Inventions by Tony Barnard and Casey Golden, review by John Hardaker
Too many guitar and piano albums suffer from imbalance – the imbalance of a great big 88-key concert grand bullying a little 6-string guitar into submission. Tony Barnard‘s remarkable 21-string harp guitar (together with pianist Casey Golden‘s sensitivity to register) return a rare and unique balance to their their current collaboration, Inventions.
Across 16 tracks (nine from Barnard, seven from Golden) the duo mesh beautifully – often it is hard to tell where the Steinway ends and the Sedgwick (or Emerald Synergy) guitar begins. Which is as is should be.
Except of course when they excitingly play against or across each other: Barnard’s steel strings biting into the piano chords or Golden soloing brightly and lightly over the guitar rhythms, like rain falling across hills (Golden’s solo on “First Place” is a special case in point: its fleeting dissonances nipping and tugging against the driving guitar).
The range of tunes here allows full invention from both – the rustic country ramble of opener ‘Erin’s Song’, the Bach-like ‘Invisible’ (a range of approaches across four versions I,II, II and IV), the impressionistic ‘Where the Clouds Go’ (which shows the depth of the harp guitar).
The mood indigo minor ‘Erika’s Song’ is a gorgeous theme that draws a measured and considered solo from Golden. ‘Rhapsodic’ brings to mind Keith Jarrett’s more meditative pieces, painting watercolour pictures on the wind.
Inventions grows in enjoyment on each listen – as anything of this sophistication and creativity does. I have long enjoyed each of these artists – uncle and nephew from Australian jazz royalty, the Barnard clan – separately, so it is an event to hear them together. I truly hope there is more to come.
