CDs

Cassandra Wilson, Traveling Miles.

This successor to Blue Light ’Til Dawn and New Moon Daughter further establishes Wilson as one of today’s most original and seductive stylists, combining strains of jazz, folk, blues, and pop into lush acoustic soundscapes. This time, Miles Davis is her muse. Along with four Davis-inspired originals, she adds vocals and lyrics to classic instrumentals with dazzling results, particularly Marcus Miller’s "Tutu" (which is retitled "Resurrection Blues") and Wayne Shorter’s "ESP" ("Never Broken"). Another unexpected treat is a dreamy, fingerpicked version of Cyndi Lauper’s "Time After Time" (which Davis covered). As before, Wilson leaves most of the guitar work to others; Marvin Sewell ably covers flattop, classical, resophonic, electric, and bouzouki and is joined by a group of top-notch players who collectively cast a spell. (Blue Note)

—Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

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Jeff White, The Broken Road.

This wonderfully engaging CD showcases Jeff White’s gift for composing ballads: songs that tell stories. These stories are conveyed with subtle elegance by a host of bluegrass and country music heavies, including Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, and Alison Krauss. White’s understated singing draws the listener into each tale, and his guitar playing is clean, tasteful, and striking in its simplicity. The other musicians take their cue from his approach. It’s rare to hear harmonies and instrumental breaks work so well to deepen the mood and heighten the tension of a song without calling attention to themselves. A fine listen and an inspiration for all guitarists who accompany singers. (Rounder)

—Sue Thompson

Lydia Mendoza, Vida Mía.

One of the most influential tejano singers and guitarists of our time, Lydia Mendoza delivers a love song with powerful emotion. Vida Mía compiles tracks recorded from 1934 to 1936, when Mendoza was still in her teens. Her songs are packed with pain and heartache but sung with such lyricism and sweetness one can’t help but be heartened by it all. Mendoza accompanied herself on 12-string guitar, often tuning it down to a low C, giving these early recordings a wonderful richness. This is a treasure of 25 soulful melodies, and Arhoolie’s customary informative booklet includes all the lyrics in Spanish and English. (Arhoolie)

—Danny Carnahan

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Eddi Reader, Angels and Electricity.

Those fortunate enough to hear Fairground Attraction’s 1988 release will recall Eddi Reader’s sumptuous and sassy singing and Fairground’s quirky acoustic textures. Though Reader has released four solo albums since then, this lush, intimate helping of British folk pop, which mixes acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards to perfection, is the first to live up to the promise of Fairground’s only recording. Reader has found the perfect collaborator in guitarist, coproducer, and cowriter Boo Hewerdine. Highlights include Hewerdine’s poignant "Please Don’t Ask Me to Dance" and the Reader/Hewerdine collaboration "Follow My Tears." (Compass)

—Scott Nygaard

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The Pizzarellis: Bucky and John, Contrasts.

Guitar duets go back to the beginnings of jazz, so it’s no surprise that jazz legend Bucky Pizzarelli has recorded an album of duets with his guitar-playing son, John. Playing acoustic six-string and electric seven-string archtops, the Pizzarellis pay homage to the guitar duo of Carl Kress and Dick McDonough on "Stage Fright," where Bucky demonstrates his formidable lead guitar skills. John, a master of the chordal lead style, renders Ray Noble’s "I Hadn’t Anyone Till You" beautifully. The CD may be called Contrasts, but the similarities in these two musical masters bridge any generation gap. (Arbor/Allegro)

—David McCarty

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Richard Savino, Danzas y Differencias: Santiago de Murcia.

The baroque guitar was popular throughout much of Europe and Mexico during the 17th and 18th centuries. This instrument, with its delicate voice and five pairs of strings in octaves and unisons, is enjoying a revival thanks to artists like Richard Savino, who combines close and careful scholarship with lively musicianship. This recording consists solely of works from two manuscripts by Spanish baroque guitarist and composer Santiago de Murcia, who was born the same year as J.S. Bach. These dances and theme-and-variation pieces have both a contemporary and a Renaissance quality. (Koch International Classics)

—Stephen Dick

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Kim and Reggie Harris and Magpie, Guide My Feet.

Just close your eyes and listen. This is folk music with a political voice in the tradition of the Weavers, Pete Seeger, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. A follow-up to Kim and Reggie Harris’ critically acclaimed Steal Away: Music of the Underground Railroad, this recording unites the Harrises with Magpie (Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner) for some great guitar licks, wonderful harmonies, catchy melodies, and memorable choruses. (Appleseed)

—Steve Givens

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Madcat and Kane, Up against the Wall.

Harmonica blower Peter "Madcat" Ruth and blues guitarist Shari Kane team up on an excellent, engaging, and cohesive release that runs the gamut from Mississippi Delta blues to Kansas City jump blues with a nice, funky treatment of John Prine’s classic "Angel from Montgomery" thrown in. The musicianship is first-rate, and Ruth’s chops are especially outstanding. Kane’s voice works quite well, but Ruth, who sings about 20 percent of the time, sounds a bit too much like a crooner for this hard-edged style. (Hit)

—Dale Miller

Steve Baughman, Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Solos.

Designed to be a companion to Baughman’s earlier book/CD tutorial, this is a fine collection of 13 transcriptions of Celtic tunes new and old, fast and slow. With clear transcriptions and all the tunes on a bundled CD, Baughman demonstrates how to make the guitar an entire ensemble, combining walking bass lines, middle-finger thwack, and swinging melodies. The reels show Baughman at his bouncy best, while the formal set pieces are rich, thoughtful exercises in getting maximum ring out of alternate tunings. The arrangements are not designed for beginners, but the adventurous Celtic lick-copper will find his or her efforts well rewarded. (Mel Bay)

—Danny Carnahan

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Many jazz historians tend to dismiss the work of white musicians in the early days of jazz as a pale imitation of that of their black counterparts. In Lost Chords, Sudhalter tries to redress the balance. His descriptions of famous figures like Bix Beiderbecke and Benny Goodman, as well as neglected players like Adrian Rollini, show that many of these musicians were more than just copycats. For guitarists, there is plenty of information on Eddie Lang, who played on so many jazz, blues, and pop records in the ’20s he seemed to be the house guitarist of the Jazz Age. There is also an excellent chapter on the birth of jazz guitar with good sections on players like Carl Kress and George Van Eps. (Oxford University Press)

—Michael Simmons

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SOURCES

Appleseed, PO Box 2593, West Chester, PA 19380; (610) 701-5755; fax (610) 701-9599; www.appleseedrec.com.

Arbor/Allegro, 14134 N.E. Airport Way, Portland, OR 97230-3443; (800) 288-2007; fax (503) 257-9061; www.allegro-music.com.

Arhoolie, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530; (888) 274-6654; www.arhoolie.com.

Compass, 117 30th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212; (615) 320-7672; fax (615) 320-7378; www.compassrecords.com.

Hit, PO Box 4211, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; (734) 761-8518; conruth@umich.edu.

Koch International Classics, 2 Tri-Harbor Ct., Port Washington, NY 11050-4617; (516) 484-1000; www.kochint.com.