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Haselsh1
30-04-2009, 14:33
Mmm... Where to start...??? 1988 I guess and the release of 'Red Dust and Spanish Lace'. This band is fairly unique in that they are an acoustic guitar based smooth jazz band very famous for the original music to 'Gardener's World'. In their original guise they were made up of Simon James and Nick Webb but this soon became Greg Carmichael and Nick Webb. This duo produced most of Acoustic Alchemy's very famous highly sought after music but around 1998 Nick Webb died from pancreatic cancer during the making of 'Positive Thinking'. I miss those old days as I was an early fan of Acoustic Alchemy and feel it's rather like the Genesis situation all over again when Peter Gabriel departed.

If you love highly melodic acoustic guitar music with just the right amount of keyboards and percussion why not give them a try. All of their music is available from Amazon with their earlier recordings being by far their best. A good starting point...? Natural Elements is for me the pinnacle.

By the way, this stuff would sound amazing through a 300B single ended triode amp

Puffin
30-04-2009, 14:51
I have every album by AA, some on vinyl, but mostly on CD. I agree that after the mid
90s is not so good. I have seen them live twice and were excellent. There is a great DVD of them at the St Lucia Jazz Festival a couple of years ago.

Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
30-04-2009, 15:48
Hi Guys

I'd forgotten about AA. Glad you reminded me about them.

I have Aart, The Beautiful Game, Back on the Case and Against the Grain. Will have a couple of these qued up for a revisit during tonights listening session, actually already started.

Will have to look out for their earlier stuff.

Andy - SDDW

Puffin
30-04-2009, 15:59
You lucky sod, i'm still stuck behind a desk. Working very hard of course.....cough, cough

Haselsh1
30-04-2009, 16:05
Back in the days when I had a WAD 300B PP amplifier I used to love to listen to Acoustic Alchemy at night with all of the lights out and just the blue glow of the 300B's. Then again, maybe I'm just being far too sloppy for my own good...!

Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
30-04-2009, 16:28
Nowt wrong with being 'Sloppy' every now and again. Can be good for you.

Puffin, hope your day is ending soon so you can get home and enjoy some music, just as I am doing right now :).

Andy - SDDW

Spectral Morn
30-04-2009, 16:37
I have Red dust and Spanish Lace....which I like a lot, great recording despite its age (in regard to digital). This disc was part of an audiophile label MCA Master Series, some nice stuff released on vinyl/cd from it, like the 180 gram Larry Carlton Alone but never alone. RDASL was a demo disc of mine many,many years ago....flipp its from 1987. I am so old.:lol:

I listened to a few follow ups but I thought they were a wee bit to similar to their first. So I didn't bother much more with them...maybe that was a mistake. I will have to look at them again.


Regards D S D L

John
30-04-2009, 16:37
I used to like AA but moved on Here is something worth trying out, not quite as Smooth as AA but some tasty playing
Acoustic Mania Talking Hands

Spectral Morn
30-04-2009, 16:38
Back in the days when I had a WAD 300B PP amplifier I used to love to listen to Acoustic Alchemy at night with all of the lights out and just the blue glow of the 300B's. Then again, maybe I'm just being far too sloppy for my own good...!

No Shaun your not IMHO. I too listened to music like this via softly glowing tubes...in my case EL34's. Those where the days.


Regards D S D L

Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
30-04-2009, 16:42
I used to like AA but moved on Here is something worth trying out, not quite as Smooth as AA but some tasty playing
Acoustic Mania Talking Hands

Hi John

Have that on CD, it's Antonio Forcioni and Neil Stacy. Excellent music and recorded well too, on the Naim Label. Would be a good one on vinyl I think.

Andy - SDDW

John
30-04-2009, 17:08
Hi Andy
I saw Acoutic Mania once at the Jazz cafe a good night!
Generlly Antonia is a bit to smooth for me so was nice to see him burning it up more he is such a good player I would love to hear the album on Vinyl

Beechwoods
30-04-2009, 18:11
I have 'Back On The Case' - bought it on the strength of the lovely 'Playing For Time' track. But I thought the rest of the album was too samey and it never stuck. A bit like how Kings Of Convenience sounded fantastic for the first couple of tracks, but failed to vary things enough to maintain interest...

Superb musicians I think though. Perhaps I need to listen to some of their other albums to form a proper view...

Haselsh1
30-04-2009, 23:01
Acoustic Mania Talking Hands


Now I've seen those two live many times and attended their workshops on a couple of occasions. Fabulous guitar playing by all, except me perhaps. The workshops are excellent.