By: Jed Distler
former professor of classical guitar at the New England Conservatory, Frank
Wallace is a New Hampshire-based guitarist and vocalist who [performs with Duo
LiveOak]. His own guitar music is crafted with idiomatic skill and sensitivity,
abetted by his keen ear for textural variety. The modern Spanish guitar school
informs the aggressive flamenco-like strumming in the "Rhapsody" movement of
Quadrangle and the three-movement Stubborn Oak. By contrast, spacious chant and
glimpses of blues imbue From the Windy Place, while the five-movement Sweet
Ladyslipper ventures out into more elaborate rhythmic terrain. Listen for instance
to the concluding Zar movement, which almost sounds like a snippet from early Yes,
or perhaps an E-minor Grateful Dead jam. Jazz-oriented modality influences
Quadrangle's four movements--the first one suggests Larry Coryell and John Dowland
in jubilant dialogue... the composer's elegant virtuosity and Gyre's gorgeous sonics
help ensure a pleasant and comfortable 64-minute listening experience.
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