Composer/percussionist Adam Rudolph brought together 11 of New York City's most daring guitar players on the Winter Solstice of 2014 (the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere) in a little studio in New Jersey to record Turning Towards the Light, a collection of 13 orchestral guitar pieces that run the gamut of improvisations as well as some more meticulously crafted tracks. This debut for what Rudolph is calling the 'Go: Organic Guitar Orchestra', features Rez Abbasi, Nels Cline, Liberty Ellman, David Gilmore, Miles Okazaki, and Marvin Sewell, all on electric guitars and effects; Damon Banks on bass guitar; Marco Capelli on acoustic guitar, effects; Jerome Harris on electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and lap steel guitar; Joel Harrison on electric guitar and national steel guitar; and Kenny Wessel on electric guitar and banjo.
As you can probably imagine, Turning Towards the Light is a very 'guitar' centric album, and with the omission of drums, it's up to the various players to create not only the lead melodies but also the rhythms. Much of what you'll hear bridges both rock and jazz, often times crossing over between the two, but always with a metallic edge, as you will experience on the furious "Solar Boat", or the slightly funky "Galactic Drift". "Sun Salutations" and "Nommo" tend to weave and meander, much like a cross between Terje Rypdal, King Crimson, and Bill Frisell, while the adventurous "Flame and Moth" takes this almost into prog-rock territory, utilizing some incredible delay and wah-wah effects for some extra added dimension to the ensembles sound. Other highlights include the Spanish flavored "Sol Sistere", the acrobatic jazz of "Specular" (featuring some incredible guitar solos from numerous members), the brief yet jaw-dropping metal/jazz burst of "Scintillant", the Frank Zappa inspired "Heliotropic", and the dreamy, atmospheric title track.
I'm hesitant to proclaim Turning Towards the Light as 'for guitar lovers only', as there are plenty of different musical styles on display here, but in truth, that's probably the audience that's going to instantly be attracted to this album. Spacious, melodic, atmospheric, and at times raucous, Turning Towards the Light is ultimately a very pleasing listen to jazz, rock, and avant-garde fans, as well as all the guitar geeks out there.
Track Listing
1. Sun Salutation (4:20)
2. Nommo (4:48)
3. Solar Boat (5:16)
4. Galactic Drift (3:38)
5. Flame and Moth (7:10)
6. Lambent (4:04)
7. Sol Sistere (4:04)
8. Specular (4:19)
9. Scintillant (2:11)
10. Plane of the Ecliptic (3:18)
11. Refracted (2:04)
12. Heliotropic (2:49)
13. Turning Towards The Light (6:21)
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