Year: 2003
Record Label: Invisible Music
Style: Contemporary Jazz
Musicians: Mark Kleinhaut, guitar, composer, leader. Bobby Watson, alto saxophone. Jim Lyden, bass. Les Harris, Jr., drums. Recorded at Brunswick, Maine.
Review: A BALANCE OF LIGHT is a memorable outing with the Mark Kleinhaut Trio featuring Bobby Watson on alto saxophone. This is essentially a showcase collection for composer/guitarist Mark Kleinhaut's great talents, accompanied by topnotch musicians at every turn. If you have not heard the guitar magic of Mark Kleinhaut, this CD collection is a fine introduction. Every song is performed with style and feeling, and the entire collection is enjoyable.
There are eight songs on the CD. These are long, intimate, and memorable performances. Among the songs are "Ferdinand and Isabelle," the complex "Long Look Back," "Four Lane Clover," "South of Mason," "Field of Greens," "Start It Up," "Erikita," and "Summers." The song "Erikita" has a sense of romanticism that sets it above many ballads heard today and is certainly one that deserves radio airplay time!
"Long Look Back" with a running time of 9:07 minutes, could become a standard with the passage of time. There is something about this song that lingers in the listener's mind. It is an unusual song, one that becomes more complex with each playing.
Mark Kleinhaut has performed for thirty years, and he has a memorable sound on guitar. His playing with saxophone legend Bobby Watson makes for heady, wonderful listening. In the tradition of Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino, Mark Kleinhaut is a master of melodic phrasing and his music is original.
A BALANCE OF LIGHT is one you will want for your home library, and as a gift for a friend. This collection of guitar music is an enduring delight of listening pleasure. Topnotch solo work on every song!
Tracks: "Field of Greens" and "Summers" are two highly creative tracks which should attract a wide listening audience.
Record Label Website: http://www.invisiblemusicrecords.com
Artist's Website: http://www.markkleinhaut.com
Reviewed by:
Lee Prosser
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