Paper Moon - Miniatures
by Craig Yerkes
Miniatures, the new CD from guitar duo Paper Moon, is a sly and utterly entertaining piece of work. The approach is delightfully eclectic with nods to such diverse influences as Al DiMeola and the Helecasters with some Django, Metheny, Paco DeLucia, and Wes Montgomery thrown in along the way. Paper Moon has managed to merge these different styles into a truly original sound and approach all their own.
Track one, 'Rayuela,' (a straight ahead, up-tempo, acoustic/Spanish-style crowd pleaser) is actually the weakest offering on the disc due to how little it does to forecast how fresh the rest of the recording will be. Paper Moon's two players, Scot Taber and Daniel Dever, move seamlessly between acoustic and electric on the following tracks, bringing all kinds of funky surprises along the way. There is an almost giddy approach dripping off this music, as if they just couldn't wait to add that next guitar part to see what it would sound like. Much to duo's credit, though, it never becomes a guitar orgy thanks to an over-riding sense of doing what's right for the song. Track three, the 7/8 offering called 'The Freneticist,' reminded me of DiMeola's early stuff with a great mix of muted electric licks driving the rhythm and Spanish/nylon-string lead lines adding a Latin fire. 'While She Sleeps' features a wonderful waltz melody and should bring a smile to fans of the super-smooth, octave-style/Montgomery-esque electric jazz sound. This disc really launches into the stratosphere starting with track five, 'Swing Sets.' Its intro features an effect that makes it sound like it's being played through some kind of cheap record player in a cafŽ somewhere in Europe. To me, this clever intro signals that the rest of the disc is designed to take the listener on a trip through the limitless musical world of these artists. From the super tasty gypsy solos on 'Swing Set' and the funky backwards guitar intro on 'CafŽ Antiguo' to the delightful handling of the melody on 'Vals Ð Tema De Strauss' and the beautifully breezy leads on 'Emily,' this is music that keeps bringing smiles. My favorite is track ten, 'Epilogue,' which features a stunningly beautiful, almost otherworldly melody and an equally amazing counterpart of fretless bass, strings, and perfectly complementary sound effects.
This CD should appeal to a broad spectrum of music lovers, especially those with an ear toward world music. There is musical invention here to be sure, but everything is done within the context of making music that is just plain fun to listen to. If some of this material doesn't make it into some kind of soundtrack, it will only be because the right people didn't hear it. The Paper Moon guys have pulled off quite a trick with Miniatures, creating an artistically uncompromised musical kaleidoscope that is a blast for the rest of us to listen to. Bravo!
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Paper Moon began in 2004, as Scot Taber and Daniel Dever combined extensive backgrounds in guitar performance and composition...
Scot Taber studied classical guitar and flamenco under the acclaimed guitarist Adam Schydlower of Gitano and the Desert Prophets and Stephan Schyga of Tel Arc Records' celebrated "Jazzmenco" act La Vienta. At seventeen, he joined the Spanish dance company Danzas Españolas, providing guitar accompaniment for flamenco dancers, later joining Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) graduate Arturo Garibay to form the World Beat guitar duo Taber & Garibay. They released the original album "Andromeda" in 1996 and toured extensively throughout the western U.S. and Mexico. In 2000, after playing in Taber & Garibay for over 5 years, Scot released Liminal, a mix of Jazz and World Music, later releasing the CDs Gone in 2002 and Big Perfect in 2005. He currently teaches and performs in the San Diego area.
Daniel Dever was born in Germany but soon made it across the Atlantic to Nashville, where he began his music career playing lead guitar and recording with country bands. Frequently performing at The Bell Cove Club in Nashville, he also gained experience as a studio musician and engineer, working closely with legendary Nashville artist/performer Garland Craft(Firescape Records), among others. Dan has also collaborated on jazz pieces for use in commercials and has since been involved in eclectic performance and recording projects, including a role as lead guitarist for rock band Fuzzy Waldorf and the composition of movie scores for independent films.
GET THE NEW CD "MINIATURES" HERE.
--> CDBABY LINK for PAPER MOON: Miniatures -->
Question? RU...Holdin' onto things that Vanish into the air...
{Life can be such simplicity, if we let it be}~Dare
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Please be inspired to live in the moments & the times of your LIFE…Let Go of Things that do not serve you, and do not look back. For you may stumble and struggle in seeing what’s ahead, if your always looking back! ~Dare
Hey Scott! Haven't seen you in a long while... still playing downtown on Sat nights? I'll have to swing by when I'm not working sometime, or maybe when I bring someone to the jail since it's just down the street :) Hope you're doing well.
Awesome stuff! You never cease to amaze me! So glad you are out there still doing music! Have to say I have missed hearing you play over the years! Glad to be back in the fold!
Scot,
I became fond of the song "The Living Lights of Day" when it was played on KTEP. Its nice to have found you on myspace and continue to enjoy your music once again. : )
Sincerely,
an old fan from El Paso
..
Pam & Noel
