Saturday, June 19, 2021

Soul of a River (2020), by Jon Durant

Soul of a River is not your typical guitar-and-piano album, in terms of what such a record is expected to sound like, and especially in terms of what guitars are expected to sound like.

Durant uses piano to construct minimalist themes, motifs, and riffs that hook you and draw you into an immersive sonic environment enveloped by layers of pulsating, subliminal sound effects.

 

With his guitars, Durant creates atmospheres and textures that are reminiscent of Andy Summers’ albums Bewitched (1984, with Robert Fripp), Mysterious Barricades (1988), and The Golden Wire (1989), as well as Summers’ song “Carry Me Back Home” from the 1986 Band of the Hand soundtrack.

 

Durant takes guitar-and-piano music in exciting and interesting new directions, making him stand out from most of the rest of the six-string and 88-key pack.

 

--Raj Manoharan

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