Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jake Hertzog & Yishai Fisher: Stringscapes: A Portrait o...
Jake Hertzog & Yishai Fisher: Stringscapes: A Portrait of the World in Nylon & Steel
By'Natural' is indeed the key word here. Stringscapes leans closest to Well Lit Shadow, in that it's based on painting musical pictures rather than playing 'songs' in any recognizable modebut that's where any similarity to Hertzog's past works (or indeed anyone else's) ends. This is a series of multi-part suites themed around picturesque settings and landscapes. While the simplicity of the two-guitar format could potentially be limiting, these two turn it expansive instead: their respective backgrounds and string tones beautifully complement without any clash.
Within such a bare-bones framework, the remaining variety comes from Hertzog's compositions themselves, each with a story or image behind its structure. "Oceans" starts with the pair bouncing from one not-really-formless motif to another with the suddenness of sloshing waves, for example, before they slow down to portray the quiet mystery of the lower depths. The lines of "Forest" overlap like endless layers of branches, complete with a few skittering taps to suggest wild creatures in the trees. "Arctic" moves from some surprisingly busy counterpoint (the descending notes meant to represent ice caves collapsing), before a sparse stretch that's calm and empty as the tundra. Hertzog and Fisher deliver their intimate recital in fluid unison with taste and eloquence. An affair for engagement over mere passive listening, Stringscapes spins these seemingly simple motifs into a sharply-crafted and evocative journey for the mind.
Track Listing
Forest 1 - Endless Trees; Forest 2 - Funeral in Green; Forest 3 - Leaves in the Dark; Arctic 1 - Stone Blue Veil; Arctic 2 - The Great White Space; Arctic 3 - Cold Life; Oceans 1 - Cascade; Oceans 2 - The Deep; Oceans 3 - Tides; Desert 1 - Dream Catcher; Dream 2 - Ghost of the Mine; Desert 3 - Where the Red Sand Lives.
Personnel
Jake Hertzog
guitar, electricJake Hertzog: steel-string guitar; Yishai Fisher: nylon-string guitar.
Album information
Title: Stringscapes: A Portrait of the World in Nylon & Steel | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Fret Monkey Records
< Previous
Daughter Of The Sun
Next >
Let's Get Experimental
Comments
About Jake Hertzog
Instrument: Guitar, electric
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To