Review: John Gorka Returns with ‘unentitled’
On his first album in seven years, the folk fixture delivers a set of spare, thoughtful songs grounded in voice and guitar.
Blair Jackson
Blair Jackson is the author of the definitive biography Garcia: An American Life and was senior editor at Acoustic Guitar before retiring in 2023.
Review: Volterra Project Trio Explores Drama and Dialogue on ‘Parole in Musica’
Music drawn from theater, film, and folklore becomes a vehicle for close ensemble playing and thoughtful arrangement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Review: Classical Guitar Great Sharon Isbin Elevates New Release from Composer Karen LeFrak
Consisting of world premiere recordings of three works based around Cuban rhythms, ‘Romántico’ features the exquisite classical guitar work of the reliably great Isbin.
New Releases Showcase the Expressive Power and Global Reach of the Nylon-String Guitar
Recent albums by Carlotta Dalia, the Mēla Quartet, Dale Kavanagh, and George Sakellariou reveal the instrument’s versatility.
Teja Gerken & Doug Young’s ‘The Water Is Wide’ Bridges Familiar Tunes and Fresh Arrangements
Longtime collaborators bring clarity, care, and quiet invention to a wide-ranging set of acoustic guitar duets.
ADVERTISEMENT
Guitar Talk: Arlen Roth Reflects on a Lifetime of Making and Teaching Music
More than a prolific solo artist and first-call sideman, Roth is one of the industry's most influential modern guitar instructors.
Review: Sharon Isbin and Amjad Ali Khan and Sons Deliver a Transcendent Fusion on ‘Live in Aspen’
East meets West in this fascinating collaboration of classical guitar and sarod, captured live at the Aspen Music Festival.
Review: Stephane Wrembel’s ‘Triptych’ Triology Is His Finest Work Yet
The guitarist-composer has outdone himself with his latest project, a three-album release called ‘Triptych Phase I,’ ‘Phase II,’ and ‘Phase III.’
ADVERTISEMENT
Review: Sue Foley Honors Women of the Blues and Beyond on ‘One Guitar Woman’
For her latest release, Foley has shifted gears and recorded a true solo album, with just her voice and a single, warm-sounding nylon-string acoustic.
Review: Julian Lage’s ‘Speak to Me’ Is a Deep and Multifaceted Album from the Young Master
Whether you’ve been out of the Lage loop or you’re simply Lage-curious, this album feels like the perfect vehicle to explore his talents as a player, collaborator, and composer.
Review: ‘Tripliciti’ Is a Brilliant Debut from a Fingerstyle Super-Trio
There’s so much thoughtful and imaginative fretwork on this tremendously collaborative album that it’s worth devoting your full attention to it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Review: Fingerstyle Virtuoso Tim Sparks Reinvents Classic Tunes on Brilliant New Trio Outing ‘Lost and Found’
You may think you know these songs, but Sparks and company take them to unpredictable and unexpected places.
Review: Plínio Fernandes’ Spellbinding ‘Bacheando’ Explores the Lasting Influence of J.S. Bach
‘Bacheando’ is a collection of works by Bach and by a few notable modern Brazilian composers who were deeply affected and influenced by Bach.
Review: Teja Gerken’s ‘Test of Time’ Is a Sonic Marvel from Top to Bottom
The Bay Area fingerstyle guitarist’s third solo album features a terrific mix of styles and influences and definitely lives up to its title.
Review: William Lee Ellis Keeps Things Raw and Real on the Guitar–Driven ‘Ghost Hymns’
The guitar work throughout shows Ellis’ impressive range, and the large selection of instruments gives each song a distinctive feel.
ADVERTISEMENT
Review: ‘The Blue Album’ by Spanish Virtuoso Pablo Sáinz-Villegas Is an Intriguing, Often Meditative Sonic Journey
These 14 pieces share a serene, mysterious, contemplative quality that's both compelling and pleasantly mind-opening.
Review: Hayden Pedigo Embraces Melody and Simplicity on ‘The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored’
Inventive sonic and instrumental touches throughout elevate what feels like a solo acoustic guitar album to something more expansive.
The Perennially Eclectic Guitarist Ralph Towner Is Still Defying Categorization
At 83, the prolific guitarist/composer continues to write and record vital, involving pieces.
ADVERTISEMENT
Review: Molly Tuttle Leans into Her Flatpicking Roots on the Brilliant ‘City of Gold’
The group's sophomore album may very well eclipse the unexpected success of its predecessor.
Jaimee Harris’ ‘Boomerang Town’ Finds the Dark and Light in Emotional Journey
Every song on this country-leaning folk Americana album is propelled by acoustic guitar and other, mostly spare instrumentation.
Belgian Classical Guitar Great Raphaella Smits Feels Right at Home Playing the Music of Argentina
The eight-string guitarist's latest album, ‘Che Argentina,’ is a passion project devoted to 20th-century works by seven Argentine composers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Multiple Layered Guitars Stand Out on Steve Dawson’s ‘Eyes Closed, Dreaming’
As with all of Dawson’s projects that I’ve heard, his layered guitars sit front and center, but he’s also supported by a fine cast of other players.
Elsie Franklin Offers a Mix of Bluesy, Vintage-Sounding Originals and Classic Covers on Sophomore Album ‘Miss Rhythm’
Half the songs on Miss Rhythm are originals, though if you didn’t see the writing credits, you could easily be fooled into thinking that they were pulled off scratchy 78s from the ’20s or ’30s.
Irene Gómez’s ‘Songs of My Life/Canciones de mi Vida’ is an Intriguing Nylon-String Mix of Beatles, Brel, and Schubert
The nimble and expressive Colombian classical guitarist Irene Gómez has always played a diverse repertoire, as befits a musician whose varied guitar education included programs in her native country, in France, and at Juilliard in New York, where she studied with Sharon Isbin.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rory Block’s ‘Ain’t Nobody Worried’ Salutes 10 of Her Favorite Female Singers
Ain’t Nobody Worried, the third installment in Rory Block’s Power Women of the Blues series, takes the acoustic slide guitar master and blues belter in some unexpected but completely rewarding new directions.
