Kastning, Kevin: Otherworld

Kevin Kastning is an American guitarist and composer who has released a total of nineteen albums, including his latest release Otherworld. He has played and recorded with such luminaries as Michael Manring, Alex de Grassi, Mark Wingfield and many others. On Otherworld he decides to go it alone featuring just him and the guitar. What is unusual is the types of guitars he plays; 36-string Double Contraguitar, 30-string Contra-Alto guitar, 15-string Extended Classical guitar, 12-string Soprano guitar and 6-string Classical guitar. Now I am not a musician but I can well imagine just how difficult it is to play many of those instruments. Equally impressive is the fact he invented many of his guitars like the 36 and 30-string instruments.

Otherworld contains a total of sixteen tracks with many in the two to three minute range and the longest being just over eight minutes. While this is not an easy album to fully absorb on first listen the music is quite mellow and the songs have a nice overall flow. He is an impressive player, coaxing and fine tuning each note out of his instrument. What is important to note this isn't about showing off how fast he can play, although there are certainly some fast leads here and there. This is more about unusual chord progressions, arpeggios and harmonics. At times the music is dissonant but not in an overt way. This is more subtle, often times quite gentle and soothing.

The bottom line; if you appreciate non-mainstream acoustic music in the jazz and classical realms and with a touch of the experimental, Otherworld will be an album you can sink your teeth into.

Released on the artist's own label, Greydisc Records.

Track Listing:
1. Dawn Forest Bridge (3:23)
2. Into Glance Turning (3:17)
3. No Light, but Rather (3:11)
4. Present Red and Vanishing (8:00)
5. Hiemal (3:21)
6. In Stillness Defined (8:03)
7. Autumn Movement Speculation (2:46)
8. Drifting Thread and Wonder (2:08)
9. Lingua Ignota (2:44)
10. Arc Rotation Shadow (5:13)
11. Whisper Garden (3:07)
12. Veiled Silent Overturn (4:17)
13. A Lingered Chamber to Wake (2:49)
14. Aspect Form Vortex (5:34)
15. No Abstraction of Perhaps (5:22)
16. Corridors Therefrom Within (2:45)

Added: November 17th 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1974
Language: english

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