“There are two means of refuge from from the miseries of life. Music and Cats!” As my own feline has just been caught sitting on my laptop keyboard, I would dispute half of Albert Schweitzer's smug comment. It is one of some quotes scattered throughout this guitar album's charming booklet with soft, playful illustrations by Karen Brooks and artist's notes of a rather high mind minded, spiritual bent. Not really my sort of thing, I thought, until I played it.
What is clear from the outset is David Kraus' magnificent playing. It has all the technique one expects but with real warmth and character as well. His eight miniature compositions are similarly striking, from the gorgeous, pulsating Zarabanda to the stillness of Little River (listed as duet. With whom?). The most substantial work is Estudio del Jazz, not especially jazzy, but an inventive, well structured workout for the guitar. There is nothing extraordinarily ground breaking about these compositions, but Kraus' writing always sounds fresh and avoids any trace of mawkishness or repetition that can, to my ears, blight a lot of guitar repertory.
There could be more about Kraus and the works themselves, but he has a fine website, which details his diverse, cultured background. Now a respected performer and teacher in Vermont, the sixty year old, Philadelphia born Kraus was primarily self-taught and appears to have been equally influenced by Jazz and Classical styles. Certainly this explains the uninhibited freedom of his playing and the stylistic invention of his works here. Sound is very forward and bright, emphasizing the sense of solitude and intimacy this album encourages. Relaxing without being soporific, this disc has been very pleasant company, settling down with a book, enjoying Kraus' accompanying journey before suddenly it just ends. Twenty seven minutes?! I hope this is not full price. Record some more, next time. Still, it's a sweet, little album."
"Filling the places between silence is the musician’s job description. Montpelier guitarist, composer and teacher David Kraus brings us an ambitious collection with his release "Between Silence: Poems for Solo Guitar" (Hochin Music). It is the composer’s recital of his own compositions, a work of distinct beauty and an expression of individual talent with references to both classic and modern guitar music. How much would we like to have audible proof of how Frederic Chopin (d. 1849) would interpret his series of polonaises? In the classical guitar world, how would seminal composer Fernando Sor (d. 1839) have brought light to future generations of devoted guitar students with personal recordings of his exercises and compositions for the guitar? Unfortunately for listeners and musical detectives alike, the technology didn’t exist in the mid-19th century. Listening to Between Silence, we have an opportunity to hear a mature musician, with feet firmly planted not just in solo guitar performance but also in R & B, jazz and working through his own finely honed material with his distinctive interpretation.
Kraus’s approach to music is detailed and meticulous, as demonstrated in “Zarabande,” the opening track of his collection. A series of rolling arpeggios and constantly shifting keys bring to mind an image of the player’s fingers moving in perfect rhythm in a series of physical movements that are the product of years of practice. Just as the very density of notes threatens to overwhelm the listener’s ear, there is a release to a series of crystalline harmonics leading to a short passage of vibrato-laden chords, and a brushed final chord that hangs in the air like a wisp of smoke. Here is a player’s technical prowess mingled with a discerning composer’s intent, yet the passion of the performance is the overarching impression left in the listener’s ear. “La Vuelta” (“The Returning”) is a more thoughtful reflection of Kraus’s composer’s side, less the performer’s showcase, full of expressive pauses and ritardandos, yet never faltering toward its ultimate resolution in another set of sparking harmonics.
Kraus’ instrument of choice for Between Silence is not a collector’s piece but a journeyman’s production-line Epiphone classical guitar. Yet in the hands of its longtime owner, each note from this guitar rings with extraordinary clarity and balance. Certainly, this is partly due to the stellar recording of engineer Bob DeMarco and the finely tuned ears of mastering engineer Peter Wilder. Kraus’s refined technique becomes evident in the courtly, lute-like tone achieved in “Nessie’s Dream,” which Kraus the player interprets Kraus the composer with the finesse of an accomplished imperial musician. It provides a lovely juxtaposition with the darker, denser approach used on much of Between Silence.
Kraus has toughed it out in jazz combos and funky R & B groups, so Between Silence offers a different and welcome side of his talent. However, Kraus’s latest work shows where its roots are buried. “Jacob’s Ladder” is a jazz-inflected chord melody reminiscent of jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke’s “In A Mist” or pianist Jess Stacy’s adlib interlude in the 1939 Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall performance of flagwaver “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Impressionist composer Claude Debussy left his mark on these musicians, and it’s no coincidence that Kraus cites Debussy as an influence.
Throughout Between Silence, jazz tonalities combine with classical guitar techniques to produce a work of varying timbres and textures, extending formulas of major and minor chords and scales with dissonances once unacceptable in classical composition. Like poems, the individual pieces ebb and flow, find tension and release, never sacrificing compositional integrity to guitaristic self indulgence. It will be interesting to see how Kraus’s compositions will impact the genre of instrumental and classical guitar. He’s not a typical participant in this insular world, but he intends to make his work available in standard musical notation. He has also developed his own enhanced tablature system, allowing him not just to share the notes and fingerings he has used, but also to communicate his emotional intentions. At just under a half an hour, Between Silence seems brief, but it certainly fulfills the composer’s stated goal of leaving the listener wanting more. So consider following this work with a listen to Kraus’s Some Sort Of Angel (1994), yet another side of one thoughtful man’s musical journey, recorded with such top players as bassist Clyde Stats and vibraphonist/percussionist Mark Van Gulden. Or maybe just hit the repeat button."
Kraus’s approach to music is detailed and meticulous, as demonstrated in “Zarabande,” the opening track of his collection. A series of rolling arpeggios and constantly shifting keys bring to mind an image of the player’s fingers moving in perfect rhythm in a series of physical movements that are the product of years of practice. Just as the very density of notes threatens to overwhelm the listener’s ear, there is a release to a series of crystalline harmonics leading to a short passage of vibrato-laden chords, and a brushed final chord that hangs in the air like a wisp of smoke. Here is a player’s technical prowess mingled with a discerning composer’s intent, yet the passion of the performance is the overarching impression left in the listener’s ear. “La Vuelta” (“The Returning”) is a more thoughtful reflection of Kraus’s composer’s side, less the performer’s showcase, full of expressive pauses and ritardandos, yet never faltering toward its ultimate resolution in another set of sparking harmonics.
Kraus’ instrument of choice for Between Silence is not a collector’s piece but a journeyman’s production-line Epiphone classical guitar. Yet in the hands of its longtime owner, each note from this guitar rings with extraordinary clarity and balance. Certainly, this is partly due to the stellar recording of engineer Bob DeMarco and the finely tuned ears of mastering engineer Peter Wilder. Kraus’s refined technique becomes evident in the courtly, lute-like tone achieved in “Nessie’s Dream,” which Kraus the player interprets Kraus the composer with the finesse of an accomplished imperial musician. It provides a lovely juxtaposition with the darker, denser approach used on much of Between Silence.
Kraus has toughed it out in jazz combos and funky R & B groups, so Between Silence offers a different and welcome side of his talent. However, Kraus’s latest work shows where its roots are buried. “Jacob’s Ladder” is a jazz-inflected chord melody reminiscent of jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke’s “In A Mist” or pianist Jess Stacy’s adlib interlude in the 1939 Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall performance of flagwaver “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Impressionist composer Claude Debussy left his mark on these musicians, and it’s no coincidence that Kraus cites Debussy as an influence.
Throughout Between Silence, jazz tonalities combine with classical guitar techniques to produce a work of varying timbres and textures, extending formulas of major and minor chords and scales with dissonances once unacceptable in classical composition. Like poems, the individual pieces ebb and flow, find tension and release, never sacrificing compositional integrity to guitaristic self indulgence. It will be interesting to see how Kraus’s compositions will impact the genre of instrumental and classical guitar. He’s not a typical participant in this insular world, but he intends to make his work available in standard musical notation. He has also developed his own enhanced tablature system, allowing him not just to share the notes and fingerings he has used, but also to communicate his emotional intentions. At just under a half an hour, Between Silence seems brief, but it certainly fulfills the composer’s stated goal of leaving the listener wanting more. So consider following this work with a listen to Kraus’s Some Sort Of Angel (1994), yet another side of one thoughtful man’s musical journey, recorded with such top players as bassist Clyde Stats and vibraphonist/percussionist Mark Van Gulden. Or maybe just hit the repeat button."
"I'm no guitarist, and I don't even claim to be Fanfare's “guitar expert,” although if there's a guitar CD to be reviewed, more often than not it will be sent to me. Be that as it may, this is a good one, even if I am evaluating it “musically” and not “guitaristically,” to use Kraus's neologism! True to Kraus's word, the eight pieces on Between Silence have been intelligently assembled, with an ear toward contrast and telling a story. The precise plot is left up to you, the listener, but you will feel as if you've lovingly been picked up from one location, and then just as lovingly set down again, 27 minutes later. Between the rippling and piquantly accented Zarabanda and the closing Little River, a pavane-like piece that suggests Ravel, Between Silence presents a variety of moods and styles, all of them engaging, all of them with something genuine to convey.
Kraus's music isn't simple-minded, but it makes an instantaneous impression. After several listens, that positive impression hasn't faded. This is music to hear when you're in need of uncomplicated healing, or when you're trying to escape a stressful world. Although Between Silence would fit into the classical genre—if one must settle on a genre at all—Kraus's influences and inspirations, not to mention his music's immediacy, belong to world music and jazz as well. His workmanship prevents music that is always mellifluous and often gentle from turning merely bland. The older I get, the less I can stand the concept of “background music,” but Kraus's work, if you choose not to put it at the center of your attention, should improve any environment you play it in.
As for Kraus's playing, if I were a young guitarist, perhaps one thinking about choosing him as a teacher, I would be in awe. Kraus makes everything he does with his instrument sound easy, although there is nothing easy about it. His sound is warm, his articulation is clean, and his playing exhales mature confidence and the ability to communicate. The engineering, which brings the guitar quite close, is excellent. There are no booklet notes per se, but a few words from the guitarist/composer, and a few more from Victor Hugo, Hafiz, and Albert Schweitzer nicely complement this project, as does the artwork. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this CD."
Kraus's music isn't simple-minded, but it makes an instantaneous impression. After several listens, that positive impression hasn't faded. This is music to hear when you're in need of uncomplicated healing, or when you're trying to escape a stressful world. Although Between Silence would fit into the classical genre—if one must settle on a genre at all—Kraus's influences and inspirations, not to mention his music's immediacy, belong to world music and jazz as well. His workmanship prevents music that is always mellifluous and often gentle from turning merely bland. The older I get, the less I can stand the concept of “background music,” but Kraus's work, if you choose not to put it at the center of your attention, should improve any environment you play it in.
As for Kraus's playing, if I were a young guitarist, perhaps one thinking about choosing him as a teacher, I would be in awe. Kraus makes everything he does with his instrument sound easy, although there is nothing easy about it. His sound is warm, his articulation is clean, and his playing exhales mature confidence and the ability to communicate. The engineering, which brings the guitar quite close, is excellent. There are no booklet notes per se, but a few words from the guitarist/composer, and a few more from Victor Hugo, Hafiz, and Albert Schweitzer nicely complement this project, as does the artwork. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this CD."
"On this short album, David Kraus plays eight of his compositions for guitar. The album documentation includes a very brief introduction by the composer but none of the usual text about the works, the composer’s biography, and so on. Nothing wrong in that, of course, but it does force the diligent reviewer to do a bit of research. Looking up David Kraus’s website revealed an unexpected aspect of this composer and performer—or, rather, an object lesson for me about not making assumptions. Whereas artists in the “classical” field invariably big up their involvement in this festival and on that CD, Kraus is merely content to mention some jazz sessions he is playing and, by the way, he is happy to teach you to play guitar for $50 an hour which, judging by his performance on this disc, is a great offer! So I pestered Kraus by e-mail and he was kind enough to provide me with some background information.
This album is hard to pigeonhole—but, then, why bother? Raymond Tuttle writes in this magazine, “Although Between Silence would fit into the classical genre if one must settle on a genre at all, Kraus’s influences and inspirations, not to mention his music’s immediacy, belong to world music and jazz as well.” I agree, though I am happy to have the music float between genres. It reminds me in this respect of Keith Jarrett or John Taylor at their least jazzlike and, if the album that most readily comes to mind is Pat Metheny’s One Quiet Night, also a solo guitar recital, it has to be said that the quality of Kraus’s compositions is several orders of magnitude greater than Metheny chose to offer on that occasion.
So, the opening track, Zarabanda, is influenced by Villa-Lobos’s Etude No. 1, while Nessie’s Dream is based on a Scottish song and Estudio del Jazz seeks to present jazz harmonies in a non-jazz context, which I think it successfully does. Kraus wrote me, “I didn’t think of this CD as classical when I conceived it and brought it to completion, which is why I subtitled it ‘poems for solo guitar.’ Nowhere do you see the word ‘classical.’ … The issue is integrity and honesty in the music, played with feeling and emotion. If this isn’t happening, then what’s the point?”
The album can be bought from CD Baby. The recording captures the guitar very well (if at a high level) and Kraus’s performances are impeccable, certainly conveying integrity and honesty and played with feeling and emotion (a nice distinction). This is a very enjoyable disc but, at the risk of being presumptuous, I think that Kraus could and should aim higher for the next one."
This album is hard to pigeonhole—but, then, why bother? Raymond Tuttle writes in this magazine, “Although Between Silence would fit into the classical genre if one must settle on a genre at all, Kraus’s influences and inspirations, not to mention his music’s immediacy, belong to world music and jazz as well.” I agree, though I am happy to have the music float between genres. It reminds me in this respect of Keith Jarrett or John Taylor at their least jazzlike and, if the album that most readily comes to mind is Pat Metheny’s One Quiet Night, also a solo guitar recital, it has to be said that the quality of Kraus’s compositions is several orders of magnitude greater than Metheny chose to offer on that occasion.
So, the opening track, Zarabanda, is influenced by Villa-Lobos’s Etude No. 1, while Nessie’s Dream is based on a Scottish song and Estudio del Jazz seeks to present jazz harmonies in a non-jazz context, which I think it successfully does. Kraus wrote me, “I didn’t think of this CD as classical when I conceived it and brought it to completion, which is why I subtitled it ‘poems for solo guitar.’ Nowhere do you see the word ‘classical.’ … The issue is integrity and honesty in the music, played with feeling and emotion. If this isn’t happening, then what’s the point?”
The album can be bought from CD Baby. The recording captures the guitar very well (if at a high level) and Kraus’s performances are impeccable, certainly conveying integrity and honesty and played with feeling and emotion (a nice distinction). This is a very enjoyable disc but, at the risk of being presumptuous, I think that Kraus could and should aim higher for the next one."
"Vermont guitarist and composer David Kraus has created a new album that is as rich in sonic beauty as it is in ideas. “Between Silence: Poems for Solo Guitar” comprises eight very personal and affecting short compositions, ranging in styles from Spanish classical to new age to unique. In this album, using an acoustic guitar with nylon strings, Kraus plays with clarity, elegance and a warm sound. His musicianship flows naturally. The composition is truly inventive and the performance touches the heart.
The album opens with “Zarabanda,” Spanish-style arpeggiated melodies with subtle harmonic modulations. The result is subtly touching and reassuring. “Intencion” is a lovely song, a tender melody over arpeggios. “Chorinho” creates a Latin atmosphere with a quietly expressed melody. “La Vuelta” is a haunting mix of varied arpeggios creating a quietly touching atmosphere. The result is somewhat askew and beautifully unsettling.
Perhaps most affecting is “Jacob's Ladder.” Although Latin-flavored, this ballad is very free-form – it might be improvised if it weren't so refined. Another irresistible piece is “Nessie's Dream,” a sophisticated but tenderly beautiful Celtic-style ballad. “Estudio del Jazz” is a set of creative variations, more Latin than jazz in style, with a new age consonance. “Little River,” Kraus' duet with himself, is a polyphonic ballad, a mix between Renaissance and modern styles.
Kraus, who teaches and performs locally, has taught at Norwich University, Johnson State College and the Governor's Institutes. Kraus' new album reflects a deeply introspective musician sharing a bit of himself. Inventive harmonic language and subtle rhythmic changes make this musical storytelling. And it's beautiful."
The album opens with “Zarabanda,” Spanish-style arpeggiated melodies with subtle harmonic modulations. The result is subtly touching and reassuring. “Intencion” is a lovely song, a tender melody over arpeggios. “Chorinho” creates a Latin atmosphere with a quietly expressed melody. “La Vuelta” is a haunting mix of varied arpeggios creating a quietly touching atmosphere. The result is somewhat askew and beautifully unsettling.
Perhaps most affecting is “Jacob's Ladder.” Although Latin-flavored, this ballad is very free-form – it might be improvised if it weren't so refined. Another irresistible piece is “Nessie's Dream,” a sophisticated but tenderly beautiful Celtic-style ballad. “Estudio del Jazz” is a set of creative variations, more Latin than jazz in style, with a new age consonance. “Little River,” Kraus' duet with himself, is a polyphonic ballad, a mix between Renaissance and modern styles.
Kraus, who teaches and performs locally, has taught at Norwich University, Johnson State College and the Governor's Institutes. Kraus' new album reflects a deeply introspective musician sharing a bit of himself. Inventive harmonic language and subtle rhythmic changes make this musical storytelling. And it's beautiful."
