Pathways

California Guitar Trio | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 23, 1998)
• Original Release Date: June 9, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Discipline Us
• ASIN: B000007PHT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,063 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Allegro con Brio, Symphony No. 5

2. Arroyo

3. Pathways

4. Leap

5. Adagio Opus 11

6. Great Divide

7. Scramble

8. Classical Gas

9. Ananda

10. Adagio Sostenuto, Moonlight Sonata

11. Presto Agitato, Moonlight Sonata

12. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

13. Misirlou

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leaping Pathways That Help Quicken Desire, December 3, 2002

By 

Nicholas Croft (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pathways (Audio CD)

The California Guitar Trio was formed by Bert Lams, Hideyo Moriya and Paul Richards. All three perform acoustic guitar, on this CD, in unedited live studio performances. This 1998 recording is their third work together as a trio, after the 1995 disc "Invitation" and 1993's "Yamanashi Blues".

Before their formation as a trio, Bert, Hideyo and Paul had previously appeared in various configurations of The League of Crafty Guitarists and had also served as three of the five members of the Robert Fripp String Quintet.

On "Pathways", a significant level of performance maturity is clearly in evidence. Thankfully, such maturity has been assigned to a repertoire consisting of classical arrangements along with original, intelligent progressive compositions that match well to their classical sensibility.

In addition to the guitar trio configuration, a number of tracks include saxophone played by Bill Janssen and Roger Lambson. The touch tapped Warr Guitar, performed by Trey Gunn, is included on a few of the tracks as well.

"Pathways" will serve as a beautiful introduction to the work of the California Guitar Trio. It showcases some of the finest examples of their warmly sensitive musical expression.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eclectic, technically-innovative CD that stretches your mind, October 18, 1998

By 

Dan Linke ([e-mail]) (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pathways (Audio CD)

Anyone interested in the guitar as a musical instrument will find much to admire in this CD. The CGT expand your musical appreciation for the instrument that many of us think we know so well by covering everything from Beethoven to Classical Gas in ways that highlight the richness of the guitar in this all-instrumental CD. By using innovative tuning techniques, they manage to produce a wider range of notes which delights the ear as well as the mind. This is not just a CD for background music (though many may use it that way), but also a fine example of the musical diversity the guitar is capable of. Robert Fripp produces.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Acoustic bliss., September 10, 2004

By 

spiral_mind (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pathways (Audio CD)

Three guitars performing a set of laid-back originals and tackling some Beethoven in the process? It may look like a new-age gimmick at first. But there's really little fluff to be found in the CGT catalogue; they're one of the most cerebral and disciplined guitar groups around, even if they occasionally touch on the realm of Muzak and NPR. Maybe it's inevitable. What sets them apart is their inhumanly-tight interplay, their melodic inventiveness and their stylistic range that knows no boundaries. Duke Ellington, Bach, Dick Dale, Queen, Japanese folk, Yes, Mussorgsky, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a range of inventive originals.. the Trio's covered them all.

Regardless, it's a rare thing to hear so much talent and virtuosity presented so un-pretentiously. It takes some good skill to tackle Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on guitar for example (especially the rapid-fire Presto Agitato movement) as they do here, and their original compositions are marvels of fluid guitar interplay. They don't just play jumbles of notes clamoring on top of each other - the melodies weave over and around each other without ever becoming static, and their skill with melody makes it all beautifully listenable rather than hitting you over the head with dizzying blizzards of flashy technique. Outside guests pop up on sax and Warr guitar from time to time, but for the most part it just focuses on Paul, Bert and Hideyo doing what they do best.

Pathways also had the highest concentration of original CGT songs to date at the time. Their newest album Whitewater shows just how far they've come in the writing department; on this one, their originals and well-chosen covers were balanced to the best effect of any of their albums. Maybe I could wish they'd covered more of a classical range instead of devoting three tracks to Beethoven alone, but that's a small quibble. The fun factor of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" being followed by the surf-guitar classic "Misirlou" does earn them some points.

Pathways is one of the best intros to the group out there, although Whitewater and Rocks The West won't disappoint either. And don't miss them on tour - they do all this stuff live and then some.