Customer Reviews

Just Between Frets : Groovemasters Vol. 11

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tommy Emmanuel & Frank Vignola. Gary Mazzaroppi on the bass. (C'mon, give the bassist some!) A coupla virtuoso guitar players, live in the studio. Been a fan of Emmanuel for some years. He's a charismatic Aussie who's about the best around at what he does. Which is, in live context, play a one-man-band on the acoustic guitar. With attitude. Vignola's my buddy's guitar teacher. Turns out he'd been gigging with Les Paul and the Mark O'Connor Hot Club Trio. (Presumably in his off time.)

An album of old familiar jazz standards, some Django-inspired, a country tune ('Sweet Dreams')and some blues. Done beautifully. Jeez, (I'm listening as we speak), this is sweet and tasty. Just superfine musically. The old adage (it's about the song) holds firm. But as a guitarist, I'm drooling. Five stars, a must for fans of old jazz and guitar.

The song selection is diverse and each tune projects a different tempo. These artists are perfectionists yet their music has such
a relaxed quality about it that it flows like a conversation between good friends. When I listen to this album I feel as though I'm right there with them at this jam session. If you enjoy jazz, you will certainly enjoy this cd. It's exuberant, refreshing and relaxing. Kudos to Tommy Emmanuel cpg, Frank Vignola and Gary Mazzaroppi. You will definitely want to add this cd to your collection.

I have been a fan of both Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Vignola for years. Individually they produce amazing music with the highest degree of technical expertise while all the time keeping the joy and the fun in it for themselves and their lucky listeners. This album captures the essence of all they do separately and multiplies it by a whole lot more than two. It is an absolute blast to listen to, one of those albums that makes you wish you had been in the studio when it was recorded. This one almost immediately joined Chester and Lester, the phenomenal 1975 pairing of Chet Atkins and Les Paul, on my very short list of desert island albums.

A collection of standards, Django Reinhardt tunes and a country song ("Sweet Dreams", made famous by Patsy Cline), this CD swings from start to finish. The eclectic virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel and jazz wizard Frank Vignola are both great players and when they get together, the sparks really fly! If you love great acoustic guitar playing, you can't go wrong with this recording.

Tommy Emmanuel maybe the greatest all-round pop guitar master, EVER. Anything he does is wonderful, and this pairing is nearly perfect. A great tribute to hand-made guitar playing, a nice nod to the pop classics and a subtle tribute to Les Paul.

Tommy Emmanuel is a guitar phenomenon. Incredible. Unbelievable. Having an opportunity to see him play live, you wonder how he can move his hands so fast. Frank Vignola is an excellent complement to him. Their guitars could not be more different. Emmanuel's guitars are older and the one is so beat up you wonder how it stays together under the abuse that he puts it through. Vignola plays on a custom made Thorell guitar. The sound is so unique it takes your breath away. Combined the two friends "fret" together makes for an incredible sound. You can find both of these guitarists on YouTube videos. After watching you will definitely want to hear more of them and see them in person. If you get the chance - go!

I found out about this recording by checking out Laurence Juber and gave it a try...and WOW am I glad I did. Sure the 64th notes are flying like crazy and these guys are obviously in another world technically speaking...but they make MUSIC with their startling prowess with the instrument. I love familiar tunes being re-worked and these two take these songs to places unexplored while keeping the composers intent intact!

You don't need to be a guitar fan to enjoy this you just need a couple of ears. This is really truly FUN FUN FUN!

This is an awesome album! There wasn't really any doubt that it would be good going into it, I mean Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Vignola....it just doesn't get any better.

I came to this album familiar with Frank Vignola but not Tommy Emmanuel. I suspect many may come the other direction. If so, you may be surprised to hear Emmanuel playing straight-ahead jazz--but he is superb. The duets feature stunning guitar work, and the players bring out the best in each other in ways that are sensitive to the compositions. This is an album for people who love great jazz guitar.

Django Reinhart lives, again! My only problem was not being able to distinguish between Tommy's and Frank's solos. Another thing --- this recording didn't quite show the "fire" that they had, once when I heard them live.