Customer Reviews

One String Leads to Another

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

 

 

This CD is a solid effort of high recording quality by a creative and skilled musician. It shows technical mastery, a fluid vocabulary of sounds, and is also held together thoughtfully by a clear set of musical ideas.

What I wanted to point out, though, is that some of the other reviews here are a damning indictment of guitar-only enthuiasts, who seem not to be able to resist pretentiously substituting their own hero-worship for fair and open-minded evaluation, and who believe, absurdly, that there are standards of absolute quality in music. They seems to think that there are only so many kudos to go around, and that praise for some must be accompanied by ridicule for others. No wonder so many appreciators of music turn a cold shoulder to the cult of guitar-worship (often at the expense of well-deserved appreciation for the fine guitarist over whom they insult each other).

German based Acoustic Music Records offers a number of superb releases showcasing the music of the acoustic guitar. One of their newest and best is Tim Spark's One String Leads To Another featuring L'etoile de Mer (3:26); Waltz with a Marmaid (2:51); Cornbread and Baklava (5:35); La Soledad (4:02); Mr. Marques (3:30); Eu So Quero Em Xodo (8:35); Elegy for Max (2:56); Trap Hill Breakdown (3:57); One String Leads to Another (2:19); Pata Negra (4:44); The Amsterdam Cakewalk (3:45); and A Lucky Hand (2:32). All of these outstanding pieces were composed by Tim Sparks with the exception of Eu So Quero Em Xodo which was composed by Anastacia Dominguinhos. Total Time 48:12

So much music, so little time (and money to spend on it!), but when I read a blurb in a recent issue of Goldmine that Leo Kottke was a big fan of Tim Sparks I needed no further introduction. I immediately ordered this CD. I was not disappointed.

This all-instrumental and mostly solo acoustic recording (Dean Magraw provides second guitar on "Eu So Quero Em Xodo") serves up 11 Sparks' originals (the duet is the only non-original tune). Sparks incorporates a number of influences in his fingerpicking: country blues ("Mr. Marques"), Brazilian ("Pata Negra"), Italian ("A Lucky Hand") and Turkish ("Athe Amsterdam Cakewalk").

Sparks' fingerstyle playing is relaxing and introspective without resorting to new age noodling. If you like artists like William Ackerman, Alex de Grassi, Leo Kottke or Adrian Legg, Tim Sparks is a guitarist worth checking out RECOMMENDED

It's not hard to tell that Tim Sparks is a dedicated, thoughtful musician. He's not a headliner, but a hard worker. He's been around and admired by many. He is respected by his peers. Tim doesn't put out trash, but not every one gets off on his music. So be it. I like this record and I don't base my opinons on reviews of people who trash one guitarist/musician over another.

I suppose im a bit similar to the reviewer below, as I study finger-style guitar and also have a love for solo guitar, however Im a HUGE fan of Alex De Grassi and the new age artists. For me, it offers new, contemporary ground, tunings and approaches. John Fahey??? I know hes bigger then "God" and all, but give me a break, where's the technique, its amazing how big Fahey is with such little to offer technically.

In any case, Tim Spark's album is great! He is so technically solid and his choice of modal tonality and scales gives the listener some new flavors for the ear.

This is a GREAT player and a superb CD!

I love the sound of a solo acoustic guitar, but I'm a bit picky about who I listen to. I love John Fahey. Some of Kottke's early stuff (like 6 and 12 String Guitar, and Greenhouse) frequently finds its way into my CD player. I even listen to some of the newer crowd, like Adrain Legg and Preston Reed. I can't stand the new-age stuff from the Will Ackerman (Windham Hill) crowd. With that in mind, this album does not impress me (although if you listen to ackerman, de grassi, et al., it will probably impress you).

I get what Sparks was trying to do. Unfortunately, all to often, he lapses into sounding like John Renbourn (frequently a Renbourn/Grossman collaboration) or Bert Jansch with a tiny bit of Sandy Bull thrown in for some middle-eastern flavor. Other times, he sounds like he's trying to imitate a great classical guitarist like Andres Segovia or Julian Bream (those of you who like solo acoustic guitar, if your collection is not filled with their albums, you should remedy that immediately). Sparks is good (a far better guitarist than I am), hence the 3 stars, but I'd take Renbourn over Sparks any day.