|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
review by Bill Binkelman Assisted by some highly talented accompanists (in particular, Tony Creasman on drums, Eliot Wadopian on bass, and Don Porterfield on fretless bass), Joe Ebel's primebel reveals that he is not only a first class violinist, but an excellent acoustic guitarist as well. The music on primebel covers a lot of ground, from upbeat and cheery rhythm-laced numbers (such as the delightful opening track, "First Snow") to more somber fare, like the haunting "The Calling" (featuring some well-done Tibetan singing bowl tones at the start), followed by the beautiful but sad "Broken Lullaby." There are also some tracks that defy categorization yet are oh so cool, notably "The Caper," which Joe describes in the liner notes as being "My soundtrack for the 'Spy vs. Spy' cartoon in Mad magazine." "The Caper" is a true breath of fresh air song, with its shuffling beat, its slinky melody and its air of skulking around in back alleys - I couldn't get enough of it! At times while listening to primebel, I thought back to all the fantastic acoustic music (which featured violin in a prominent role) that emerged in the '80s from Windham Hill, e.g. Shadowfax, Nightnoise, and recordings from Darrol Anger. There was a genteel aspect to this music, even when tempos were fast and the songs were high energy. That same vibe runs throughout primebel, and it's obviously due to Ebel's talents in both composing and playing music. His violin work is outstanding, as I stated above. However, being mostly aware of him from his violin playing on collaborations with guitarist Ken Bonfield, I was unprepared for how talented he was on guitar as well. He never resorts to histrionics on either instrument, always knowing when to add fire and when to douse the flame and light the song with subtle nuance instead. Truthfully, there isn't a weak cut on the whole album. There is the gentle soaring of "freefall," the rocking good-time of "the joezone layer" (referred to in the liner notes as "musical whimsy"), the put-the-top-down-and-cruise title cut and the laid-back tropical cheer of "island daydream." Joe closes out the album with a beaut, the soft solo acoustic guitar ballad "annie's garden." Besides the tracks on the CD, there are also some mp3s, playable on your computer too (besides solo work, there are a few featuring Joe playing with Ken Bonfield, as well as four folk songs tracks from Annie Lalley who possesses a wonderful voice, by the way). primebel is one of those rare recordings that just keeps getting better the more you play it. Yet it's also instantly accessible and likable from the start. Throw in excellent liner notes, bonus CD-ROM features (mp3s, photos, a bio of Joe) and you have the certifiable "total package." Unpretentious yet richly rewarding, sincere with nary a hint of overwrought emotion, the CD is one of the best acoustic instrumental albums of the past year. I recommend it to fans of the genre with no reservations whatsoever, but it will hold special appeal for those out there who, like me, remember the birth of this genre in the 1980s. |
|
