Ax. W. (Axel Weiss), Spheres, Solo

You should not get complacent about music. Not right now. The fact of the matter is that there is great music being made, composed, performed, everywhere on the planet, continually, right at this moment, last week, last year, next week, next year. Are the artists working, gigging, selling their music at a fair price, getting their due? It depends on what, or WHO you know, to paraphrase and extend Lester Bowie's trenchant comment on one of his early albums. Who is Lester Bowie? Look him up!

And as anyone who reads this blog is aware, the guitar has been central to lots of music in our current era. If you are of a certain age, or even if you are simply alive at whatever age, you grew up with the sound of the guitar in your ears. Maybe you play or have played it? Either way it is a surrounding factor, a central component of music today.

And so for a few more weeks I am going to post on this blog about guitarists (and bassists), then I will leave the blog up but cease to post here. There is the Gapplegate Music Blog and I aim to keep that going (along with the classical blog) and discuss guitar and bass playing as relevant on that site.

Well, today we have another good one, a solo effort by Axel Weiss (aka Ax. W.), an album entitled Spheres, Solo (Intrinsic Records). Axel comes to the forefront in undiluted fashion, with his acoustic and electric guitars, a little whistling, some keys and digital percussion.

It is music of a thoughtful sort, guitar-centered ruminations that run from acoustic chordal or neo-Brazilian picking and articulating to electric expressions that have both jazz and rock overtones. All of it has an original, Axelian feel to it.

Axel is a true guitar artist and this album gives us a chance to appreciate his way about things, schooled, smart, detailed, driving or place-centered depending, but always interesting and creative.

It is, if I might be so bold, a guitar tour de force in its own way, a great listen and a wide swath of guitar artistry that folks should hear! Thanks for making this music, Axel! Recommended!