WORLD GUITAR

1. Bayshore Road by Peppino D'Agostino & Stef Burns
2. Altiplanos by Pierre Bensusan

  Peppino D'Agostino has to be one of the greatest acoustic guitar discoveries since Duck Baker: his music can be soft, mellifluous or inventive, and was often tossed into the New Age bins when that was the 'flavor of the month' music style - and yes, Peppino's music is usually fairly mellow - but it can also be gently challenging.

 In other words, the boy can pick. Saying that, it's strange to hear this collaboration with electric guitarist Stef Burns, as even though Stef plays somewhat soft for a guitarist using a solid body electric guitar, the listener tends to almost ignore the acoustic guitar and only or mostly listen to the electric guitar.

 The overall effect of this recording reminds me of Jeff beck's BLOW BY BLOW period - but much mellower. Stef Burns can really blend those strings and he likes slide guitar, which he occasionally overdubs much in the way  Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits) does.

 The accompaniment on BAYSHORE ROAD is sparse and subtle: Stef Burns adds an occasional electric bass guitar and Sheila E (Esconvedo) adds some interesting percussion.

 We came into BAYSHORE ROAD as Peppino D'Agostino fans; we leave as Stef Burns fans also!

 Pierre Bensusan may be France's most popular or famous guitarist not playing in the Django Reinhardt style. In the USA  some record stores would thus throw him in the folk bin (his sound is primarily acoustic but in no way folk music); others in New Age (he can be somewhat mellow, but in no way is this 'Krishna' music).   Still others would place him in the jazz section (getting close, I suppose - but not really: some tunes have a jazz influence, while others do not).

 In the 1980s while working in record retail I started a category called 'Fancy Pickers' for people like Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Duck Baker, etc., but even this section hardly captures the music of Pierre Bensusan: his isn't steeped in blues, ragtime or Appalachian mountain music. His music - most of it, anyway - is mostly mellower than the previously mentioned pickers.

 Imagine, if you will, a soft bossa nova without a Brazilian influence. Impossible? I'm glad I'm not in retail anymore: I suppose we'd never all agree on where to file Mr. Bensusan.

 Pierre does sing occasionally, so France is an obvious choice - but his music isn't always so obviously French, either.

 The truth is Pierre Bensusan is a bit of all these things, but mostly he's a talented, fairly gentle acoustic guitarist who composes some nice pretty tunes. You figure out where to file him.

 Govi is a spiritually-oriented guitarist who spent eight years in India before returning to the west and recording half a dozen instrumental cds, most of which were sold in the New Age bins - so it was a bit of a surprise to hear the first cut of his new cd JEWEL BOX sounding like the guitar of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.

 So now along with his acoustic guitar, Govi is back playing electric guitar - a Fender strat no less, along with oud, sitar, 12-string jazz guitar, a nylon string and a twelve-string and Roland synthesizer, and keyboards.

 Guest musicians are only two: Karunesh on sound programming and Richard Rose on keyboards: no duets this time.

 The overall feel of JEWEL BOX is less new age: Latin and flamenco influences are still present for fans of Govi's HAVANA SUNSET and ANDALUSION NIGHTS cds.

 We like JEWEL BOX - maybe we just like Govi; he's always pushing himself to try new things, explore new (to him) sounds, and that's the kind of artist we admire.

 There's even a little slide guitar on here; but it's very subtle, usually quiet and often in the background. There's no mention of who plays bass or drums - is Govi doing all that himself? I wouldn't be surprised  - the boy can play, but he never tries to dazzle: no lightning-fast runs, no screaming note bending, no loud hammer ons - just superb playing.

 Govi is kind of a modern-day Chet Atkins in a strange way. JEWEL BOX sounded good on the first listen - it gets better and better each time through.