The Georgia Guitar Quartet is Kyle Dawkins (guitar & banjo), Brian Smith (7-string guitar), Phil Snyder (guitar & cello), and Jason Solomon (guitar & harmonica). These four musicians have put together a weaving, twisting, sometimes melodic, often times complex & dissonant instrumental record here with Puzzle, their follow-up to 2004's Mosaic. Not as over the top and flamboyant as the super guitar trios featuring various formations of DiMeola, MacLaughlin, Coryell, DeLucia, and Lagrene, nor as melodic and jubilant as the California Guitar Trio, The Georgia Guitar Quartet performs acoustic music for the avant-garde fan. Many of the pieces here come across as improvisations ("Middle of Somewhere"), while others seem to have some sort of structure and see the players locking into some serious synergetic and complex interplay ("Piece Three" and "Piece Two" especially). Snyder's mournful cello really hits the mark on the second part of "La Vague", and the quartet really cooks on the intricate "Piece Four". The real highlight though is the 12-minute "Pan", a lush, pastoral number that is both charming yet highly dramatic, as the band uses all the instruments at their disposal to create music that borders prog, jazz, and World music styles, sort of like the great band Oregon. Chalk up a winner for this avant-garde acoustic ensemble from Athens.
Track Listing
1. Prelude
2. Flight
3. Piece One
4. Pan
5. Piece Two
6-7. Middle of Somewhere
8. Piece Three
9-12. La Vague
13. Piece Four
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