Carl Weingarten: The Simian River Collection 1980​-​2020

Guitarist Carl Weingarten has had a long career as an independent artist: four decades of work, including over 30 releases on his label Multiphase Records. This triple-CD collection aims to provide a path through all of that diversity, along with the bonus of a few unreleased tracks for longtime fans. The organization is roughly chronological: each disc covers a range of years, but the track order was determined by sound and flow rather than strict chronological order.

Disc One (All Things Return) covers 1980-1990. Selections come from the albums Living in the Distant Present (Multiphase Records, 1985), Laughing at Paradise (Multiphase Records, 1988) and Pandora's Garage (Linden Music, 1992). The first two tracks establish the creative range. "Laughing At Paradise" is built on gentle acoustic guitar patterns, creating a meditative mood through repetition. "Pandora's Garage" (the previously unreleased title tune to the album of the same name) comes roaring in with busy sequencers and distorted guitar and features screaming solos over a Berlin groove. The other unreleased tracks are the acoustic guitar feature "Lost Guitars" and "The Slo-Guitar," a live performance on WZBC-FM

Disc Two (Hand in the Sand) covers 1990-2005. The albums included are Pandora's Garage, Slide Of Hand (Multiphase Records, 1992), Redwood Melodies (Multiphase Records, 1995), The Acoustic Shadow (Multiphase Records, 1995), Blue Faith (Multiphase Records, 2000), Escapesilence (Multiphase Records, 2002), and Local Journeys (Multiphase Records, 2005). Local Journeys benefits from brilliant bassist Michael Manring's contributions: he is co-credited as composer on the title tune and "Dust Covers the Sky." The only previously unreleased track is "Holographic Blues," a slide guitar feature with what sounds like Manring on bass. There is a strong Americana tilt to these selections, as the album titles imply; and Weingarten frequently plays acoustic slide guitar. That flavor is evoked even more strongly by Robert M. Powell's pedal steel guitar on "West Of Austin," and Brian Knave's harmonica on "Bone Dog Blues." "My Beautiful Moon" is a pastoral finger-picked acoustic guitar feature.

Disc Three (The Simian River) covers 2005-2020. The tracks come from Penomorphie (Multiphase Records, 2012), Life Under Stars (Multiphase Records, 2014), This is Where I Found You (Multiphase Records, 2018), and Ember Days (Multiphase Records, 2020). This disc contains five unreleased tracks, the largest group in the collection. "Daittaloo" opens with synthesizers and a minimalist groove reminiscent of the earliest tracks on the first disc, but with a lovely elaborate blend of acoustic and electric guitars. Unreleased track "Dublin" surprises by sounding like its title: a kind of Irish reel, with help from flutist Barbara Else and Manring's bass. The Miina Harma composition "Ei Saa Mitte Vaiki Olla" is brief but memorable, with haunting vocals by Eeva Trei and a lyrical Manring bass part. "The Simian River" is a striking atmospheric tune with layers of electric guitars. "The River King (Remix)" comes from the This is Where I Found You sessions and features acoustic guitar solos and yet another striking bass solo from frequent guest Manring.

Weingarten is clearly a gifted guitarist, composer and arranger, and welcomes a wide variety of collaborators throughout the compilation. His music is eclectic, drawing from rock, folk and World Music styles. It sometimes could be described as ambient, but never succumbs to New Age cliches. This set is a great place to experience the whole range of his work, for novices and experienced listeners alike.

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