And he just plain upsets other guitar players, who after witnessing a Kevin Breit performance, may be inspired to slide the guitar under the bed and find something else to do. He upsets the received wisdom of how the guitar should be played. He upsets traditional notions of what is possible on the guitar. Graham Reid, March 2021 - Breit is an upsetting guitar player.
#Repeating gitbox full
Further evidence of how linear time comes full circle with Curveball. Yet, out of that exotic and evocative melange of styles and influences, what emerges is - and has always been - distinctively Gitbox.įinally, the cover art is by Graeme Gash (also a guitarist, formerly of Waves) whose distinctive work graced the group's previous albums. The listener's mind can be taken towards contemporary classical music allusions to Spanish, Middle Eastern or North African styles the freedom of jazz, entrancement of minimalism or the economy of pop. Gitbox occupies a singular place in New Zealand music in that it draws from diverse sources. The perfect encore for their rebellious, pesky digits.
And they close with Ennio Morricone's dramatic theme to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The bonus is hearing the ensemble in concert on the second disc where they essay some Curveball material but also other pieces, among them a variation on Threnody for Francisco Mendez from their debut album, a nod to the completion of that circle of time here. And a reminder of how sophisticated and seasoned these players are.įour of the group's original members – Nigel Gavin, Kim Halliday, Bodie Hermans and Russell Hughes – are still here, advancing this distinctive project into its fourth decade. As always, Gitbox subverts expectations but also deliver their beautifully realised, sometimes algebraic, melodies with a lively vigour or an elegant stateliness.įrom the pristine opening chimes of the ethereal Sanctuary where the glistening notes hang in still air and the urgently repeated figure which opens Absent Friend through the sub-tropical balm of the charming Dhoggs (My Dog Doesn’t Respect Me) to the concert chamber concentration and aural dynamics of the title track and beyond, the first disc of studio recordings is a constant revelation. And it has recorded artists as unique as the percussion group From Scratch and now, again, Gitbox.Ĭurveball – an appropriate title for a Gitbox and Rattle album – is the group's third for the label following Pesky Digits and Touch Wood in '94. Under the assured stewardship of helmsman Steve Garden, Rattle has since taken listeners on journeys through classical, jazz, sonic experimentalism, improvised music, the evocative sounds of taonga puoro. Thirty years ago, the Rattle label launched itself with the album Pesky Digits by the Auckland guitar ensemble, Gitbox Rebellion. But sometimes we can feel it as circular. Time, as we live through it, seems linear. Recorded by Sam Tozer at Lot 23, Auckland Recorded by Olly Harmer at The Lab Studio, Auckland Produced by Nigel Gavin, Kim Halliday and Steve Garden Russell Hughes, Joanne Melbourne, Tomislav Skulic, Rob Mita, Sonia Wilson, Bodie Hermans, Peter Kirkbride, Sam Loveridge, Kim Halliday and Nigel Gavin
Gitbox is comprised of ten acoustic guitarists who usually perform left to right in this order: The group’s music is as unique and vibrant as ever, just as Rattle’s enthusiasm for artists who follow their own compass is not only undiminished but even more determined as we move into our fourth decade. As curveballs go, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer one. This year, 2021, is Rattle’s 30th anniversary as an advocate for New Zealand art-music, and it gives us enormous pleasure to mark the occasion with a new album from Gitbox, the band that kicked things off for the label three decades ago with their much-loved and widely acclaimed Pesky Digits, Rattle’s very first release back in 1991.
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