Nylon & Steel

Manuel Barrueco (Artist), Aaron Copland (Artist), Celso Machado (Artist), Al di Meola (Artist), Steve Morse (Artist), Stanley Myers (Artist), Ernesto Nazareth (Artist), Andy Summers (Artist), Victor Valls (Artist), Al di Meola (Artist), Andy Summers (Artist), Steve Morse (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 22, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B00005ICL0
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #162,735 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #22 in

  Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Tangos

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Classical guitar lovers looking for a jazzier change of pace shouldn't be disappointed by Nylon & Steel, Manuel Barrueco's album of duets with Al Di Meola, Steve Morse, and Andy Summers. But ironically enough, it's the two solo tunes that bookend this disc, Barrueco's "Odeon" and his solo guitar arrangement of Aaron Copland's "Rodeo," that are the real highlights. His three cuts with Di Meola are a mixed affair, but the interplay between the duo seems to gel on the longer "Azzurra." Steve Morse's electric guitar is loaded with Bill Frisell-like effects, but on "Wolvesville," he and Barrueco create an inspired and unleashed fusion between rock and classical music (the inspiration for the piece is a Villa-Lobos étude). Three mellow collaborations with Summers round out this set of intriguing guitar instrumentals. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing effort, May 29, 2001

By	Richard B. Schuchman (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The biggest problem with this cd is Manuel's inability to improvise or keep up with the two speed demons DiMeola and Morse. I'm actually a bigger fan of classical guitar and was looking forward to this release to see what a classically trained guitarist could come up with, but the best two tunes are the first and last where Barrueco plays solo. The set with DiMeola is taken at a much slower tempo than Al usually plays; you can tell he's holding back; and then on top of that the improvised sections are conspicously reduced, the result being a very "composed" feel that's sadly repetitive. Likewise, the Morse set opens with Barrueco playing a Villa-Lobos "standard" with Morse burning over top (possibly the most interesting track on the cd), but then degenerates into an overly sentimental "Cavatina" with Steve gently arpeggiating over Manuel's single note melody. The best match is probably with Summers, where both are free to noodle around without getting in each others way or saying much in the process. The liner notes mentions Summers appreciation of Steve Reich's music, and that's how the last set sounds; like an ECM/New Age cd. Most of the music is very gentle to hear and if you want something soothing in the background, go ahead; but if you want to hear true guitar interplay, get either Coryell/Remler's cd "Together" or Jim and Doug Raney's duet cd. This meeting of the minds doesn't do justice to any of the players and proves there's more to making great music then just putting a couple of great guitarists together.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Disaster, September 7, 2001

By	GunnySceptic "gunny_sceptic" - See all my reviews

Except for the two Barrueco solos, this CD made me nauseous!!!Listening to it reminded me why I stopped listening to most improvised music.

Throughout tracks 2 to 4, DiMeola struggles futilely to come up with anything but comical latin cliches. DiMeola's mindless noodling is an affront to Barrueco's musicality. Summers playing on the other hand, while somewhat musical, is mostly syrup.

Villa-Lobos' Etude 1 duet hurt the most. I have played this piece for years and, though an etude, I find it quite entertaining (as do most classical guitarists I think). During most of the piece, Morse simply plays scale-exercise filler and obliterates all the musical ideas in the piece. Listen, Villa-Lobos was one of the most original and masterful composers of this century. It is criminal to think that playing this electronic fluff over Villa-Lobos' etude does it justice.

A word to the uninitiated - buy Sergio and Odair Assad's "Latin Music for Two Guitars" and learn something about the depth and beauty of serious latin guitar music.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good CD, July 26, 2001

By A Customer

I bought this CD 3 weeks ago and I would say it's a highly recommended title, but not 5 stars. I believe there is a weakness in this CD and it resides in Barrueco's duet with Al DiMeola. First of all, let me explain that Al DiMeola is one of my favorite guitarrists and Barrueco is a first class classical player. The problem is that they decided to perform songs that were already recorded by Al, De Lucia and McLaughlin in their famous Guitar Trio CD. Those three guys have a kind of interaction and synesthesia that I cannot see by listening to Al and Barrueco playing together. It's an unfair comparison, I'd say. There are lots of "gaps" in "Beyond the Mirage" and in "Azzurra", for instance, Al plays a nylon guitar, so that we miss the "steel" on that track. If I were the producer, I would certainly advise them to pick up other songs and perform something original, created specially for the disc, having Barrueco's idea in mind (Nylon and Steel). My overall impression is positive, though, and Villa-Lobos' Étude No 1 is probably the most interesting track. The duets with Steve Morse and Andy Summers are very sound as well as Barrueco's solo arrangements for Odeon and Rodeo.