Jeremiah Lockwood

A Great Miracle: Jeremiah Lockwood’s Guitar Soli Chanukah Album

Reboot, 2021

8/10

Listen to A Great Miracle: Jeremiah Lockwood’s Guitar Soli Chanukah Album

The guitar wizard Jeremiah Lockwood brings his immense talent to this holiday album, where inspiration from 1968’s The New Possibility: John Fahey’s Guitar Soli Christmas Album results in 8 (mostly) solo guitar tracks, 1 for each night of Chanukah.

“Ritual” starts the listen with warm and fluid playing that emits a timeless folk quality in Lockwood’s very graceful vision, and “Al Hanisim” follows with a cultured, meticulous approach that’s mesmerizing in its skilled execution.

At the halfway point, “Al Hanisim Izhar Cohen” is full of melodic and quick finger acrobatics as Lockwood manipulates his Gibson with much awe, while “Maoz Tzur”balances intimacy and playfulness in its detailed precision.

“Drey Dreydl”, one of the album’s best, then dances with a charming energy that’s quite hypnotic, and “Chanukah Oy Chanukah” finishes the listen with a subdued and very poetic execution that exits the well thought out effort perfectly.

Lockwood cut his teeth playing the blues, and those roots are certainly still present, as he pens a listen that could certainly become a holiday standard, and sure will impress those with an ear for bluesy and folk friendly guitar playing.

Travels well with: Arturo O’Farrill And The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra- Virtual Birdland; Sarah Aroeste- Monastir