€28.00
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*****This pre-order item was due in on 19th February 2021 but has been delayed
Release Date : 19th February 2021. Due to brexit and covid restrictions there may be delays to deliveries and release dates. Ships on arrival.
Originally released in 1979, “Art of the Acoustic Steel String Guitar 6 & 12” was Robbie Basho’s 15th record, and his magnum opus of solo guitar.
It is the culmination of his life’s effort to usher guitar music into a new artistic paradigm, and to “establish the steel string as a concert
instrument indigenous to America. This album represents Basho’s most technically fine guitar work. In both composition and
performance, the album is enormously complex and yet conveys an effortlessness unique to Basho. As he famously espoused, “My
philosophy is quite simple: soul first, technique later.” The richness of Basho’s soul emanates from this record as distinctly as each note
ringing from his steel strings. Only one song on the record (“Pasha II”) features Basho’s enigmatic voice, but it may be his most
extraordinary vocal performance – his voice calling out through a shimmer of strings, singing ancient syllables with timeless emotion.
The remaining ten instrumental songs roam through Eastern and Western modalities, dark and light meditations, wild and restrained
expression. With “Art of the Acoustic Steel String Guitar 6 & 12”, Basho summons rich allusions, hallucinations and delicately numinous
passages. As he said, “It’s not about going far out, it’s about going far in. It’s about a deeper feeling.” These are deep waters indeed, as
substantial and enriching today as they were 35 years ago. Remastered from the original tapes. Artwork is presented in very much the
same fashion as the original release with a few minimal changes made to include new information. Paper stock (heavy reverse-board)
and pressing weight (140 gram) have been upgraded. New vinyl masters were cut by the excellent John Golden. A download for high
quality Mp3’s and FLAC is included. “All the highlights of Basho’s work are found here: eccentric tunings, modal playing and a keen ear
for Eastern music (which he studied and incorporated into his music), and a spirituality that could neither be outshined by the technical
flashiness nor the (unavoidable?) exotic undertones.” – TINY MIX TAPES.
Tracks 1. The Grail and The Lotus 2. Cathedrals Et Fleur de
Lis 3. Pasha II 4. A Study for Steel String 5. Ackerman Special 6. Apres Midi American 7. Variations on Grieg 8. Scottish Rites 9.
Pavan India 10. Variations on Ezumi 11. Variations on Clair de Lune
