Customer Reviews

Bolivian Blues Bar

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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This fingerstyle guitar album moves into the territory of jazz guitar masters Joe Pass and Martin Taylor. What makes Alex de Grassi unique is the pure tone he gets from the acoustic-steel guitar he plays to interpret Thelonious Monk's Round Midnight and Little Rootie Tootie, Charlie Mingus' Goodpie Pork Hat, Gershwin's The Man I Love and Bess You Is My Woman, and classic tunes from Ellington and Carmichael. This is a gold mine for those who have been searching for acoustic guitar music in a jazz context. De Grassi does not need a back-up band for he also swings and handles those running-bass lines convincingly. Just listen to Mingus' Goodpie Pork Pie Hat, and Monk's Little Rootie Tootie. Improvisations are kept to the minimum as he works to bring the melodies of these jazz classics up-front. His move into jazz may disappoint some of his new age fans but this project wins the respect of jazz listeners and musicians alike.

This is a great late-night CD if you're an urbanite like me. While this CD may not play well out in the country with the sounds of crickets, if your window opens up on a street corner, maybe even graced by some neon lights, this will put you in the mood. Soulful, passionate blues played on an acoustic guitar with equal parts fire and ice, Bolivian Blues Bar will fit perfectly with the tinkle of ice in a tumbler of scotch and low lights.

If you're looking for romantic music that is never sappy or maudlin, or if you need some blues that are "quiet" and not in your face, this is your ticket to hep-ville! Alex deGrassi is, of course, a consummate guitarist. But what may surprise you with this CD is his soulfulness. Frankly, I didn't know he had it in him!

Sometimes a certain genre does not fit a particular artist for all releases. Unfortunately, because De Grassi is normally classified as a "New Age" artist, this little gem of a release went virtually unnoticed by jazz and blues fans alike. Some artists profess to be solo only in the sense that they are not with their regular band members. However, on this CD, De Grassi is truly solo, no drums, no bass, no percussion, just De Grassi and his acoustic nylon string guitar.

On the CD, De Grassi takes music from the 1930's through the 1950's and adds a touch of folk and blues to a jazz rendition of these old tunes. Some of the tunes are well known and easily recognizable, such as Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", Thelonious Monk's "Little Rootie Tootie" and Hoagy Carmicheal's "Georgia On My Mind". But even these tunes sound fresh and updated by De Grassi. Overall, the performance is first class and smooth all the way.

I actually don't own this CD, but I've checked it out x2 from the Houston Public Library and may end up buyin' it soon.
I was actually a little disappointed at first that it wasn't more "Latin-Jazz"-sounding...then I read the liner notes; Okay, so the CD's title is more coincidental and for the sake of alliteration.

It still sounds cool..the title..and the music itself;

There are a few tracks I skip through regularly--like the Woody-Woodpecker bit...but the rest are sheer magic. Very nice mood music...track 1 is probably still my favorite. I'm just a beginning guitar student, but I can pluck out the intro already on my steel-string acoustic...but that's as far as I can follow the master. NARADA's acoustic guitar CDs tend to be of good quality generally, and this one lives up to that reputation.
(by contrast, NARADA's Celtic selections tend to blow wang bigtime versus other labels, but anyway)...I think chicks would dig this CD and a guy who owns it. ;-)

This CD is the bomb. In this CD is wonderful acostic guitar playing. I myself am a acoustic guitar player and I enjoy listening to it. The only drawback is there are no lyrics. Not one word is said in this CD. Some songs involve humor EX. Woody Woodpecker Song. As well some are slow. All songs are fingerpicking and his songs are not original. If you plan to get a tab for these songs you will not find them. I have looked all over. So buy this CD!