01	The Marsh						05:00
	02	Atlantis						04:14
	03	Skyline						04:24
	04	Mee-Woo						03:19
	05	Prelude Circulation BWV 988						02:54
	06	Cantharis						03:12
	07	Cosmo Calypso						05:33
	08	Whitewater						03:59
	09	Led Foot						04:20
	10	Relative Illusion						03:39
	11	Red Iguana						03:15
	12	Ghost Riders On The Storm						03:24

California Guitar Trio - Whitewater

Released: 2004 (Aug 17)
Label: InsideOut Music
Cat. No.:
Total Time: 43:14


Reviewed by: Joshua Turner, August 2004
Being biased against music without vocals, I figured this would be a tiring tirade of instrumental tripe. Instead, Whitewater turns out to be so much more. It's an enjoyable escapade on a delightful day.

The journey is navigated with refined skill. Complex maneuvers are done with ease. Passengers on this ride will be greatly impressed with the prowess of these pilots. The scenery along the way is breathtaking. The segments of the trip are short and easy on the senses. There is something awe-inspiring with every new embankment that is crossed.

The trip starts with "The Marsh." The song is slow and mellow. Water trickles down the hill slope. It gathers speed as droplets congregate into pools and join creeks that lead into streams.

"Atlantis" and "Skyline" lead further down this river.

"Mee-Woo" is a whitewater rafting experience. While the rapids move in a coordinated fashion, there is still erratic behavior with each rock that's encountered. The trio never capsizes. No man is thrown from the vessel.

The water is a sparkling clear blue in "Prelude Calculation BWV."

The musicians continue on their voyage in "Cantharis." Here they are in complete control of their instruments. Every note is sequenced with another. The guitars harmonize as each note skips, slams, and splashes to a frantic pace.

The sounds of nature come to the forefront in "Cosmo Calypso." Every pluck is a bird's chirp. The wind blows with each strum.

The title track is a harrowing piece. The ship is jarred out of alignment. The oarsman work diligently to retain their desired course.

"Led Foot" brings the expedition over a fierce waterfall. The craft is tossed, tumbled, and dragged into a wild whirlpool. Relative Illusion returns it to the gentlest of waters. After a log blocks the way, "Red Iquana" has the group portaging across the land.

"Ghost Riders Of The Storm" is an instrumental combination of the Rawhide theme song and The Doors' "Riders On The Storm." This is the coolest track due its twist on these recognizable tunes. Jake and Elwood Blues meet Wild Wild West.

Every track captivates and there couldn't be a better tour guide along the way. Tony Levin is credited for producing the album.

The California Guitar Trio has written some vivid pieces that literally jump off the media. These three amigos work spellbinding magic. With cunning slight of hand, the listener is not even aware that the vocals are non-existent. They have left no room in the mix for a single voice. The guitars do the singing. The fingerings are fast, furious, and flawless. The deception succeeds. The vocals are not even missed.

Rating: 4.25/5

More about Whitewater:

Track Listing: The Marsh (4:59) / Atlantis (4:13) / / Skyline (4:22) / Mee-Woo (3:18) / Prelude Circulation BVW 988 (2:52) / Cantharsis (3:10 / Cosmocalypso (3:53) / Whitewater (3:57) / Led Foot (4:17) / Relative Illusion (3:39) / Red Iguana (3:12) / Ghost Riders On The Storm (3:22)

Musicians:
Bert Lams - Guitar
Paul Richards - Guitar
Hideyo Moriya - Guitar

Contact:

Website: www.cgtrio.com
Note: will open new browser window

Discography

The Bridge Between
Yamanashi Blues
Invitation
Pathways (1998)
An Opening Act: Live On Tour With King Crimson
Rocks The West (2000)
Monday Night In San Francisco
Live At The Key Club (2001)
CG3+2 (2002)
A Christmas Album (2002)
The First Decade (2003)
Whitewater (2004)




California Guitar Trio: "Whitewater"

They are quite an institution: Paul Richards, Bert Lams and Hideyo Moriya, better known as the California Guitar Trio, are one of the most innovative and most extraordinary bands worldwide, and that since 13 years. They are an instrumental trio, that is conjuring up the transcendental power of those guitar strings, celebrating international success, they were nominated for the Grammy for several times, and it's a band that is not confusing virtuosity with technical exaggeration. They are interested in songs which are shining with intensity, richness of ideas and an almost contemplative charme. Again this is what you will find on their new album "Whitewater".

"Whitewater" are 12 songs featuring timeless and beautiful instrumental music that doesn't need much words. Simply because melodies are like metaphors which grab the listener and transport him into always new soundscapes. Be it the warm spherical sounds of the opener "The Marsh" (included on the album as a video live version multimedia bonus) which is sounding so harmonic and relaxing that it even is kind of meditative. Or with those mystic songs such as "Atlantis", "Prelude Circulation BVW 988", "Cosmo Calypso" or "Cantharsis" - this is music to immerse oneself into its sound, it's music for daydreaming, for chilling and indulging oneself, a music of such a suggestive power that you only have to close your eyes to find yourself immediately in "Whitewater" - an enchanted idyll far away from every civilization and all the problems involved. "Whitewater" is the paradise inside the listener's head that he himself can create, where he can retire from the world, and where CGT shows him the way.

And that works with the incredible varied sound of 18 strings or three guitars which convince with many surprising moments such as playful tempi and melody changes, and offer a lot of bold styles. Ranging from the classical finger exercises on "Prelude Circulation BVW 988" to the fiery flamenco of "Cantharsis", the kind of easy listening of "Cosmo Calypso" to the spacy "Relative Illusion" and the funky "Red Iguana". No CGT song sounds the same, everything is fresh, vital and excitingly different, and it can fill the listener with enthusiasm because of unusual effects and well-done playing with sounds.

All this is part of the concept of those three fully grown gentlemen coming from the USA, Belgium and Japan, and it is a tradition for a long time. After seven albums and 13 years on the road as a trio, the former students of Robert Fripp (King Crimson) who also played in his twenty-piece band "League Of Crafty Guitarists", still fill an ever-growing audience around the world with enthusiasm, they were on tour with King Crimson, John McLaughlin or David Sylvian and made a name for themselves with their playing wit and virtuosity. These virtues are impressively fostered by Lams, Moriya and Richards on "Whitewater" - and not just in the final "Ghost Riders On The Storm" which proves to be a well-done reworking of the Doors' classic tune "Riders On The Storm".

The record once again was produced by friend and fan Tony Levin. The bald bassist of Peter Gabriel and King Crimson not only worked at the mixing desk in the New York "Make on Believe Ballroom Studio", but he insisted on accompanying those three guys on their live tour. So he is present during many live gigs of the US tour starting at the end of August, and he will probably be CGT's guest when the tour continues in Europe at the beginning of next year. A concert journey which one already can be looking forward to, as well as to one of the best, most unconventional instrumental albums of the year. CGT once again made it - unpretentiously, charmingly, and with the use of unbeatable weapons: 18 strings which sound like a entire guitar army. And somehow those three guys are that, too.





California Guitar Trio - Whitewater
Reviewed by Makis on 2004/08/09


Official website
Inside Out Music


The Marsh
Atlantis
Skyline
Mee-Woo
Prelude Circulation BVW 988
Cantharsis
Cosmocalypso
Whitewater
Led Foot
Relative Illusion
Red Iguana
Ghost Riders On The Storm
Hideyo Moriya - Guitars
Paul Richards - Guitars
Bert Lams - Guitars


With a whirlwind of instrumental styles fusing classical, rock, blues, jazz, world music bluegrass, as well as the quintessential California musical genre surf music, the California Guitar Trio's stunning virtuosity and sly sense of humor have earned them a rabid following and wide notoriety, with significant crossover in the progressive, acoustic and classical music scenes.

Notably, CGT music was featured in the television coverage of the 1998 and 2000 Olympics, and on CBS, NBC, CNN World Beat, and ESPN TV programs. The CGT performed on the 2003 Grammy Awards nominated track Apollo from Tony Levin's CD Pieces of the Sun; and CGT music was sent into outer space as wake up music for the crew aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavor.

Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bert Lams of Brussels, Belgium, and Hideyo Moriya of Tokyo first met in England at one of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft Courses in 1987. After completing several of these intensive courses, the three toured worldwide with Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists. Wanting to continue together after the League had run its course, Bert, Paul and Hideyo convened in Los Angeles and founded The California Guitar Trio in 1991, honing their intricate original compositions, surf covers, and classical re-workings.

In 1993 the trio released their first full-length album on the Discipline Global Mobile label, Yamanashi Blues which features brilliant interlocked acoustic instrumentals such as "Kan-non Power", surf tunes, and Bach pieces. Touring with Fripp and Trey Gunn as the Robert Fripp String Quintet in 1993 resulted in the outstanding live album The Bridge Between. In 1995 the CGT released Invitation, notable for its splendid rendition of Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. In 1998, the CGT's best selling album Pathways was released featuring amazing arrangements of works of Beethoven. The band has recorded four live albums, An Opening Act - On tour with King Crimson, Rocks the West, the self-released Monday Night in San Francisco (with Tony Levin) and Live at the Key Club, featuring Levin and Pat Mastelotto.

The CGT signed with InsideOut Music label in 2002 and released the critically acclaimed CG3+2, featuring Peter Gabriel bassist Tony Levin and King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto. The truth is that this release has nothing to do with heavy metal music; instead what we got here is instrumental progressive rock tunes. I admit I haven't heard of CGT before and I was quite surprised from my first hearing of Whitewater.

Twelve instrumental songs, twelve tracks listening to only guitars. Just acoustic, electro acoustic and electric guitar melodies and harmonies, that's all. A sound that I am not used to but I will definitely start listening from now on. What can I say for these guys? Their material is excellent. It's like a guitar-orgasm. You will need some hearings before you get used to this sound but once you do that you will be amazed. For sure this trio belong with all the other guitar heroes. Well if you want to relax - chill out and hear something different among the heavy metal tunes that you always hear, then I strongly suggest you these guys: although you have to be open-minded to accept this kind of music.