duggup

Artist: Jeff Wahl
Website: Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar. or www.jeffwahlguitar.com/
Track Name: Lullaby
Playback: mp3/flash
Download?: Yes

I am having a bumper time with finding new guitarists at the moment. The latest one is a gentleman called Jeff Wahl who is another of the Magnatune roster of incredibly talented musicians. He, like a lot of the people I am listening to is dumped in the Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, Will Ackerman school of flash guitar playing, which is a bit unfair (don’t get me wrong, he truly IS a flash guitarist) as his work covers elements of Folk, Jazz, New Age, Classical and even Indian Ragas, just like his peers.

Honestly, with his delicacy of touch, it reminds me more of passages from Larry Coryell’s “The Restful Mind” (my god was it really 1975???) and some of the more accessible pieces that Oregon play than anything else. The open tunings that he uses allow the guitar to literally sing on some of the tracks (have a listen to “Growing Up” from his uptempo album “12 String”).

Here is what the Magnatune site has to say about Jeff Wahl: Meditative Guitar…

Hushed, contemporary, and so lovely, Meditative Guitar is the perfect introduction to Jeff Wahl’s engaging compositions and thoughtful performance style. Played on nylon string guitar with open tuning, the sound here alludes to the depth and authenticity of Jeff’s musical knowledge but in a subdued, deeply reflective way. Quite simply a beautiful album.

I have to agree “Highly recommended” indeed and well worth a listen.