The titan of guitar known worldwide as
Paul Brett has released a new full-length album, “12 String
Instrumental Power.” Like the rest of his recent material, the
track has been released on the Viral Discs and Downloads indie music
label. It comes on the heels of his popular “12 String Blues Power”
LP which has been turning heads in fan and critical circles over the
last month. Showcasing the consummate skills of this master guitarist
– one of the best players the world has known – “12 String
Instrumental Power” is at once a must-have album for fans of
guitar, of classical music, and of perfect music in general.
Paul Brett's new record is a robust
collection, 30 songs for a total listening time of nearly 80 minutes,
making for a splendid overlook of the virtuoso's repertoire. An
arresting album regardless, it also happens to represent a monumental
occurrence in music history. Paul Brett's “12 String Instrumental
Power” includes two complete, original suites: “Earth Birth,”
the world's first suite written for 12-string guitar, and “Gryphon
Suite for High 12 String,” the first written for the high 12-string
guitar.
These suites represent just 16 of
Brett's tracks on the LP. The artist's label, Viral Discs and
Downloads, describes the remaining songs as “a selection of other
original instrumentals that take the listener on a journey into the
immense possibilities that 12-string guitar can produce when taken
beyond the standard realms into the creative universe.”
This creative universe includes a
dazzling array of textures, tones and styles, all of which orbit the
12-string guitar thrumming at their center but stand out with their
own remarkable individuality. There are songs composed in the
medieval style, songs which would fit in perfectly on a classic-rock
record, songs writ in the spirit of the Irish tradition, classically
minded songs, folk compositions, a shadowy Spanish composition, a
startling 37-second jam session, and even an impression of “Carmina
Burana” by Carl Orff which must be heard to be understood.
Regarding the two suites Brett has
composed for the 12 string on this new LP, “Earth Birth” is
technically a classical-guitar suite, but its strong overtones of
folk music easily win out over the 'classical' denomination. This
unique flavor blends English and Irish guitar traditions with the
folk music of the 1960s and early '70s for a powerful little
collection which will nestle comfortably between classic rock and
folk albums and classical guitar compilations alike.
Contrasting pleasantly with Paul
Brett's “Earth Birth” is the somewhat more complex “Gryphon
Suite for High 12 String,” which stands (dances) on its medieval
British and Irish foundations and sculpts new sonic forms from them
in ways which are utterly unpredictable, yet inexplicably familiar at
the same time. The music fan gets the distinct impression that Brett
isn't so much inventing music as he is revealing songs which have
existed for centuries, in the aether perhaps, to the world for the
first time.
Still, at the end of the day “12
String Instrumental Power” is a Paul Brett record, and as such,
most of these tracks defy categorization altogether.
“12 String Instrumental Power” by
Paul Brett is available online everywhere now. Get in early, guitar
aficionados and true audiophiles. This is music in its absolute
purest form.
[The following is a recounting of Paul
Brett's much-lauded career, first published to announce the release
of his “12 String Blues Power” album in June, 2015 (also
available online worldwide).]
Paul Brett's music has dipped into many
different genres over the years, particularly those most associated
with the classic rock groups of the late 1960s and '70s. He has
notably played the blues, folk, rock, psychedelic, and acoustic
music, and is also an avid fan of classical. Having been globally
recognized as one of the top 12-string guitarists for over four
decades, Brett's musical resume borders on the unbelievable.
As a session player in high demand,
Paul Brett has performed, written and/or recorded with such legends
as the Strawbs, the Overlanders, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown,
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, the Velvet Opera, Tintern Abbey, Fire,
Roy Harper, Al Stewart, Lonnie Donegan, Tom Newman (“Tubular
Bells”), Mott the Hoople, Motorhead, Mungo Jerry, Manfred Mann, the
Savoy Brown Blues Band, John Mayall, Rod Stewart & the Faces,
Quintessence, Keith Ralph (Yardbirds), Jimmy James & the
Vagabonds, Steve Holley (Wings), Andrew Lloyd Webber, Julian Lloyd
Webber, Jimi Hendrix, John Renbourn, the Who, Van der Graaf
Generator, Motorhead, Paul Brett Sage – and quite literally scores
of other world-famous musicians not here listed – as well as simply
in his own right as Paul Brett.
He has his own range of signature
guitars distributed worldwide by Vintage Guitars and has written as a
music journalist for Melody Maker, NME, Sound International and
International Musician. He is the resident expert on vintage acoustic
guitars for the UK's Acoustic Magazine, and currently operates as
festival director for the Llyn Acoustic Guitar Festival in North
Wales.
Paul Brett's most recent endeavors find
him piloting a record label with Tom Newman, co-founder of Virgin
Records and producer of Mike Oldfield's seminal platinum album,
“Tubular Bells.” Together they are undertaking several projects
in the educational arena, including the recording of classic albums
played by schoolchildren. Their popular “Tubular Bells” rendition
as performed by the Children of Ireland appeared on digital shelves
worldwide in 2013 and has been turning heads ever since.
“12 String Blues Power” by Paul
Brett is available online worldwide beginning 20 June 2015.
-S. McCauley
Lead Press Release Writer
www.MondoTunes.com
“12 String Instrumental Power”
by Paul Brett –
Official Websites –
No comments:
Post a Comment