Ambsace, the second album of acoustic instrumentals by guitarists James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg, finds the modern fingerpicking resurgence alive and well. The duo's debut release for Paradise of Bachelors — one of the resurgence's greatest visionaries for new fingerpicking talent — Ambsace was conceived over two sessions that took place nearly a year apart in Elkington's Chicago attic studio.
Recalling the technically-driven guitar duets heard on Bert Jansch and John Renbourne's genre-defining Bert & John, with an approach that channels the traditions of American Primitivist John Fahey, Ambsace fits rightly alongside recent works by contemporary pickers like Steve Gunn, Glenn Jones and William Tyler. Arrangements of songs by Duke Ellington and the Smiths pair well with the duo's nimble acoustic compositions on this sublime autumnal offering. This is guitar music for guitar players and beauty lovers alike.
(Paradise of Bachelors)Recalling the technically-driven guitar duets heard on Bert Jansch and John Renbourne's genre-defining Bert & John, with an approach that channels the traditions of American Primitivist John Fahey, Ambsace fits rightly alongside recent works by contemporary pickers like Steve Gunn, Glenn Jones and William Tyler. Arrangements of songs by Duke Ellington and the Smiths pair well with the duo's nimble acoustic compositions on this sublime autumnal offering. This is guitar music for guitar players and beauty lovers alike.