Short Reviews [Carl Weingarten - 2021 - "Ember Days"]

Carl Weingarten is an American guitarist, photographer, and founder of the independent music label Multiphase Records. He has been releasing albums for 40 years but when it came to record this one, he describes it as starting out anew, as he was not in a studio collaborating with other musicians but instead was working on his own due to the pandemic. This led to him undertaking what was for him a new way of recording, building many of the layers himself before contacting colleagues who were able to contribute remotely. These included Michael Manring (bass), Ulrich Schnauss (synthesizers from London), Kit Walker (piano from Uruguay), Tate Bissinger (vocals), Pete Calandra (keyboards from New York), David Udell (guitar) and Walter Whitney (keyboards), his Delay Tactics bandmates from St. Louis. The result is an album which is thoughtful, reflective, with an inner beauty. Here we have well-constructed arrangements where the guitar is the central point, but rarely do we have a million notes to the bar but rather there is melody and control. Weingarten is quite prepared to use long-held notes to create a certain feeling as opposed to going all over the neck. Feedback and sustain are used when the time is right, acoustic guitar at others, while Manring has a huge impact with a bass which is always there without imposing itself too high in the mix. In some ways this feels more like a keyboard album than a guitarist, as there is little in the way of flashiness but rather everything is there for a specific purpose, and the result is something which can be both played in the background or listened to intently as it works on all levels. He definitely approaches the music from a prog and jazz perspective as opposed to classical, yet somehow manages to bring in many commercial elements to make it a delight to listen to.