".
Gato is an icon in modern Latin America fussion music .

Average customer rating:

De Man Ia Alex De Grassi , Michael Manring , and Christopher Garcia Manufacturer: Tropo Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: What We Do The Wisdom of Notes Equilibre: Groovemasters vol.6 The Water Garden Dawg's Groove ASIN: B000K2V7CI Release Date: 2006-11-21

Tracks:

1. this side up
2. homestyle
3. para mi alegria
4. yet again
5. paint it black
6. with his hat in his hands
7. mccoy
8. the black hand
9. curan brujo
10. the water is wide

Album Description

Two innovators of solo instrumental music, acoustic guitarist Alex de Grassi and electric bassist Michael Manring, join forces with percussionist and tabla player Chris Garcia (of the Zappa alum group, The Grandmothers) for a set of arranged and improvised music. With influences from India to Appalachia to Latin America and the Blues, this trio fuses new sounds together with their original compositions and unlikely arrangements - think the Stones' Paint It Black in 7/8 time, and an improvised take on the traditional folk melody, The Water is Wide. De Grassi's sympitar (sympathetic string guitar) and Manring's liquid and ever-changing fretless sounds combine with tabla, kanjira, mbwata, and a myriad of percussion to produce a distinctly world twist to many of the tracks. From moments of introspection to pure grooving, the demania trio covers a lot of terrain and leaves no stone unturned.

Average customer rating:

Classics Savia Andina Manufacturer: Sukay Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Andes | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music Peru | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music Similar Items: Classics, Vol. 2 Land of the Incas The Double-Headed Serpent Cumbre (The Summit) Temple of the Sun ASIN: B00000065Z Release Date: 1995-12-04

Tracks:

1. El Sicuri
2. Leno Verde
3. Oracion del Mitayo
4. Vuelo de Condores
5. Rosa Carmin
6. Visperas de Asuncion
7. Tajibo
8. Lamento Indio
9. Jaku Ripusun Witawenita
10. Rosa
11. Aguita de Phutina
12. Tempestad

Average customer rating: Smooth Solo Effort! excellent acoustic blues... A Walk On The Bluesy Side Alex de Pass? Alex de Grassi

Bolivian Blues Bar Alex de Grassi Manufacturer: Narada ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: The World's Getting Loud Now & Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century Deep at Night Tata Monk The Water Garden ASIN: B00001ZSU4 Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

1. It Ain't Necesarily So
2. The Man I Love
3. Hey! Bo Diddley (Variations)
4. You Go To My Head
5. Little Rootie Tootie
6. You've Changed
7. Georgia On My Mind
8. Bess, You Is My Woman
9. Darn That Dream
10. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
11. Woody Woodpecker Song
12. Come Sunday
13. Round Midnight

Amazon.com

A work of quiet sophistication and subtle pleasures (including a jazz-tinged take on a cartoon character's theme music, off all things), guitarist Alex de Grassi's Bolivian Blues Bar is another collection of understated excellence from a fingerstyle specialist admired for his inquisitive musical nature. The album's title is a touch misleading; you'll find little "Bolivian" here other than a note explaining how de Grassi first tinkered with these vintage tunes with a friend from that country. Most of its 13 tracks are jazz standards (Monk's "'Round Midnight" and "Little Rootie Tootie"; a trio of selections from George and Ira Gershwin; plus three songs associated with Billie Holliday), which de Grassi, working strictly as an acoustic soloist, arranged with hopes of coaxing a vocalist's expressiveness from his six strings. He succeeds most effectively with the late-night coziness of "You Go to My Head" (Holliday), a handsome rendering of Charles Mingus's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," and the concluding Monk selection. A subdued recording, but not entirely a sleepy one. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews:

Smooth Solo Effort!.......2001-11-06

Sometimes a certain genre does not fit a particular artist for all releases. Unfortunately, because De Grassi is normally classified as a "New Age" artist, this little gem of a release went virtually unnoticed by jazz and blues fans alike. Some artists profess to be solo only in the sense that they are not with their regular band members. However, on this CD, De Grassi is truly solo, no drums, no bass, no percussion, just De Grassi and his acoustic nylon string guitar.

On the CD, De Grassi takes music from the 1930's through the 1950's and adds a touch of folk and blues to a jazz rendition of these old tunes. Some of the tunes are well known and easily recognizable, such as Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", Thelonious Monk's "Little Rootie Tootie" and Hoagy Carmicheal's "Georgia On My Mind". But even these tunes sound fresh and updated by De Grassi. Overall, the performance is first class and smooth all the way.

excellent acoustic blues..........2001-10-17

I actually don't own this CD, but I've checked it out x2 from the Houston Public Library and may end up buyin' it soon.
I was actually a little disappointed at first that it wasn't more "Latin-Jazz"-sounding...then I read the liner notes; Okay, so the CD's title is more coincidental and for the sake of alliteration.

It still sounds cool..the title..and the music itself;

There are a few tracks I skip through regularly--like the Woody-Woodpecker bit...but the rest are sheer magic. Very nice mood music...track 1 is probably still my favorite. I'm just a beginning guitar student, but I can pluck out the intro already on my steel-string acoustic...but that's as far as I can follow the master. NARADA's acoustic guitar CDs tend to be of good quality generally, and this one lives up to that reputation.
(by contrast, NARADA's Celtic selections tend to blow wang bigtime versus other labels, but anyway)...I think chicks would dig this CD and a guy who owns it. ;-)

A Walk On The Bluesy Side.......2000-06-10

This is a great late-night CD if you're an urbanite like me. While this CD may not play well out in the country with the sounds of crickets, if your window opens up on a street corner, maybe even graced by some neon lights, this will put you in the mood. Soulful, passionate blues played on an acoustic guitar with equal parts fire and ice, Bolivian Blues Bar will fit perfectly with the tinkle of ice in a tumbler of scotch and low lights.

If you're looking for romantic music that is never sappy or maudlin, or if you need some blues that are "quiet" and not in your face, this is your ticket to hep-ville! Alex deGrassi is, of course, a consummate guitarist. But what may surprise you with this CD is his soulfulness. Frankly, I didn't know he had it in him!

Alex de Pass?.......2000-02-04

This fingerstyle guitar album moves into the territory of jazz guitar masters Joe Pass and Martin Taylor. What makes Alex de Grassi unique is the pure tone he gets from the acoustic-steel guitar he plays to interpret Thelonious Monk's Round Midnight and Little Rootie Tootie, Charlie Mingus' Goodpie Pork Hat, Gershwin's The Man I Love and Bess You Is My Woman, and classic tunes from Ellington and Carmichael. This is a gold mine for those who have been searching for acoustic guitar music in a jazz context. De Grassi does not need a back-up band for he also swings and handles those running-bass lines convincingly. Just listen to Mingus' Goodpie Pork Pie Hat, and Monk's Little Rootie Tootie. Improvisations are kept to the minimum as he works to bring the melodies of these jazz classics up-front. His move into jazz may disappoint some of his new age fans but this project wins the respect of jazz listeners and musicians alike.

Alex de Grassi.......2000-01-13

This CD is the bomb. In this CD is wonderful acostic guitar playing. I myself am a acoustic guitar player and I enjoy listening to it. The only drawback is there are no lyrics. Not one word is said in this CD. Some songs involve humor EX. Woody Woodpecker Song. As well some are slow. All songs are fingerpicking and his songs are not original. If you plan to get a tab for these songs you will not find them. I have looked all over. So buy this CD!

Average customer rating: Crystalline Beauty I don't like it, but I admire it. Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing! Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing! Music for Meditation

The Water Garden Alex de Grassi Manufacturer: Tropo Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: A Windham Hill Retrospective Now & Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century Tata Monk Imaginary Roads Pure Alex De Grassi ASIN: B00000A4Y2 Release Date: 1998-08-18

Tracks:

1. Prelude
2. The Zipper
3. The Water Garden
4. Lost In The Woods
5. Another Shore
6. Cumulus Rising
7. Ripple
8. Vanishing Point
9. Down Below
10. Endless Rain

Amazon.com

"Meditation and water are wedded forever," says New Acoustic progenitor Alex de Grassi, quoting Herman Melville in the liner notes to this 10-song cycle of solo steel-string guitar pieces "on the theme of water." There's a stillness at the heart of this Garden, but don't expect placid performances; de Grassi's stunning finger style exploits rapidslike torrents of open-tuned chords ("Prelude"), babbling brooks of uplifting hammer-on melodies ("The Zipper"), and buoyant themes floating over liquid counterpoint ("Another Shore"). Sure, the former Windham Hill mainstay, whose Turning: Turning Back and Slow Circle helped define that label's identity, is capable of brooding, contemplative work--the lovely title track is a good example--but he rarely gets stuck in meditative mud, preferring, as in "Cumulus Rising," to wring great emotion from even his quietest moments. The Water Garden suggests that de Grassi's vision has only gotten deeper and clearer over time; he's a jazz composer with a folkie's fingers and the Northern California coastline in his soul. --James Rotondi

Customer Reviews:

Crystalline Beauty.......2004-02-18

Alex de Grassi is one of the best contemporary acoustic guitarists, and this is one of his best albums. Nominated for a grammy award, the compositions, guitar technique, and production quality on this album are all superb.

This album creates an aura of meditative peacefulness and ordered perfection. Every note is exactly in place, and yet at times they cascade over the ear in rich profusion like a waterfall of sound. But this is a peaceful waterfall, not the niagra of a rock band, but the gentle trickling one would hear in a garden.

Many of de Grassi's albums are good, and it is hard for me to describe exactly why this one stands out as one of his best. There is something about the clarity and subtlety of the compositions that catches one's heart. Many of the songs on this album are beautiful, yet none of them are cloying. Some of the pieces are quite abstract, yet they never lack a clear structure and a few subtle themes to tie the composition together.

I recommend this album whole heartedly to anyone who enjoys acoustic guitar music with a peaceful and meditative side to it. Don't mistake this for background music. The meditative aspect comes from the rewards one gets from listening very closely and careful to a superb craftsman and artist at the height of his powers.

I don't like it, but I admire it........2003-01-24

I do think this album deserves 5 stars, although I personally don't like it. I don't like this style of ultra-precise, sharp, "plucky" guitar-playing in which every note sounds completely separate (I'm not a big fan of "New Acoustic" music, which seems to often sound this way); I like music that is fuller and "flows" together more. This album does make me think of water, but of thousands of individual drops, rather than waves or a waterfall. If you love very crisp-sounding solo classical/New Acoustic guitar music (with a hint of jazz) you will probably love this album. Just not my type of music.

Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing!.......2002-02-08

One of the reasons I picked this disc up is because it is encoded in HDCD, myself being an audiophile who enjoys great music and great QUALITY in a recording. That said, I always had heard of Alex, but never bought anything from him. Upon my first play, I was hooked. Alex's technique and sound is incredible! His guitar playing is so liquid and seemingly effortless, it truly does evoke being transported to one of the most tranquil, scenic, aromatic places that exist on earth! His is one of the most unique styles of acoustic guitar playing I have ever heard, and that is a compliment. Bliss= me, this disc, and my Magneplanars!!!

Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing!.......2002-02-08

One of the reasons I picked this disc up is because it is encoded in HDCD, myself being an audiophile who enjoys great music and great QUALITY in a recording. That said, I always had heard of Alex, but never bought anything from him. Upon my first play, I was hooked. Alex's technique and sound is incredible! His guitar playing is so liquid and seemingly effortless, it truly does evoke being transported to one of the most tranquil, scenic, aromatic places that exist on earth! His is one of the most unique styles of acoustic guitar playing I have ever heard, and that is a compliment. Bliss= me, this disc, and my Magneplanars!!!

Music for Meditation.......2001-12-04

Each note seduces you into wanting to hear more. The music flows from one solo guitar piece to the next. The notes almost drip into your mind and ripple outward sending vibrations through your soul to calm you and yet they awaken something deeper in you at the same time.

Just as being near water calms us, Alex De Grassi seems to want to lull you into a meditative state. While this is named The Water Garden, it is much more and is far from a submissive offering. Each note is filled with a vibrancy that can only be compared to floating on cloud nine and will elevate your mood to a state of joy.

Prelude is an ecstatic piece reminiscent of water tumbling over rocks in a never-ending cycle as rain falls in the mountains, perhaps dripping from leaves and falling down to the earth. Each drop of water finds its way to another droplet and together they flow to the sea. It is absolutely breathtaking and then fades away.

The Zipper almost seems to be a piece about when the water reaches the ocean and as the sun is setting. You can almost imagine the water from a lagoon merging with the salt water. There is a sense of closure and a journey completed.

The Water Garden is a very mellow piece at first and produces a feeling of floating. As if you were floating in a pond gazing at an azure sky.

Lost in the woods must be a woods near the sea because it has a certain longing to it and almost seems to be waves lapping around the shore and at times crashing onto a beach. There is a deep ocean feel, with lighter notes, that make the sounds surface from time to time. I see whales playing in an ocean calling to one another as I watch them from a cliff.

Another Shore has an inevitability and certain sadness as if two lovers have given up trying to find one another and a certain regret is present in the piece.

Cumulus Rising is a far more airy and hopeful piece. An eagle seems to be spiriling upwards towards the sky. Heaven!

Ripple is a rapid selection which seems to move out in all directions at once. Someone almost seems to be swimming towards a waterfall in the shade of trees sending out ripples towards the shore. The most active piece and has a touch of sadness or deep contemplation.

Vanishing point is a very appropriate name as the notes appear and dissolve. As if rain was falling on soil and soaking in very quickly, yet more rain keeps falling. This is my favorite selection because it captures a variety of emotions.

Down below could very well be sunlight reaching as far down as it can go into the water where it reflects off fish playfully swimming below.

In Endless Rain, a torrential downpour of notes is almost overwhelming and you can literally hear drops of water splashing wherever they fall, then suddenly the rain does end.

Music can at times be a drink for your soul. I have never received such a beautiful gift and I thank the wonderful friend who introduced me to music I will enjoy when I need to relax deeply and completely.

Average customer rating: James Taylor- Fabulous CD One of the Best Fingerstyle CDs - Ever! A Long-Time James Taylor Fan An Awesome Tribute CD!

The Music of James Taylor: Solo Guitar with Nature Alex De Grassi Manufacturer: World Disc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | New Age General | New Age | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | New Age General | New Age | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: Southern Exposure The World's Getting Loud Bolivian Blues Bar Now & Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century The Water Garden ASIN: B00000FCI2 Release Date: 1999-05-04

Tracks:

1. Shower The People
2. How Sweet It Is
3. You've Got A Friend
4. Country Road
5. Fire And Rain
6. Sweet Baby James
7. Mexico
8. Something In The Way She Moves
9. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
10. Carolina On My Mind

Customer Reviews:

James Taylor- Fabulous CD.......2007-02-20

Anyone who loves James Taylor and/or acoustic music will love this CD. It is so relaxing and serene-it really helps me unwind no matter what I'm wound up about. Alex De Grassi is wonderful and the nature sounds blend very well and accent rather than dominate the pieces. I highly highly highly reccommend this CD!

One of the Best Fingerstyle CDs - Ever!.......2005-02-13

This cd is another great example of the amazing works of Alex De Grassi. When you listen closely, it feels like as if you are in a dream, floating in a dimension of your own, and time just pauses. A great addition to the music world. This is also a great New Age CD. If you are a fingerstyle fan who enjoys Don Ross or Tommy Emmanuel, you'll absolutely love this cd!!!

A Long-Time James Taylor Fan.......2001-09-05

I was very pleasantly surprised to hear this beautiful collection of James Taylor's music. Alex De Grassi's guitar performance captures the smoothness of James' early hits of the late 60's through mid-70's. "How Sweet It Is", which was not composed by James Taylor, is not one of my favorite selections (although it is a favorite of many of James' fans). I would love to hear what de Grassi could have done with "Copperline" or "Walking Man". De Grassi's rendition of "You've Got a Friend" is superb!

An Awesome Tribute CD!.......2000-06-13

First off let me say that Alex D. and James T. are two of my favorite artists. So how could I NOT like this CD! This CD is awesome and I think that most people who like J.T. will really like this CD, even if they're not familiar with Alex D. There's not a bad song on this CD, it's all excellent!

Average customer rating: Lovely, Serene Acoustic Guitar Alex de Grassi is truly a guitar god Now & Then

Now & Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century Alex de Grassi Manufacturer: 33rd Street ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Water Garden A Windham Hill Retrospective Bolivian Blues Bar Tata Monk Deep at Night ASIN: B00009ATK8 Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

1. Single Girl
2. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
3. Sweet William
4. St. James Infirmary
5. Bury Me Not
6. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
7. Shortnin' Bread
8. Streets of Laredo
9. Hushabye
10. Lay This Body Down
11. Oh, Susannah

Customer Reviews:

Lovely, Serene Acoustic Guitar.......2007-01-02

This is my first album by Alex De Grassi and I am impressed with his skill and style. Pure acoustic guitar, occasionally accompanied by bass or percussion, but no vocals. This album of versions of old time folk music is both respectful of the music and yet playful and frisky. Great version of Saint James Infirmary (see my list of the many many versions of this amazing old song).

Alex de Grassi is truly a guitar god.......2006-02-07

This CD is -- in a word -- breathtaking.
What Alex de Grassi does with his guitar does literally take my breath away. I first saw Alex in concert way back in the early 1980s and I kind of lost track of him but this CD brings me back to why I was at first attracted to his amazing talent. This is a definite "must have" for any guitar-aholic fans.

Now & Then.......2003-10-03

This album is AWESOME! If you're not familiar with Alex, check out his website at www.degrassi.com He's a world-reknown fingerstyle guitarist. Been nominated for Grammy's, toured the world over and is an all around incredible musician. This album is comprised of standard classics like Oh Susannah, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and the likes thereof. It's an acoustic instrumental album, but the sounds produced are so right on that you'll be singing along too. Really takes you back. This album most definitely belongs in your collection.

Average customer rating:

Boat to Bolivia Martin Stephenson & The Daintees Manufacturer: Barbaraville UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Folk | Imports | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Gladsome, Humour & Blue Jehovahkill ASIN: B0000A0WIW Release Date: 2003-08-12

Tracks:

1. Crocodile Cryer
2. Coleen
3. Little Red Bottle
4. Tribute To The Late Reverend Gary Davis
5. Running Water
6. Candle In The Middle
7. Piece Of The Cake
8. Look Down Look Down
9. Slow Lovin
10. Caroline
11. Rain
12. Boat To Bolivia
13. Roll On Summertime (Nov 83 Version) (Bonus Track)
14. Trouble Town (Nov 83 Version) (Bonus Track)
15. Slow Lovin (Alt Take March 84 Version) (Bonus Track)

Average customer rating: Foot-Tapping Mellow

The World's Getting Loud Alex de Grassi Manufacturer: Windham Hill Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music | Ambient | Celtic | Environmental | General | International | Jazz | Meditation Music | Piano | World Dance General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Bolivian Blues Bar Deep at Night Now & Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century Altiplano Southern Exposure ASIN: B000000NJV Release Date: 1993-07-13

Tracks:

1. Bright Sky
2. Facing South
3. The World's Getting Loud
4. Mcoy
5. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
6. Bigfoot
7. Roundabout
8. Viajes
9. Doorman Blues
10. The Monkulator

Customer Reviews:

Foot-Tapping Mellow.......2001-12-08

This is relaxation music without the heavy melancholy. DeGrassi's acoustic mastery is complemented by lots of varied percussion, keyboards and even "body music." Most of the selections have a distinctively Latin flavor, although it is not overwhelmingly so. The music has the charachteristics of sailing on a sunny afternoon - it moves briskly, but at nature's pace. He also explores the blues with "Doorman's Blues," picked out in a Piedmont style.

The CD will make a nice addition to your music collection and is a good representation of DeGrassi's mid-career talent. It will go great with cocktails or just conversation.

Jazz Music:

1. Boss Tenor
2. Bossa Nova
3. Bouncing with Bud [Live]
4. Bright Size Life [Import]
5. Broadway & 52nd
6. Citrons Doux
7. Desperado
8. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?
9. Easy Walker
10. Enough Time

Jazz Music

jazz music