Search - Three Guitars: Paris Concert on DVD

Assad and the others

A. A. Decarvalho | 11/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me start by just saying that I've known, and enjoyed immensely, Larry Coryell's music since the seventies - ever since watching his amazing performance with Philip Catherine at the 1978 (?) São Paulo Jazz Festival. I've also listened to Abercrombie's work (particularly his ECM titles) for a long time.

But... I must tell, the real star of this show is, without a doubt, Badi Assad. An exceptional guitarist, and very good singer, she's actually multi-faceted performance artist, using her voice, body and guitar as a whole, cohesive, musical instrument.

On this video, we can actually watch her mesmerizing combination of absolutely impeccable guitar technique - classically trained guitarists will enjoy the precision of her fingering style and crystal clear emission - and deeply, heartfelt emotional involvement with the music itself.

Larry Coryell's performance is excellent as well, and there is a good chemistry between him and Badi, less so between she and Abercrombie. But, all in all, an excellent show.

This DVD is well worth its price, and I was actually surprised when I found a video performance of this trio, which recorded the same program with Chesky Records in SACD and CD."