Customer Reviews

One Night,One Guitar

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

 

 

As a fan of guitar music in general, and folks like DeGrassi and BenSusan in specific, I was blown away by Dave Cullen's subtlety, virtuosity, and flexibility. In this album, recorded live with, as the title implies, just a solo classical guitar, he divides his time equally between Bach and originals. The Bach is gorgeous! His playing is as fluid as the greats, and is unmarred by the fretboard noise that so many wind up with. And the originals are terrific as well...jazzy, with enough harmonic nuance to grab your attention, and keep it from falling into the merely New Age, but not so much that folkies should be wary. A favorite is the concluding gem...a cover of Zawinul's Birdland, in which Cullen keeps the bass and harmony moving while letting the melody sing through...and it's all solo live guitar! Amazing!

From the best "undiscovered" guitar talent in the US, "One, Night, One Guitar" puts thoughful, precise, and evocative guitar playing in the speakers of music fans everywhere. This is David Cullen at his best, effortlessly burning through original tunes and quietly charting new ground in his expressively performed Bach Cello Suites. David has played with some of the best,and though based on this performance they should (or will) be soon lining up to play with him.
Acoustic guitar music does not get any better than this! IF you are new to Dave, this is the disc to buy. The mix of tunes is a perfect blend of all that is Dave, and the recording is precise.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

After hearing David Cullen In concert, I was moved to purchase this album. Mr. Cullen's performance is technically brilliant with a sensitive intepretation. He knows the guitar very well. This recording includes a variety of styles, was recorded live, and will be played many times. An exciting work!!

David Cullen blends two incredible talents: the technical prowess to transcribe and perform Bach works like the 6th Cello Suite, plus the ability to write catchy, well-constructed tunes that he performs solo on a nylon-string guitar. ONE NIGHT is one of my favorite renditions of the cello suite for guitar, played at a nice pace and with good counterpoint choices, as well. Cullen's original compositions are also pretty breathtaking, a bit on the Windham Hill side of things but never straying into abstract wanderings -- these are tight songs that are really well-executed. His arrangement of Zawinul's "Birdland" will take you back, too.

That this recording represents a single evening's work (a radio broadcast with a live audience, I think) is pretty amazing. Although some classical guitar purists may not like the engineer's somewhat brittle sound, I would say that the album is generally well-recorded (even if you can hear someone in the audience falling off his chair mid-performance). The audience politely reserves their applause until the end, although I imagine it was hard to be silent through an hour of such virtuosity.

"One Night One Guitar" by David Cullen displays his formidable talent in both the classical and jazz guitar worlds. David seamlessly blends classical technique with pop and jazz sensibilities, and makes it sound so relaxed. This is a live recording and it sounds as if David were sitting in your living room with you. The recording and performance are flawless and yet the songs remain comfortable and relaxed. David performs original, jazz and classical compositions on this disc. Original pieces Blue Counterpoint and On the Way are refreshing and uplifting. David's arrangememnts of Birdland and Spain are funky and exctiting and his performance of Bach's 6th Cello Suite is also dynamic and expressive. If you like great fingerstyle guitar (and everything in between), David Cullen delivers it all with taste and great technique!