Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Andreas Hagiioannu: Far & Wide

Andreas Hagiioannu: Far & Wide

By Michael P. Gladstone
June 27, 2007
Sign in to view read count

British guitarist Andreas Hagiioannu spent his teens in experimental/improvisatory rock music and his late teens with fusion. It was only when he started listening to guitarists like Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Raney that he shifted gears on the instrument. As a jazz guitarist, Hagiioannu honed his craft by working in the cafes and bars of the Midlands area of Great Britain as both composer and guitarist.

Hagiioannu's debut, Far & Wide, is important in several ways. He plays all original material that is largely familiar to jazz aficionados as songs that sound like they belong in the Great American Songbook even though they are not. He plays these original songs on both acoustic and electric guitar, including several solo performances on archtop guitar. The acoustic material is usually performed solo and finger-picked on tunes including "You Light the Way" and "Martha. Drummer Alan Savage contributes sizzling kit work on much of the material, sparking these performances up another notch. Dirk Griffin is the bassist.

What makes Hagiioannu's presentation so good is that on the trio tunes, the plectrist's artistry, and solidness of the material combines as something new, even as it sounds strangely familiar.

The delivery of the acoustic and solo performances is more routine, but Hagiioannu is pleasure to listen to.

Track Listing

Monsieur Reynard; Persis the Beloved; Sundial; Far and Wide; Quinine; For the Disappearing; Strange Days; Look Both Ways; You Light the Way; Aventunne (Golden Ratio); Martha; The Gambetta; Bluebird; Newborn.

Personnel

Andreas Hagiioannu

Andreas Hagiioannu: guitar; Dirk Griffin: bass; Alan Savage: drums.

Album information

Title: Far & Wide | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Self Produced

< Previous
Her Name

Next >
Arkhangelsk

Comments

About Andreas Hagiioannu

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.