Joel Harrison & Anthony Pirog: The Great Mirage

  Lou Reed once wrote that “you can’t beat 2 guitars, bass, drum,” a sentiment that Joel Harrison & Anthony Pirog take to heart for The Great Mirage. Harrison and Pirog wield a variety of electric and acoustic guitars, plus the occasional electric piano, mellotron, synthesizers and more. The supple and ultra-dynamic rhythm team of Stephen Crump on electric bass and Allison Miller on drums and synth is supplemented on one track by Bruce Katz on Hammond organ. It all makes for a delicious stew of rock and jazz fusion, with instrumentation derived from the rock side of things, and the open-ended approach of dedicated improvisers. Except for Keith Jarrett’s Mortgage on My Soul, all the pieces are collaborations by the guitarists. The Jarrett piece, from his 1971 Atlantic album Birth, gets a surprisingly raging treatment, complete with a thumping big beat laid down by Miller, and genuine fuzz bass from Crump. Influenced by everything including the blues, surf music, hard rock, and much more, Harrison and Pirog seem to be having plenty of fun with this project. Highlights include the soothingly atmospheric Desert Solitaire, the slowly building turmoil of It Slipped Through My Fingers, the elegant I’ll See You in the Shining World, the psychedelic rave-up of East Hurley, and the fiery closer Buffalo Heart. The Great Mirage is a winner from start to finish. Happily recommended. 

AGS Recordings ABSR-004; Joel Harrison (electric & acoustic guitars, toy piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Tibetan bowls, mellotron) Anthony Pirog (electric & acoustic guitars, synthesizers) Stephan Crump (electric bass guitar) Allison Miller (drums, Moog synthesizer) Bruce Katz (Hammond B-3 org on *); Hurley, NY, May 21-23, 2022; The Great Mirage/ Critical Conversation/ There's Never Enough Time/ Mortgage on My Soul/ Desert Solitaire/ It Slipped Through My Fingers/ Last Rose of Summer/ I'll See You in the Shining World/ East Hurley/ Clarksdale*/ Buffalo Heart; 50:25. agsrecordings.bandcamp.com

Joel Harrison: Guitar Talk

Guitarist Joel Harrison, impresario of the Alternative Guitar Summit, debuts his new label AGS Recordings with Guitar Talk, a long program of encounters with 4 other guitar slingers. There are also a pair of duets with the eminent electric bassist Steve Swallow, and the set concludes with a pair of Harrison solo excursions. Given the string-driven firepower of Harrison and fellow guitarists Steve Cardenas, Ben Monder, Pete McCann, and David Gilmore, I was expected a rowdier experience than the surprisingly mellow path that prevails. The highlights for me are the duos with Swallow, who brings a matchless swing to Harrison’s dedication to him, and lends an air of mystery to another Harrison original, I’m Still Asking the Question. The first of Harrison’s solo tracks finds him exploring Duke Ellington’s Reflections in D, premiered by the maestro in a 1953 trio rendition. Here it becomes a potent elegy, lovingly performed and imbued with deep spirit. The only jarring passages in the entire set come in Harrison’s closing solo version of America the Beautiful, with some chunky chords here and there and some biting lead guitar. Definitely worth a listen, especially for guitar fans. 

AGS Recordings AGSR-001; Joel Harrison (g); no dates or locations specified; It Fall On You (with Steve Cardenas, Ben Monder)/ Sunday Night With Vic (with Pete McCann)/ Autumn in Olivebridge (with Ben Monder)/ Rebound (with Pete McCann)/ I Knew Right Away (with Steve Cardenas)/ Song for Steve Swallow (with Steve Swallow, b)/ Winter Solstice (with Ben Monder)/ I’m Still Asking the Question (with Steve Swallow, b) Black Mountain Breakdown (with David Gilmore)/ Reflections in D/ America the Beautiful; 64:46. agsrecordings.bandcamp.com