Fernwood - 2015 - Arcadia
(42:04; Fernwood)
It took until 2015 for Gayle and Todd to release the third (and currently latest) album as Fernwood. They have again used a vast amount of instrumentation, many of which were in use more than 15o years ago, including Greek & Irish bouzouki, sitar, dilruba, quirquincho, Chinese ruan, Turkish cumbus, Moroccan oud, harmonium, gimbri, rababa, bulbul tarang, jal tarang, dotara, surmandal, tambura, manjira, tumbi, bugchu, gopichand, violin, mandolin, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, bells & chimes, acoustic piano, rhodes piano, upright bass, field recordings and other sounds. There is a loose concept behind this instrumental release, an endless search for an unspoiled wilderness of great beauty, a utopian paradise.
If that paradise includes music like this then please count me in as yet again are presented with something which is sheer beauty from beginning to end. Arguably there are more Celtic influences at play, especially in the vibrant and up tempo “The Pan Chaser”, but for the most part this is pan Cultural, creating a history and being of itself as opposed to being largely influenced by one country or another. Anthony Phillips again comes to mind, but so does Rog Patterson and Nigel Mazlyn Jones, all of whom are British guitarists, and I can see Richard Thompson also enjoying what is going on, another Brit, as this never sounds North American whatsoever.
While Gayle continues to produce exciting and interesting music in many areas, including of course Djam Karet (I notice Todd provided sitar to their latest release), one can only hope that he and Todd will find time at some point to continue to add to the Fernwood catalogue as this is acoustic music which is being taken to a whole new level and providing the world with beauty which otherwise would not exist. One for the connoisseur.
Kev Rowland, November 2024
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