Reviews of Nascent
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Subtitled 'Bach Preludes on the steel string guitar', and that's exactly what's here. I sat listening for a minute and I'm like...I know that guitar. I've heard it somewhere. And then the liners tell me what I already knew (but couldn't remember): Lams is a member of the California Guitar Trio. That meticulous, yet supple, fingerwork. The way these pieces sound so natural springing from a guitar. Of course. The sound is incredible. None of that amateurish tin string sound that has become an unfortunate hallmark of acoustic guitar recordings. These strings ring richly true, and the sound is as full and lush as can be imagined. The sound fills the room without crowding, and there's never a false note. Beautiful. Amazing. Precise, yet always expressive. Lams has some impressive technical ability, but his real talent is in making the material his own. Little touches mean so much. This is one of the the finest classical guitar albums I've heard. Absolutely first rate from beginning to end. - Jon Worley Review by New Age Retailer.com These are J.S. Bach preludes, transcribed and transposed by Bert Lams for the steel string guitar, selected here to warm your December holidays and winter evenings. This CD develops the closeness of a live performance. It is like having Bert Lams in your living room this season playing his transcriptions, but you don't have to feed him. Overall, Lams brings an engulfing, warming effect to his steel strings and pick; recall here that Bach wrote these for the bow and stings of the cello and violin not the plucking and strumming of a guitar! With this first solo recording, Lams presents an overview of the different moods and colors of Bachs violin and cello preludes in a bold new format for steel string guitar. - PhenomeNews - December 2005 Best known as a member of the California Guitar Trio, Bert Lams is part of a global community that has adopted Robert Fripp's New St andard Tuning (C, G, D, A, E, G, low to high) since it was introduced as an element of his Guitar Craft methodology in the mid '80s. The tuning's extended upper and lower ranges come in handy when rendering the material on the CD, which is drawn from Bach's cello and violin repertoire, rather than the maestro's more commonly transcribed lute works. The 14 compositions are also played on a Martin 000-16GTE steel-string rather than a traditional nylon-string instrument (with a capo on the second fret), adding even more timbral twists. The first thing that struck me was how comfortable Lams appeared to be with the material. One gets the impression that he has lived with this music for many years, absorbing it deeply into his unconscious so that it reemerges in his playing with minimal intellectual intervention. Of course, this all-important spiritual dimension must be combined with exceptional technical ability and seasoned performance skills to create lovely music and I'm happy to report that's the case. A novel take on Bach's timeless reperto ire. by Barry Cleveland, Frets Acoustic Guitar Magazine Something new and different is always welcome when it's done right. When you can build it out of something familiar and have art meet commerce in just the right sweet spot, the artist might actually make a buck as well. On hiatus from California Guitar Trio, Lames refashions the warm and familiar Bach melodies for steel string guitar. Focusing here on Bach preludes, the guitar ace moves them easily from piano to guitar and serves up a dish that even jaded classical ears will welcome as fresh and invigorating. If this set wasn't made for sophisticated adult brunches et, then nothing ever was. - Chris Spector As someone who collects Bach recordings, I was overjoyed the first time I heard this beautifully played and recorded disc, and I've played it several times since then. Lams is as compelling on guitar as Glenn Gould was on piano. You needn't be a CGT fan to fall under this CD's spell -- this is simply music in its purest form, with an appeal that's universal. NPR should pick this up for those interludes between news segments on All Things Considered. A number of my family members will get this disc for Christmas. - Mark Fleishman The surprise turns of Bach's tortuous writing defines the aesthetic for me. Bert's playing is very solid, where many get rigid, he seems to flow through it thoughtfully. These performances are breathtaking at times. - Anonym I've listened to some of your new cd and it's really great. You've chosen an ambitious and unique repertoire, and done brilliantly with it. It'll become one of my favorites. Congrats. - Tony Levin A very personal and intimate view of this music, well recorded and listenable. I am constantly reminded of Bert's storytelling ability with this performance. It's not leaving my playlist any time soon. - Sandra Prow I was immediately deeply touched by Bert's playing, it is wonderfully delicate and singing, intimate and unobtrusive, a pure joy to listen to. The acoustic sound of the transposed steel string guitar is much suited for these pieces of music. You know, I just wanted to tell you, this is a great piece of work, and it moves me! I love Bach, and you're responsible for that. - Martin Schwutke Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying listening to Nascent. In some cases, I have many recording of some of these pieces. Yours are certainly up there with the best. Really nice to hear them played on steel string guitar. Will you be making any of your transcriptions/arrangements available? - Michael Grenfell I've been listening to Bert's new album Nascent daily now since it's release and I must say that this selection, performance, and production of Bach's work is quite emotionally captivating. My wife and I both agree that the 'Chaconne from Violin Partita 2' is a truly intense and moving piece, bravo. :D I only wish that we could see a live performance of said works here on the east coast, this is music worth travelling to see. - Jim Farx I just finished listening to Nascent in my car the first two times. It sounds very very good! At least in the car, it sounds like you really got a nice blend of natural guitar tone and reverb... natural, but not naked ;-). The performances are great too.. 'almost' flawless.. but not so perfect as to sound like they were Pro-tooled to death. Great work all around! - Tom Griesgraber Bert Lams, Belgian guitarist and one third of the multi-faceted group The California Guitar Trio, has released an extraordinary solo debut with 'Nascent', a collection of J.S. Bach Preludes performed on solo steel-string acoustic guitar. While the arrangements and performing style of these pieces are in the typical style of Lams and the CGT, the spirit of Bach is very much present throughout the entire disc. It is definitely a Classical disc with an early Windham Hill Label flavor added to it and the end result is simply beautiful. Hats off to Bert Lams for creating such a brilliant solo debut. Bach's spirit is most likely looking down on this project with a big smile. A must for Bach fans as well as for fans of the solo acoustic music of Steve Howe, Steve Hackett and artists on the original Windham Hill Label. - Louie Bourland |
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