Baden Powell Music

Paulo Bellinati would stand out if he were just a guitarist, but he is also an extremely gifted composer. As a fellow guitarist, I have to admire his tone and and impeccable technique. But as a lover of good music, I must marvel at his brilliant original compositions. I have heard a lot of great solo guitar music in my life, but very few can compare with what Bellinati can do with just 6 strings. His transcriptions of other composers are equally satisfying and original in quality. If you enjoy classical guitar and are ready to move outside the box, this would be the CD to get. Or, if you have an appreciation of Brazilian musical color and rhythms, you should have this CD.

Several tracks on this CD are corrupted. Not sure if it's just my copy.
Music that was recorded properly is beautiful.

This album is wonderful. Burgess' playing is musical, technical and brilliant. I love the variety of the songs.

Wherever you are, David Burgess, don't get exhaust yourself concertizing. Get back in the studio and record another excellent CD! Your talent is much too good to let slip away in the ephemeral wind; crystallize it on CD for everyone to hear long after your fine concerts are memories. Yeah, I guess I'm begging you to lay down more brilliant recordings. It can be Latin American, Spanish, Brazilian--anything. Just do it! ...

I bought this CD directly from the artist himself after hearing him perform several of the pieces live. David Burgess is guitarist of extraordinary talent and broad interest. This CD contains beautiful pieces from both South America and Spain that are intricately performed with great depth of emotion. I would recommend this disc for any true music lover.

I bought this CD at one of Burgess' concerts (in Virginia). He plays with much strength, variety of technique, and tonal quality; moreover, he has excellent command of the rhythm required for this mainly Latin American collection. My favorites are the hypnotically delightful "Seis por Derecho" and "La Misionera," which has a driving and catchy rhythm. I find almost every other piece enjoyable except for the over-recorded "Leyenda" and the somewhat ponderous piece by Rodrigo (whom I'm still a big fan of, nonetheless). It would be nice if those two were replaced by a few of the other interesting Brazilian pieces I heard at the concert. Fortunately, I was told that Burgess might put out more Brazilian recordings later in 2002. I'm very much looking forward to hearing them.

David Burgess is one of those artists that is a total gem to find. He doesn't have a "big name" or a huge recording contract, but when it comes down to what matters (namely playing well) he can totally deliver the goods. Not only is he technically amazing (I've seen him in concert and he honestly didn't hit a single bad note), he plays with an incredible amount of soul. You can tell both on record and live, that he breathes this music and that it truly means the world to him.

Not only is the album a varied (yet consistent and thematic) but he employs a wide range of techniques to achieve his amazing sound: "Samba do Aviao" is breathtaking in terms of speed and beauty, the rhytmic oddities and brilliant use of percussive effects in "Berimbau" is unreal, "La Catedral" is sublime and almost played at a whisper, yet he breathes new life into familiar favorites like Isaac Albeniz's "Leyenda." This is one of the most creative albums of any genre that I've heard, but it is by far the best guitar album I own (and one of the best I've ever heard.) Another thing that makes this album so great is how rare some of this material is, some of these are complete gems and not at all in the standard repertoire.

And if you have the chance...GO SEE HIM IN CONCERT...its even better than the superb album.

LAGQ Brazil is the quartet's first release since the resignation of Andrew York last year shortly after the recording of their previous record, "Spin." York has been replaced by Matthew Grief and no one would hardly be able to recognize the personnel change aside from the absence of some of Andrew York's compositions. On this release, it is safe to say that the quartet is starting to move in a little bit different direction. We hear collaborations with other musicians and a more straight-ahead vision without as much genre bending. The result is that on LAGQ Brazil, we get a lot of great Brazilian Jazz influenced tracks featuring great Latin American percussion work, great vocals and some pretty amazing flute work on the first cut. The Jobim medley is absolutely sublime and there are also some great pieces from other Brazilian greats including Villa-Lobos and Paulo Bellinati. The CD is full of the enchanting sounds of Brazil with excellent playing, tight ensemble and fantastic production. The listener will be delighted with the classic LAGQ mix, featuring all four players mixed across the audio spectrum from left to right. Put on headphones and it is almost as if the quartet is playing for you in a semi-circle around you. Fans of the LAGQ will not be disappointed by Andrew York's departure as there is plenty for the guitar quartet fans to indulge in here.