AMN Reviews: Guillaume Gargaud – Koenji [Right Brain Records]

Koenji is a set of seven pieces for solo acoustic steel string guitar by guitarist Guillaume Gargaud of Le Havre. The music here relies on nothing more than the sound of the plain, unadorned instrument and the creative imagination of the instrumentalist. Fortunately, the latter is in abundant supply. Gargaud alternates single-note lines with finger-picked counterpoint and strummed chords; the mood is generally extroverted and energetic. Throughout, free flowing yet complex harmonies unfold with a logic that, for all its apparent spontaneity, coheres around the lead of a handful of well-considered ideas. All of this is played with a sure touch that brings out the bright-edged, austere beauty of the unaccompanied instrument in its fullness.

Daniel Barbiero