Ember Days
Multiphase, 2021
8/10
The multi-instrumentalist Carl Weingarten made great use of his Covid shut-in time, where he created these 10 new instrumentals that are quite diverse, certainly fusion oriented and executed with incredible guitar playing.
“Round Robin” starts the listen with hypnotic guitar work as Weingarten mesmerizes us with his flowing skill that takes help from Kit Walker’s warm piano, and “Brother Mountain” follows with a very cautious and melodic display of nearly Americana but ambient textures where Pete Calandra handles piano and keys alongside Weingarten's dreamy finger acrobatics.
At the midpoint, “Goodbye Sun” brings wordless vocals from Tate Bissinger into a shimmering climate of soaring, sublime musicianship that’s certainly rock focused, while “Geola” is nothing short of beautiful in Weingarten’s divine, meticulous vision that touches on jazz. “Skying Out’, a very luminous track, then moves with a surreal, soothing appeal where gorgeous interplay emits a charming demeanor.
Near to the end, the meditative and reflective “A Solitary Interlude” captures much divine intimacy with Weingarten’s dobro, keys and guitar alongside Michael Manning’s fretless bass, and “What The Raindrop Saw (Cafe Mix)” finishes the listen with both Walker and Manning on piano and bass, as the acoustic guitars from Weingarten help texture the exit with much intrigue.
Active since the early ‘80s, Weingarten is also a photographer, filmmaker and film archivist in addition to being a current member of Blue Eternity, and he brings a wealth of ideas to this very eclectic effort that fans of guitar music and lush, instrumental sounds will enjoy.
Travels well with: Matt Smith- Being Human; Andrew Colyer- Mists Of Time