Customer Reviews

Master & Musician

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
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Originally released in 1978, The Master and the Musician was the first of Phil Keaggy's astonishing instrumental efforts. It would be enough that it was remarkable for its time, but it is remarkable for any time, and the freshness of the compositions endures some 20 years later.

From the medieval echoes of Pilgrim's Flight and Castle's Call, to the untamed energy of Agora and Follow Me Up -- a signature work of Keaggy brilliance -- this collection covers a broad spectrum of guitar: classical, steel-string acoustic, and soaring electric, woven together into a marvelous fabric of sound. And while the album supports a common theme, every song is an individual. Every thread is a delight.

For the technically minded, this was the first work in which Phil's distinctive guitar techniques were lavished on the listener in abundance: the volume swells, e-bow voicings, tap harmonics, and very generous solo moments.

Whether you are a lover of guitar music, or a follower of Phil's exceptional career, this album deserves an honored place in your collection. It is timeless, peerless, and priceless, and a humble but fitting tribute from the musician to the Master.

This album remains the biggest seller in Keaggy's catalogue, and after 25 years of steady releases, that states a great deal.

This was Keaggy's first instrumental album and followed up a set of albums that had garnered considerable attention within the CCM community. During the peak of the Jesus Movement Keaggy was busy with Glass Harp. By the time he started releasing admittedly low budget solo work to the CCM market, the Jesus Movement was almost completely gone and a new sub-category of music would provide plenty of room for anything Keaggy wanted to do.

So after a couple of years establishing himself as a known commodity, he came out with this gem that took most people by surprise. Since the bulk of the CCM crowd were, at that point, unaware of Glass Harp and oblivious to the fact that Keaggy had a previous incarnation long before What A Day, this stunning album was a wonderful surprise. The guitar work, complex and delightful, moody and cheerful, was fuel for the urban legend that ______________ (fill in the blank with any of your favorite secular guitar slingers) said that Keaggy was the best guitar player on the planet.

This album was so good that we were able to believe the urban legend, and spread the word now and again. Though he didn't yet allow his guitar slinging to be revealed, he did a lot of incredible finger picking that was well beyond the skill level of any guitar player in CCM at the time.

This album remains a delight for the very same reason it was a delight in the late 70s. It is virtually timeless and doesn't carry any of the dated trappings of the era... just a collection of original melodies worked and reworked until Keaggy managed to squeeze hooks, tricks, and signature swirls of musical color in to each tune. This album is a staple worth having - not because it captures the start of the CCM era, but because it is beautiful, pleasant, and timeless.

I've listened to Master & Musician for 20 years and I still listen to it on record. I am so happy to be able to now have it on CD. The music is timeless. It takes me to places where my imagination can run free. The music tells a story, it's a true experience. Phil Keaggy is a true Master Musician.

I got this CD last night and it's already one of my favorites -- I listened to it straight through twice in a row, then I had to stop since it was past midnight or so (and I'm still listening to it as I type this!). This is one of those rare CDs on which every track is good.

The first piece, Pilgrim's Flight, is very nice, with plenty of good chord progression, almost classical sounding, but with not so obscure and hard to follow progressions. All of the others are similar in those respects (which is a good thing).

The exceptions to that style are as follows:

Agora has a beachy, tropical kind of sound with an electric guitar over top (quite cool).

Mouthpiece is a goofy, almost completely alcapella track, where it sounds like Phil's just having fun with his microphone.

Follow Me Up may very well be my favorite song on this CD. It's just plain cool! I found myself laughing out loud at some of the cool stuff Phil did in it.

Jungle Pleasures sounds like what might happen if a bunch of monkeys and other jungle creatures got together and started playing music in the treetops.

I hope this helps...

The "Master and the Musician" is truly a master work that made me a Phil Keaggy fan almost 30 years ago. I have since worn out 3 LPs, at least a half dozen cassettes, and even three CDs. (Mr. Keaggy can thank me later.)

In the end, it comes down to one thing. If someone took all of my music tomorrow, the first CD I would buy to start replacing almost 40 years worth of very eclectic music is "The Master and the Musician."

This is Phil's first all-instrumental album and also a concept album. The original LP version included a short story in the liner notes telling of a young musician in the early Rennaisance period trying to get his big break by playing before the King and his court, which sets the tone for the music. Unfortunately, this story is not included in my copy of the CD. This CD is a 'must have' if you're a fan of Keaggy's fretwork but not necessarily keen on the Christian lyrics of his vocal releases. Phil plays most of the instruments (guitars, drums, percussion, bass, synthesizer) and there are a few guest performers on selected tracks. M&TM features a mix of nice acoustic pieces (Pilgrim's Flight, Suite of Reflection, to his arrangement of Amazing Grace) and some fiery electric work on the jazzy Agora (the Market Place), Follow Me Up (which almost sounds like a theme song to a 70's cop show), to the frantic Jungle Pleasures. There is also a unique short track called Mouthpiece, which features Phil and his wife, Bernadette, making rhythmic vocal sounds. Very cool. The entire CD is very listenable.

I havent had this cd but a couple of days, and it is allready one of my all time favorites.This is with out a doubt one of the best instrumental albums of all time. From classical to soaring rock there is not a bad cut.The medley Evensong-Twilight-Forever Joy is worth the price alone. Ebow,classical,tap ons even some great wordless vocals radiate the peace and joy of this musicians heart in his masters hands.

This cd and Beyond Nature of Phil's are my favorites. This album is rich in Phils acoustic guitar along with other textures such as flute, synthesizer, piano. Phil's playing is great, but the songs themselves are wonderful. He is very gifted.

This album was one of the first from PK as a Christian instrumental work. But anyone who enjoys top-notch guitar work with a classical and a somewhat euretheral twist will love this one.

There is an additional song tagged on the end that wasn't on the original album. It is also very good.

Highly recommended as a great work from one of the world's best guitar masters!

What a project. Though wordless, it speaks volumes about artistry, faith, beauty, etc. Rare is the moment when a Christian artist leaves a memorable mark artistically. So many moods, and a great job of weaving them within each piece and in the track order. He can relax you, rouse you, inspire you, even humor you. There are so many sounds coming from his instrument it is a multi-course feast for the ears. I actually only just picked this up recently after years of enjoying many other instrumental Keaggy works. But I would have to say that this is the best.