Jorge Strunz
Neotropical Nocturnes
There is light accompaniment on most pieces by other instruments such as cello, violin, upright bass, and percussion, and Ardeshir Farah makes an appearance with steel-string guitar on one piece. The recording is primarily layers of Jorge Strunz's astonishing guitar playing, combining hand style (reflecting his deep knowledge of classical, flamenco, and Latin folk hand techniques) with his renowned pick mastery. The accompaniments are lush arpeggiations that interlace and ramify like the tropical lianas ornamenting a jungle, over which the melodies and abundant improvisations soar like a bird.
Comments From Jorge Strunz
Neotropical Nocturnes are part of a group of original pieces that I have recorded over the last few years (apart from my ongoing work with Ardeshir Farah), which I have decided I would like to share with a listening audience. The music is intimate, rhythmic, and primarily inspired by tropical Latin America, where one can find a natural surrealism that reflects a juxtaposition of reality and fantasy, where the past exists within the present, rusticity with sophistication, and folklore and legend are all intertwined. All this dwells within a world of exuberant multihued nature.
In a parallel musical way, a traditionally-inspired Latin theme can evolve into a resonance from Moorish Spain, or a folkloric motif echo strains from the Baroque, and subtle jazz impressions along with shades of classicism and abundant improvisation all come together, I hope, as a coherent whole like the tessellation around a guitar's rosette.
~Jorge Strunz