RED WINE
REVIEWS
ACOUSTIC GUITAR WORKSHOP.COM (UK) by Steve ElliottAs with all great guitarists, you know immediately when Gilbert is at the strings. Case in point: there is a truly gorgeous instrumental version of "Little Wing" on this CD which is immediately identifiable as Hendrix, yet is stamped indelibly with the deft and imaginative Isbin feel and touch. Hendrix, I think, would have approved. After all, Jimmy was a past master himself at appropriating other people songs and making them his own.
(As an aside, I must draw your attention to an earlier CD: Gilbert Isbin Plays Nick Drake. This extraordinary gift of arranging other people's music and presenting it in such a unique fashion is exemplified on Gilbert's awesome arrangements of the tragically doomed English guitarist and songwriter, Nick Drake.) (Tabs available from AGW)
The opening track Happy At Your Doorstep is another classic example of Gilbert Isbin's impressive and never obvious approach. It starts off with almost classical guitar figures, dancing intoxicatingly in high arpeggiated spirits, before the tune spins and veers off, taking you on a rollercoaster ride of rhythmic and chordal explorations and
expositions.
Listening to "Red Wine" really is an exhilarating experience... strange voicings, insistent and driving chord clusters combined with intense rhythmic invention and hypnotic grooves, hybrid bebop, jazz and bluesy arabesques... Gilbert Isbin takes the guitar to places it has never been before. All 14 tracks on this excellent CD showcase a guitarist and composer at the top of his game. "Red Wine" is an invigorating brew, a testament to a truely gifted and original player.
Hats off to one of Fingerstyle's great pioneers.
WWW.ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM , Glenn Astarita
Belgian acoustic guitarist Gilbert Isbin 's intricate finger picking and seamless blend of folksy themes, combined with a reconstruction of Hendrix Little Wing is enhanced by his jazz-based sensibilities. His articulations might spur notions of the late, great American guitarist John Fahey.
STAGE (BELGIUM) 2003, Geert Verbeke
The CD 'Red Wine' (Traurige Tropen TRTR014), by guitar wizard Gilbert Isbin (Brugges), is a masterpiece. His full-bodied wine has a delectable and an unusually velvety aftertaste, for who has a ready ear for his music.Gilbert Isbin knows perfectly well what improvisation is about, even when he plays standards as 'Nuages' by Django Reinhardt or 'Little Wing' by Jimi Hendrix. Both tracks are able to stand the test of criticism. 'Red Wine' is a wonderfull product of Flanders, with a lot of potential. After 'Gilbert Isbin plays Nick Drake', an other great album! Recommended!
WWW..THEGUITARISTS.GALAXYHIT.COM (USA)I was a little apprehensive about reviewing Gilbert Isbin's new CD "Red Wine" (his 11'th). I've been a huge fan of Gilbert's music for a few years now. And I've always been in awe of his technical command of the instrument, and his deep spiritual presence. And now this great innovator has given me the opportunity to review his new CD, "Red Wine". An honor I'm not sure I deserve. But one I'll do my best to earn. So heeeerre we goooooo......
I can't pretend to fully understand Gilbert's music.I don't always know where he's coming from. But I do now where he takes me! A masterful Belgian fingerstyle player. With world recognition as one of the finest. Gilbert is one guitarist you can't afford not to check out! He incorporates classical, and freestyle jazz (among other influences) to create a sound and style unique unto himself. The music is spiritual and calming, to stimulating. The songs on Red Wine transcend anything of this earth. A true original. Simply put, "This Is Pure Genius".
Red Wine covers a plethora of styles and influences. Mixing Classical and Jazz with everything from Rock to Latin to Blues to Indian to just about anything that's ever crossed this great guitarist/composers ears. On the CD Gilbert includes his own interpretations of two other, great guitarists works.
The first is Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing". This at first was a shocker, that a musician of Gilbert's caliber would find Jimi's melody worth covering. I'm sure Jimi is in heaven right now, blushing! I know he would be honored, and maybe even humbled.......Over the years I've heard a lot of guitarists do Hendrix songs. They all make the same mistake,.....they try to imitate instead of making the song their own. But this gifted guitarist/composer takes a landmark piece by Hendrix, and does what would been sacrilegious in so many other guitarists hands. Keeping the melody, but almost rewriting the story. Both great players take you to the same serene euphoria. It's the journey there that varies so widely. Gilbert perfectly captures the, weightless floating vibe if you will.(an ingredient Clapton missed on both of his attempts) But approaches the song from a non rock angle. Thus creating imagery that slips back and forth from Jimi's version and Gilbert's vision. I've often wondered what would happen if two true masters of opposing styles got together. Each giving a crucial contribution to the composition. How would each compliment the other? This is as close as we may ever come to finding out. Speaking as, probably one of the top 10 Hendrix fans walking the globe. Gilbert has succeeded where all others before him have failed. Improving on Hendrix!(I never thought I'd say that....but I know jimi would agree),...
BRIDGE GUITAR REVIEWS (The Netherlands) Aug 2003, Henk te Veldhuis
This new album of this openhearted Belgian acoustic guitarist, is played on a classical nylon string guitar. Gilbert Isbin shows on this album many Spanish influences combined with his own musical views and improvising talent. Happy at your Doorstep is the opening track, which is a very quick played piece with a repeating theme in augmented and some disharmonic phrases."Little Wing"; is the famous Jimi Hendrix song, and Gilbert has made an entire own challenging arrangement of this great piece. Simple Pleasure is a complex composition in the same atmosphere which almost the entire reflects, which takes the listeners possibilities to quot;dig inquot; Gilbert's music, as sometimes his music is complex for the average listener."Nuages" of Django Reinhardt is played with passion and intimacy. "Deep and Blue" goes deep under your skin and is played in very complicated chord chances, with disharmonic elements. Close has a very low bass tuning, but is a very original and easy accessible piece, which has a nice melodic structure in an intimate setting. Wonderwall is a well-balanced composition with a great melody line. "As the Light Begins to Pale" the last track has a exquisite structure and reflects intimacy,surely one of my favorites. "Red Winequot; is a challenging album which combines complexity in music, with intimate and reflecting compositions. "Red Wine" takes you on journey, enjoy the ride!
FOLKWORLD (UK) October 2003, Issue 26 10/2003
... For the fact is that this Belgian acoustic guitarist - now with eleven albums under his belt - has come up with an album that proves very rewarding on the ear, and perhaps even more rewarding on the mind. His music incorporates both the classical and jazz genres. And also transcends them. His work brings to mind that of the late Isaac Guillory, with his additional penchant for the self-penned and the Folk. His writing is always reflective, and helps the listener arrive at a condition of mental stability: the kind of cerebral calm that allows one to muse and ponder in the most positive way. Amongst his originals, are the occasional Isbin interpretation of a Hendrix here, or a Flemish medieval song there. Of these, by far the most rewarding is his treatment of Django Reinhart's Nuages. How appropriate that a great Belgian is shown proper respect by one of his fellow-countrymen. And to think that some of my fellow Brits enjoy playing a stupid game called Name Ten Famous Belgians. They just show themselves to be duffers, and INSULAR duffers at that! Whether Gilbert Isbin will ever be a TRULY famous Belgian, is perhaps in the lap of the gods, but for sure, with albums like this he can only succeed in building a fine reputation.
GUITAR NINE RECORDS (USA) 2003Guitarist Gilbert Isbin has released Red Wine, an all instrumental, all solo acoustic guitar of Isbin originals and several covers including a highly rearranged version of Jimi Hendrix’ Little Wing, and Isbin's take on Django Reinhardt’s Nuages. He also covers an old Flemish folk song (Gequetst Ben IC Van Binnnen), but the focus in on delivering an extremely personal experience in which Isbin’s unique fingerstyle approach commands the attention of the listener. Tracks like the opener Happy At Your Doorstep and Simple Pleasure are melodically challenging and interesting, ensuring that Red Wine will stand up to repeated listenings in order to catch all the nuances and subtleties in Isbin’s playing
WWW.GUITARNOISE.COM (USA), sept.2003, A.J. Charron
Ah, it’s nice to have Gilbert Isbin grace the pages again. Gilbert is one of those guitarists I truly appreciate. He has a style all his own. His artistry tends to draw you right in to the music and, almost hypnotically, keep you there. Unlike many classical guitarists, this CD contains mostly Isbin’s own material with only three exceptions, a nicely rendered Flemish folk song, an impressive version of Jimi Hendrix’ Little Wing and Django Reinhardt’s Nuages. Wha’ s impressive, yet strange, about Isbin’s style is that it’s very sober, almost conservative, yet very colourful and emotional and progressive at the same time. A rare talent which I’m glad he lets loose on the world. With 14 tracks of beautiful, inspiring music, Gilbert’s Red Wine, as his other albums, is a must.
WWW.BLUEPRINT-FANZINE.DE (GERMANY)
Dass Traurige Tropen nicht die massenkompatibelste Musik veörffentlicht, dürfte sich vielleicht schon herumgesprochen haben. Und so handelt es sich auch bei dem neuen Album von GILBERT ISBIN um eine Perle der besonderen Art, die nur allzu gut auf die bluNoise-Vision passt. GILBERT ISBIN ist 1953 in Belgien geboren und hat mit 18 Jahren ein Studium der Gitarre angefangen, nachdem er bereits seit geraumer Zeit barocke Laute spielte. Und entsprechend handelt es sich auch bei Red wine um ein hochklassiges, akustisches Gitarrenalbum, das durch keine weiteren Instrumente ergänzt wurde. Stilistisch werden hier Elemente aus Jazz, Klassik, Avantgarde und Weltmusik miteinander vermischt und mit vielseitigen Improvisationen verschmolzen. Natürlich ist das Ganze nicht allzu leicht verdaulich. Aber diese Absicht dürfte der Künstler auch kaum hegen. Vielmehr kann das Album herhalten, wenn man es sich zu Hause allein mit einem Glas Rotwein gemütlich macht und ansonsten eine Klassik-CD heraussuchen würde. Daher vielleicht auch der Albumtitel!
Viele Passagen erinnerten mich von den Arrangements und den mehrfach übereinandergelegten, verschiedenen Gitarrenparts an NICK DRAKE, bevor ich las, dass GILBERT ISBIN ihm bereits zuvor ein Coveralbum gewidmet hatte. Auf Red wine befindet sich zudem noch mit Little wing ein Coversong von JIMI HENDRIX, was mir ohne den Vermerk aber auch nicht aufgefallen wäre, da ISBIN das Sütck doch ziemlich neu interpretierte.
Insgesamt ein sehr beeindruckendes Album, das man sich aber ob der Komplexität auch nicht immer anhören kann.
http://www.noize.cc/reviews/main.php?p_id=4691
Um eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem Akustikgitarrenvirtuosen Gilbert Isbin reißt sich die aktuelle Jazz- sowie die moderne Klassik-Szene. Der gebürtige Belgier hat eine solche Zusammenarbeit zuletzt mit seiner CD Blisters
vorgelegt. Kein geringerer als der Bassist Joe Fonda war dort sein Partner. Auch andere Jazz-Gröszlig;en, wie der in Frankreich ungemein populäre Tuba-Spieler Michel Godard haben bereits mit Isbin zusammengearbeitet. Auf seinem neuen Werk Red Wine zupft und schälgt er jedoch wieder allein seine Nylon-Gitarre. Herausgekommen ist eine äußerst hörenswerte Sammlung technisch leider nicht ganz rauschfreier Songs, die seine Vorliebe für neuere Klassik, Jazz, Folk und Blues, wie ihn Django Reinhardt verstanden hat, dokumentiert. Von letzterem findet sich auf Red Wine eine Interpretation des Titels Nuages, das im Original auf Djangology zu finden ist. Neben seinen Eigenkompositionen gibt es mit Little Wing noch eine Hommage an Jimi Hendrix.
(5/6)- Frank Ilschner