Artisan Music reviews
5
By R J Lannan
Will Ackerman
Positano Songs
There’s this little beach in the village of Positano in south west Italy that is just the place for discoveries and daydreams. It is the place where venerable guitar legend Will Ackerman unfolded his chair, stared out at the Tyrrhenian Sea, pulled out his favorite guitar, and found true inspiration. It was enough to create ten finely crafted and polished tracks of thought provoking, inspirational contemporary instrumental music. This new guitar album features the signature Ackerman fretwork mixed with deftly produced accompaniment that has been the staple offering of Imaginary Road Studios since its inception in 1992. No disappointment dwells here.
Like stars winking on one by one in a pitch black sky, the solo guitar tune Nighttime in the Chapel fades in to open the album. Ackerman’s melodic tune creates nonpareil night sounds that offer comfort to the spirit. There is a sensation of nyctophilia, that wonderful, soothing feeling of comfort in the darkness. It is the best time for a tryst. Warm breezes, starlight, and thou.
Our Wedding Song is a blissful acoustic waltz for two souls as they join together on a level that fools the eyes, but not the heart. Charlie Bisharat’s violin somehow soars and at the same time weeps with joy. There are straying notes that sound like the bells off in the distance, a reminder that the happiest day of their lives is now finely etched into the book of life.
Soft, subtle, and gently flowing, the tune Did I Dream This enshrouds you like a mist. Will’s graceful fantasia, embellished by Noah Wilding’s dream-like voice, Eugene Freisen’s cello, and Tom Eaton’s piano converge into a gentle, delicate reverie. Some unknown author once said, “Each day I wish that my dreams will come true. Then I remember that I am with you.” This is the music for that sentiment.
One of my many favorites on Positano Songs is a track called This is Where it Begins. It has a subdued, bluesy motif courtesy of Eaton’s carefully metered piano and Will’s restrained guitar melody. Bisharat’s violin glides in and out like some kind of diaphanous wraith to give the sound a fresh lightness. Both bright and weightless.
There are qualities that oceans have that cannot go unappreciated. Some are salty, some are vast, some are calm, but they all have promise. Promise of a new beginning. Promise of nourishment in more ways than one. And for some it is the promise that the waves, like love, may ebb and flow, but they will last a lifetime. Ackerman’s sublime offering called The Tyrrhenian Sea is that promise converted into aqueous notes filled with a passionate splendor.
Obviously a song for a friend, For Giovanni, is a warm and dynamic homage. There is a lot of life packed into this cheery, musical chronicle. Lots of sunshine, some very good wine, and one of the most important gift of all, the gift of time. When you give someone your time, you are giving away a part of your life. It is on the same level as love and it is to be cherished just as Will suggests in this song.
As a form of good bye Ackerman penned the tune I Had To Go There. At less than two minutes, it is quick revisit to all places and people he loves in Positano. But parting is such sweet sorrow, even for a minstrel on a mission.
Also joining Will on Positano Songs is flugelhorn master Jeff Oster. The entire album is as sunny and bright as you would expect from a Mediterranean vacation, but overflowing with gratitude and emotion. I have no doubt that the entire album is a gift. A gift to someone and everyone who has contributed to the good life of a grateful man. The album is many years in the making, but sometimes you have to put your ambitions aside and help others achieve their dreams. Sometimes, that is the same thing. Excellent album. - R J Lannan, Artisan Music Reviews
