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Gregg Belisle-Chi: Book of Hours
ByThe second track, "Kyrie," is simpler than the first. Heavy snare blasts accompany straightforward guitar playing. The alternation of deconstructed interludes and melodicism continues throughout the well-paced record. Bendy guitar work combined with a simply executed rhythm section on "Gloria" recalls Bill Frisell, whose influence on Chi can be traced across many sections of the record. A couple of minutes later, however, Wurlitzer-led craziness disrupts the laid-back groove and opens the gates to a whole different jam in which Chi switches on his more experimental array of guitar pedals to frantic effect.
Atmospheric approaches to guitar music often combine a few chords and a bunch of sound manipulations, allowing the musician to noodle away in a wishy-washy pool of sound. Chi and his band can't be accused of this. Echo and reverb are added to serve the respective note or chord and not the other way around. This mindfulness for subtle details can be felt in the quieter moments on the record, in which the effect of slight harmonic shifts is greatly elevated by thoughtful sound manipulations.
Book of Hours confirms Chi as a mature and dextrous guitarist, and also as a composer who likes to dig deep into the material at hand as much as let the mood of the music guide his hands.
Track Listing
Aurora; Kyrie; Zur; Gloria; Credo; Dusk; Sanctus; Agnus Dei.
Personnel
Gregg Belisle-Chi
guitar, acousticGregg Belisle-Chi: guitar; Dov Manski: wurlitzer; Matt Aronoff: bass; Michael W. Davis: drums.
Album information
Title: Book of Hours | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: ears&eyes Records
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About Gregg Belisle-Chi
Instrument: Guitar, acoustic
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