WHITEWATER

Once these three guitarplayers (from Japan, USA and Belgium) joined the "League of crafty guitarists", a kind of guitar-academy from Robert Fripp. They played together for more than 13 years and made seven albums. Gladfully their sound is not so 'Fripp- brainwashed' as the other LOCG member Trey Gunn! At some moments you can trace Fripperian influences (repetetive guitar runs) but in general the California Guitar Trio sounds very unique, innovative and far from the exciting but rather self-indulgent acoustic guitar music like the trio Paco de Lucia, Al DiMeola and John McLaughlin. The info sheet mentions the band as a kind of 'guitar army of 18 strings' but that sounds a bit too heavy, this trio delivers very beautiful, melodic and varied acoustic guitar music. The interplay between the three guitars is great: twanging, rhythm, solo and the use of pedal effects, at some moments it sounds like an electric guitar, especially in Led Foot (a tribute to Jeff Beck?) featuring a distorted and fiery sound. The variety in styles is stunning: between flamenco and gypsy jazz in "Cantharis", funky in "Red iguana" (with hints from Red-King Crimson era and Jan Akkerman), folky like Dutch band Flairck in "The marsh" and "Skyline", Sixties-rock in "Ghost riders on the storm" (a captivating blend of The Shadows sound and an acoustic rendition of "Riders on the storm" by The Doors) and Caribean in "Cosmo calypso" (hypnotizing with percussive sounds and electronic effects). This music is far from the usual progrock but it deserves attention from those who like the acoustic guitar pieces from Steve Howe and Steve Hackett and the folky side of progrock bands. EXCITING!!