Anthimos, Apostolis: Miniatures

Some of you may know Apostolis Anthimos (known as Lakis amongst his friends) as one of the founding members of the Polish band SBB. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name, Anthimos is a Greek musician who has lived in Poland for the majority of his life. Since SBB formed in 1971, Anthimos has also been involved with numerous side projects and bands. He has also built up a solid reputation as a session musician. This is his fourth solo release.

This is the first time I have listened to this musician and I have not heard guitar playing quite like this. Anthimos' style leads toward avant-garde with flashes of jazz and jazz fusion mixed in with a little rock. On this album Anthimos also plays drums and keyboards and bass is provided by Robert Szewczuga. This truly is a solo album in every sense of the word.

Each track is a short concise piece with the common thread being Anthimos' guitar weaving back and forth through the songs and none of the tracks run over five minutes. At times his playing is quite melodic while at other times it is angular and discordant with piercing notes and esoteric rhythms. When Anthimos takes us into those jazz fusion forays there is still beauty to be found amidst the chaos which, in my book, is a sign of a very good musician. The musicianship displayed here is really top notch.

From the opening of "Sunrise" you know this will be an interesting listen. Sporadic drum fills and shards of guitar sounds burst from the speakers letting you know this is no ordinary instrumental guitar album. Soon, an ultra melodic riff takes hold sweeping you in. The songs are able to be both experimental and catchy while never missing a beat, one of the strong selling points of this album. The jazz rock of "Manhattan Circus" continues with another melodic rhythm that slowly takes hold, with a nice ripping guitar solo to boot. "Circles" takes us into avant fusion territory with disjointed bursts of guitar and irregular drum patterns, very progressive in nature. In this song Anthimos shows us he knows his way around a drum kit. If there is such a thing as beautiful noise, this is it.

This is a solid release and one that I will be coming back to. If you are a fan of instrumental jazz rock and fusion and like guitarists in the style of Jeff Beck (I'm thinking Blow by Blow) or Oz Noy you should investigate this release. A solid 3.5 star effort.

Track Listing:
1. Sunrise
2. Manhattan Circus
3. Circles
4. Pinnochio's Son
5. Far Eastern Road
6. Squares
7. Midnight Walking
8. Ta-Ta
9. Triangles
10. Oh, I Can't Stop
11. Alpha
12. Sunset
13. Moussaka In Evening

Added: February 1st 2009
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1892
Language: english

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