Customer Reviews

Intuite

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

French guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan has finally recorded the album his fans have been waiting for. While his past efforts have each featured a few astoundingly beautiful unaccompanied guitar pieces, they were typically dominated by Windham Hill-like ensemble arrangements including fretless bass, sax, and flute. While each offers enough to make them worthwhile listening, attempting to match other musicians with Bensusan, an acoustic guitarist with an unparalleled command of technique, melody, rhythm and space is like trying to reinvent the wheel. Why paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa?

When I heard that Bensusan's latest effort was unaccompanied solo guitar, I couldn't get my paws on a copy of it fast enough. When I did, I still wasn't quite prepared for the astounding quality of this recording. This one has it all--great tunes, engaging arrangements, flawless recording and production values, all delivered with sensitivity and technique that the rest of the guitar-playing world can only envy. No other guitarist in the world possesses Bensusan's ability to integrate such a wide range of influences without bastardizing them--you won't hear any hoakey, washed-out "world music" here.

Every cut on this album is a winner, but my personal favorite is "So Long Michael", on which Bensusan pays homage to a devoted fan, the late Michael Hedges. Hedges listened to Bensusan's work avidly while recording his landmark albums "Breakfast in the Field" and "Aerial Boundaries" (which included the tune "Bensusan").

Go visit www.pierrebensusan.com and read the comments by his many other wide-ranging and adoring "fans", including names like Leo Kottke, Steve Vai (this album was released on Vai's own label), Doc Watson and Larry Coryell, but don't waste any more time before buying this one.

This is the album I had been hoping for from guitarist Pierre Bensusan. The work of the late Michael Hedges sent me searching for interesting and innovative acoustic guitarists who had been slapped with a "new age" label. On Bensusan's compilation album, "Nice Feeling", while his guitar skills were excellent, I had hoped for an album of guitar playing alone, plus his "wordless singing" on a number of cuts were a distraction. The liner notes to "Intuite" state that this is "his first entirely solo acoustic album" as well as commenting on a far range of influences, and one of these influences is clearly Michael Hedges (One track is titled "So Long Michael", an obvious reference to the tragic early death of Hedges). Hedge's playing was a mixture of lyrical expertise with an acoustic guitar sound I like to call: the style of violent. Much has been written elsewhere about Hedge's forays into non-traditional playing: he would slap the soundboard, yank at the strings, and slide his fingers over the entire fretboard. His playing was melodic and frequently sharply percussive; it contained a whole new vocabulary that flew in the face of the genre label "new age", which is often equated with saccharine melodic mush. Bensusan's playing is as technically excellent as ever, but taking some cues from Hedge's "style", sounds more sonically aggressive than what I remember from his earlier work. The album successfully mixes melodic accessibility with an experimental edge. As the title track nears its conclusion, the guitar reminds me of John Coltrane's free form mid-eastern modal sound, while in contrast, the next track, "Bouree Voltige", begins with more structured melodic arpeggios. Recommended for fans of Leo Kottke, John Fahey, and, of course, Michael Hedges.

I can't help think that this album is something of a taking off point for Bensusan. While his previous work is certainly engaging, Intuite is almost a gear change. All the work is marked by strong, almost 'no nonsense' composition and a solid controlled technique. Bensusan drops a lot of the gimmicky styling he was prone to and produces instead something exceptionally pure. In the process getting award after award for his effort.

Bensusan focuses as usual on DADGAD tuning, which pitches the guitar like a Celtic harp. To be really effective, this requires a guitar that is set up for its resonance - Bensusan seems to prefer steel strings, but he also uses nylon strings, and seems at home on both. In any case, this album is the final proof that DADGAD and its relatives are not 'tricks' but valid frameworks for the production of genuine music.

The music starts out with the rhythmic Kadourimdou, a jazzy combination of percussive styling and fingerplay. The Welsh Arrow and Bourree Voltige remind me a bit of John Renbourne's playing - half medieval and have modern. The title song - Intuite - is a single melodic thread taken through variation and response. Le Jardin d'Adonis is a winsome confection in alto voice. Personal favorites are the rich sound of L'Alchimiste and the whimsical traditional echoes of En Route from Scarborough Fair.

"Intuite" is more atmospheric than a lot of Pierre Bensusan's earlier work, and at first blush it seems a bit out of character. But that's not the case. Over the years, Bensusan has applied his virtuosity to ever-more-adventurous harmonic expeditions, and on this album, he seamlessly mixes elements of the celtic music for which he is best known with arabic music, classical-style passages (the latter third of "Bourree Voltige" is a tour de force) and jazz voicings. The result is startling, articulate, and obviously crafted with care, and the music is wonderful. Fortunately, although he's the progenitor of widespread use of the DADGAD guitar tuning, he's never fallen into the harmonic tricks and cliches which others use. This is fresh, wonderful, articulate, colorful, and spare.

Intuite represents Bensusan at his most mature - the orchestration (and that is how his approach to solo guitar sounds like) ranges from the dense, celtic style he has demonstrated in the past to intriguingly spacious pieces that are unafraid to use silences, pauses, and the gaps between the notes to tell the story, as much as the notes themselves.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing I found on the CD was the piece L'Alchemiste, for which a live version already exists (on the CD "Live in Paris"). The version that Bensusan has recorded for this album in many ways encapsulates the difference I am talking about - compared to the live version, it is at once more measured, controlled, more complex, yet carrying the same intensity of the live version. I seriously recommend this album to anyone - whether you've heard any of his music before, it's about time you did ...

There are many guitarists out there trying to perfect the art of playing in the DADGAD tuning. Pierre is definitely topping the list of musicians. In addition, his ability to tell musical stories is unmatched. Intuite is a "must have" for all musicians and listeners equally. My favorite is "So Long Michael"!

Pierre Bensusan's Intuite is the most brilliant solo acoustic guitar recording i've ever heard and I've heard a ton! Everytime I listen to the cd I hear new things in it. His dialogue with the instrument is jaw dropping. To the reviewer who wrote about Kaki King........I think Kaki King is a great player but is not near to the level of musicianship as Pierre on the guitar. He's depth on guitar goes very deep...so this recording might take a few times to listen to to take it in. Once you're in you will be spellbounded by this genius.

When you've played this CD through the first time you might find yourself with a mixture of elation and sadness. Sad only that it is so unique and perfect and there's not another ten albums to buy exactly like this one. The elation comes from the sublime being brought so near. That might sound overly poetic, but the music here is inspiring for the mind, and luscious for the soul, and the sense of accord you'll feel is worth far more than five measly stars I can give it for Amazon.

I have been a fan of Pierre Bensusan for many years and would rate his previous CDs among my most prized. This release is much more mello and introspective than his earlier works. I have listened to this CD for about a month now, and I find less that holds my attention in this CD as compared to his other CDs. Granted, the execution is heartfelt and at a high level of virtuosity, but in my opinion, much of the CD sounds like improvisational background music. If you are already a fan of Pierre, you will find this to be an interesting work in terms of his development. However, I much preferred the energy and life of his earlier works.

Pierre Bensusan is one of the most emotionally expressive and technically proficient acoustic guitarists I've ever experienced. If you love acoustic guitar, Pierre's music is a 'must have'.