Georgia Guitar Quartet

Puzzle

Solponticello

originally published November 14, 2007

Classical is a mathematical music that relies on complex structure, absolute virtuosity and an often devastating but ordered beauty. And Puzzle is clearly the work of immense talent. During the past decade or so, the Georgia Guitar Quartet has gracefully and cunningly picked its way through a wide spectrum of the classical canon, from Bach to Grieg, even veering occasionally into gorgeous jazz programs. The first of the group's four albums to consist entirely of original compositions, Puzzle walks a tightrope between the avant-garde and the accessible, citing Cage as well as Ralph Towner along the way.

Most prominent are the proudly displayed compositional skills. Each of the quartet's members has a few pieces of his own, while only two tracks are collective efforts. "Prelude," one of the latter, leads off the set with pure texture and sets a plaintive, abstract mood. "Flight" veers from hard strumming to scraping and knocking percussion to plucked strings, building toward a big payoff any fan of "regular" guitar can dig. "La Vague" spreads over four tracks and is the most overtly classical piece here… and the best. Wonderful picked melodies wax and wane, quietly lulling until a mournful cello swoops under their wings and slows the tempo.

The fact that guitars are being wielded here signifies that many otherwise shut ears could give the Georgia Guitar Quartet a chance rather than assuming an image of stuffed-shirt elders holding brandy snifters. Puzzle deserves as many open minds as it can get; the ultimate payoff would be for these minds to follow the band's lead into the geometrical beauty of the classical world.

Michael Wehunt