A prolific guitarist whose music has been featured on the Last Call for many years, Joel Harrison has returned with two recordings worthy of your consideration.
Holy Abyss is a superb project with Italian bassist Lorenzo Feliciati and trumpeter Cuong Vu. Roy Powell is at the piano and Dan Weiss is on the drums. A series of captivating, moody, unpredictable tracks greet the listener, with highlights being "Requiem For An Unknown Soldier" "Saturday Night In Pendleton" and the gripping "Faith".
The Joel Harrison 7's Search blends a string section into the mix, something that the guitarist is no stranger to. The result is a captivating, intriguing country-jazz mood which the guitarist has pursued on previous efforts. Noteworthy gems included "Grass Valley and Beyond" and "All The Previous Pages Are Gone". Harrison is joined by Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone; Gary Versace, piano and Hammond B-3; Christian Howes, violin; Dana Leong, cello; Stephen Crump, bass and Clarence Penn, drums.
Joel Harrison is an internationally recognized guitarist, composer, arranger, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader. Last Call listeners have heard music from his previous recordings over the years played regularly on the program. Notable Harrison projects include 2003's Free Country, 2005's Harrison on Harrison(a salute to George Harrison), 2007's Harbor and 2010's Joel Harrison String Choir--The Music of Paul Motian. A dynamic artist, Harrison continues to explore unexpected direction via his rich, exceptional recordings which are worth savoring.
