Strunz & Farah – Wild Muse (1998)
November 22nd, 2009 | 
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Strunz & Farah – Wild Muse (1998)
MP3 320 kbps | Full Scans
Tracklist:
01. Camino Real
02. La Sirena
03. China Moon
04. Alisio
05. Manzanillo
06. Nuevo Sol
07. Zagros
08. El Faraon
09. Natural Flow
10. Joya Perdida
11. Manos Del Tiempo
World guitar superduo Strunz & Farah released their ninth CD, entitled Wild Muse, on October 20, 1998. This studio release is graced by a long list of extraordinary musicians from Cuba, Greece, Iran, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Africa, and the U.S. The eleven tracks on this colorful and high-energy recording span the breadth of the international virtuosos’ inspirations, with influences ranging from flamenco, Afro-Latin, and jazz to Latin folk and Middle Eastern music. Included are a variety of Afro-Latin based compositions (including a salsa song) which utilize some of the finest Cuban, Puerto Rican and other Latin American talent, two Middle Eastern pieces featuring instruments such as bouzouki, darbuka, and zarb, a lush jazz-influenced piece, an intimate, romantic ballad, and more. Total Guitar Magazine calls Strunz & Farah “The planet’s most staggering guitar duo”. ~ Guitar Nine Records
Strunz and Farah have been on my radar screen since I heard a cut from Primal Magic on Austin radio station KGSR so many years ago. I liked what I heard so much, I pulled off the freeway to call the station in order to find out who was playing that music! Though I was on my way out of state, I made a quick detour over to a favorite locally-owned music emporium and picked it up on cassette. Since then, Strunz and Farah have remained high on my list of favorites.
I have had Wild Muse for a few years now and decided to throw it on today since I hadn’t listened to it or the band in a while. What an excellent recording! I played it in my office all day to the delight of everyone who heard it.
I like the entire CD. No song stands out as the “best” as on some previous albums. To the untrained ear, some of the music seems superficially repetitive, but it is never boring. Any “sameness” is unfailingly on a high plane that copy-cat groups fail to match.
Strunz and Farah seemingly have a lock on the world music genre with their formulaic blend of Latin, Gypsy, and Middle Eastern sounds with a dash of African inspired percussion for spice. Wild Muse steps away from the group’s usual heavy bias toward the Latin sound to include a few tunes that might just have easily come from Athens or Istanbul. Danny Papakalos’ bouzouki wizardry on Zagros and Faraon had me reaching for a glass of retsina. The CD closes with a pleasant vocal selection, the inclusion of which has become part of the Strunz and Farah recording tradition since the success of Americas.
If you like acoustic guitar duos, you are sure to like this CD. There are a lot of copycat “world music” duos around, some of them quite good and there are also some excellent jazz guitar duos. But few of any genre come close to the virtuosity, compatibility and musical vigor that Strunz and Farah have shown over the years. Kurt Harding
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