While he may not be known to a broader international public, guitarist
Carl Weingarten has been an active player for the past fifteen years,
recording nine albums mostly for his own Multiphase Records label. As
he moves forward in a career that has been compared to a diversity of
artists including Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Bill Frisell, Leo Kottke, Ry
Cooder and others, he takes stock of his career so far with Hand in the
Sand, which serves as a comprehensive look at this intriguing player
with a broad musical reach.
Weingarten, who plays a multitude of guitars but favours the Dobro, may
not possess the virtuosity of, say, a Jerry Douglas, but he does
demonstrate a lyrical sense and a set of musical influences that
incorporate everything from ambient music to Americana. Take the title
track, which begins with solo Dobro and images evocative of Ry Cooder's
classic soundtrack to the film Paris, Texas, until Robin Bonnell's
cello enters and creates a more chamber-like ambience. Or Local
Journeys, which, with Michael Manring's Jaco-inflected bass and Brian
Knave's light-yet-insistent percussion, has the tinge of the Middle
East while still feeling somehow distinctly American.
West of Austin, with Robert Powell's pedal steel and Weingarten's
Dobro and electric slide guitar comfortably supported by a
piano/bass/drums rhythm section, sounds like something that could have
been performed by the short-lived Jerry Douglas/Sam Bush/Béla
Fleck/Edgar Meyer/Jerry Douglas supergroup Strength in Numbers. An
Early Fall, a solo piece, and Bone Dog Blues” easily fit within
Frisell's Americana universe but are less idiosyncratic.
Elsewhere in the collection Weingarten moves even farther afield.
Falling, with its looped harmonic guitar rhythm track and silky
overdriven guitar, clearly comes from Fripp/Eno territory, but with a
bass and percussion track, has more forward motion. Cambodian Waltz
blends a roots-style guitar with Joe Venegoni's mbira to create an
unusual cross-cultural blend. And Illumina Suite, with its spacious
ambience, clearly comes from Eno's collaborative work with pianist
Harold Budd.
Weingarten manages to combine these varied influences into a conceptual
whole that is linked by a rich melodicism that pervades every track,
and a concise playing style that is clearly heavy on substance while
not forgoing style. Included in the collection are the
previously-unissued Holograph Blues, as well as two tracks from his
forthcoming release, Local Journeys, due out in the spring of '05. Hand
in the Sand serves as a captivating introduction to an artist who, with
an economical and almost ecumenical approach, has been creating
compelling work for over a decade and is certainly deserving of a wider
following."
~ John Kelman, All The Jazz www.allthatjazz.com
Track Listing:
01. Local Journeys
02. West of Austin
03. An Early Fall
04. Bone Dog Blues
05. Up The Down Side
06. Falline
07 My Beautiful Moon
08. Cambodian Waltz
09. Illunina Suite
10. Dust Covers The Sky
11. Pedro's Lament
12. Holographic Blues
13. Come With Me
14. A Sacred Sleep
15. Red Night
16. Hand In The Sand
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