Strunz/Farah Review of "Stringweave" @ iTunes By: Tom Semioli n "Stringweave" the dueling Spanish guitars of Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah become one voice. Strunz and Farah possess amazing dexterity, trading solos on each cut with clarity, perfect harmonic intonation, and rhythmic diversity. Though fellow guitarists may be impressed with their technical prowess the real mark of genius on this disc lies in Strunz and Farah's melodic expertise. Often repeating phrases with slight variations before breaking into a flourish, the twosome are constantly reinforcing the primary motif throughout their improvisations, allowing the audience to become familiar with each composition almost instantly. Most of all, these two guitarists and their sidemen know how to use space. With Alberto Salas' syncopated comping on keyboards, a myriad of percussive textures, and bassist Eliseo Borrero outlining the changes with simple root/fifth configurations, Strunz and Farah can stretch their phrases over the bar-line and take liberties with key and time signatures. The final three tracks add L. Subramaniam's violin to the mix to conjure a mood not unlike Shatki, the most interesting of which is "Laleh" and giving the impression of one continuous solo even though there are three different musicians under the spotlight. Though "Stringweave" is a guitarists' dream the emphasis is clearly on the music. © Tom Semioli / Minor 7th Las Verduras Rosa Blanca Campera Ecos Tierra Mojada