As She Sings
New Focus, 2021
8/10
The veteran guitarist David Tanenbaum brings his inestimable talent to 5 rich and diverse tracks here, where he puts his inimitable stamp on compositions by Sérgio Assad, Ronald Bruce Smith, Dusan Bogdanovic, John Anthony Lennon, and Tanenbaum’s father, Elias.
Assad’s “Shadow And Light” leads the listen with intricate and soothing guitar playing as Tanenbaum plays with an agile and instantly memorable approach that’s also capable of tension and dissonance, and “Five Pieces For Guitar With Live Electronics” follows with a quivering, atmospheric delivery that’s occasionally bare and sometimes forceful with firm strumming, but never predictable in its digital processing and synthetic manipulation.
Elias Tanenbaum’s “Music For Guitar” occupies the middle spot with its sparse execution that’s picked precisely, while Bogdanovic’s “Games” showcases Wendy Hillhouse’s stunning mezzo soprano alongside Stacy Pelinka’s flute and ceramic gongs from Tim Dent and Matt Canon that cultivate grooves and blues ideas. The title track, by Lennon, then exits with Tanenbaum’s poetic and intimate guitar that’s melodic, somber and the ideal end to this well crafted album.
A very flexible and often modern affair, Tanenbaum’s body of work is both lengthy and impressive, and As She Sings fits in quite nicely with his solo and chamber works, where his long standing relationship with the guitar is showcased superbly.
Travels well with: Van Stiefel- Spirits; David Liptak- Dove Songs