Customer Reviews

Fibonacci's Dream

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The full title of Lawrence Blatt's second release of original solo guitar pieces is "Fibonacci's Dream: Eclectic Modern Mathematical Compositions for the Acoustic Guitar." And just who was Fibonacci? He is considered to be the greatest mathematician of the middle ages and introduced Europeans to the Arabic numerals that we use today. He also discovered the "Golden Ratio" that appears everywhere in the natural world. Intrigued with his findings, Blatt set out to use the Fibonacci numbers in his compositions for this album, exploring the relationships of the numbers in music. We have all heard about how closely math is tied to music, but it's usually more the logic and patterns that are found in music that are considered related to math, so Blatt's experiment and and exploration were coming at this relationship from a little different angle. I think it's very interesting that rather than sounding academic and sterile, Blatt's mathematical musings are colorful, accessible, melodic, and a real pleasure to listen to (I also really liked his previous release, "Out of the Woodwork"). Blatt recorded several of these pieces in layers, playing a variety of guitars and accompanying instruments (mostly percussive). His handmade guitars have a beautiful sound, and he explains in the the liner notes which guitars were used and how he tuned them.

"Bern `The Bear'" begins the exploration. Composed while on a trip to Switzerland, the title refers to the capital'sbeing named for the bears that used to roam the area. Short in duration, it is a warm and inviting prelude. "Una Vida (One Life)" celebrates the influence of the Latin culture on California life. Lively and rhythmic, it's a delight! "In a Heartbeat" is a sweet and gentle reminder of how quickly beautiful things can come and go. The title track is full of Fibonacci's math and was the first piece written for the album. There is nothing mechanical-sounding about the piece, so just sit back and enjoy it! "I Remember When" is a soothing, graceful daydream. "Five Nights" was inspired by the 1981 Indiana University basketball team. Utilizing five melody lines that represent the five players on the team, it all comes together at the end - another really interesting concept piece that is also a lovely piece of music. "A Little More Sunshine" evolved from "Under the Sun" from the first album. True to the original melody and phrasing, this version feels a little more jazzy. "Song For Chava" was composed as a gift for Blatt's daughter's thirteenth birthday. Reminiscent of the family's Eastern European heritage, it is a bit more exotic, but very smooth and warm. "La Selva (The Rainforest)" is a lively, rhythmic reminder of the importance of the world's rain forests and how quickly they are disappearing. "Move Um Out" is a reflection on the turmoil in the world today and the senselessness of war. Darkly poignant, its quiet voice has a strong emotional impact - especially when chaos erupts at the end.

"Fibonacci's Dream" is another outstanding CD from Lawrence Blatt. Fascinating musically as well as mathematically, I think you'll really enjoy this if you like finger-picking guitar. Recommended!

Fibonacci's Dream is marvelous. Blatt is a very interesting musician. The CD was delivered fast and in perfect condition. No complaints.

LAWRENCE BLATT
FIBONACCI'S DREAM

The second recording by Lawrence Blatt proves he is one of the best new acoustic-guitar finger-pickers on the scene.

You might be interested to know that besides being a talented guitarist, Blatt also has a degree in microbiology. This led to a love of science and mathematics. During his studies in this area, Blatt came to admire Leonardo Fibonacci, a 13th Century Italian, who published a pivotal book, "Liber Abaci" (Book of Calculation) when he was 32. Fibonacci introduced Europeans to the use of Arabic numerals (the system we use today) and discovered the "Golden Ratio" that appears frequently in nature (petals on a sunflower, seeds in a pinecone, a nautilus shell or the cochlea in human ears).

Much musical theory follows Fibonacci mathematics, so Blatt decided to take it a step further on his recording and consciously apply math structures and sequences to his compositions by utilizing numerical ratios in his chord patterns, repeated phrases and tonal intervals. All music is naturally built on a mathematical foundation, so the tunes on this CD do not sound academic or sterile, but rather melodic, colorful, accessible and exhilarating.

This is a fascinating album, not so much because of the way Blatt applies math to music but because Blatt is simply an incredible finger-picker that is so versatile he can have two or even three different things going on in the music even when he is playing solo guitar!

Some of the highlights are "I'm Leaving Now" (which has intricate simultaneous rhythm and lead picking as well as some full-bodied strumming for a very big sound), "Five Nights" (another single guitar masterpiece), and "Catalina" (a pretty little melody starting out with one guitar and then bringing in another overdubbed one). On some tunes Blatt adds other sounds like bass, mandolin, ukulele or percussion.

Bottom line: if you like Leo Kottke, Laurence Juber, Michael Hedges, John Renbourn or any of the other great instrumental finger-pickers on acoustic guitars, add this CD to your collection.

I was rather taken with the last album from Mr Blatt, "Out Of The Woodwork". And now he's back with a new, improved version of his solo acoustic, instrumental outpourings. But first some history. Leonardo Fibonacci was a 13th century Italian mathematician who published a book called "Liber Abaci"(Book of Calculation), which introduced Europeans to the use of Arabic numerals. So now you know who to blame. Number 0, my arse. Being a typical Italian, Fibonacci explained the solution to the question of how fast a hypothetical population of rabbits could breed. Not that anyone had asked him to. Fibonacci calculated that each generation of rabbits would increase by the sum of the two preceding numbers of rabbits. Fibonacci derived a series of numbers using this formula. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 and so on. Fibonacci then derived the calculation of Phi, 'The Golden Ratio' which is expressed mathematically as 1 +v5/2.

And now that we're all headached out you will probably be past knowing that Mr Blatt explains in the CD booklet about the Fibonacci series of numbers, and how much it occurs spontaneously as a measurement in important musical and visual compositions. So there.

Musically, this CD is a step up from its predecessor compositionally, and Lawrence has come up with some real gems including the LAtin American flavoured 'Una Vida (One Life)' which sees the appearance of a charango, a South American 10-stringed instrument derived from the lute. The title track, 'Fibonacci's Dream' heralds the arrival of a melody played in a sequence of repeating Fibonacci numbered phrases, something that will have a whole host of PHd students getting slightly moist. 'Just Before Dawn' is probably my favourite, a delicate piece picked out on a steel string acoustic.

Thankfully, those of us who were asked not to return to the maths class, aged 12, will find just as much to enjoy on this CD as those who actually know what Mr Blatt is going on about. He has successfully expanded his sound on this CD, incorporating additional stringed instruments including the aforementioned charango, the related ronroco and a 100 year old mandolin. The flavours are always tasteful and when the melody matches the musicianship, it's a gem.