Very Best of Acoustic Alchemy

Performer: Acoustic Alchemy
Artist: Rainer Bruninghaus; Randy Brecker
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Acoustic Alchemy: Nick Webb (electric guitar, steel string guitar); Greg Carmichael (steel string guitar, nylon string guitar). Additioanl personnel includes: Randy Bracker (trumpet); Rainer Bruninghaus (piano, keyboards); Luis Jardim (percussion). Producers include: Greg Carmichael, Klaus Genuit, Nick Webb, Steven Jones, John Parsons. Compilation producer: Bryan Koniarz. Recorded at Hansa-Haus, Bonn, Germany; Mayfair, Winsford Studios, London, England between 1987 & 1994. Includes liner notes by Art Good. Personnel: Mario Argandona (vocals, percussion); John Parsons, Nick Webb (electric guitar, steel guitar); Greg Carmichael (steel guitar, nylon-string guitar); Karl Heinz Wiberny (saxophone); Derrick James (alto saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet); Rainer Bruninghaus (piano, keyboards); Mike Herting (keyboards, synthesizer); Terry Disley (keyboards); Gunnar Plumer (acoustic bass); Dan Tomlinson (drums, cymbals); Bert Smaak (drums, percussion, drum programming); Klaus Genuit (percussion, programming); Luis Jardim (percussion). Liner Note Author: Art Good. Recording information: Hansa House, Bonn, Germany (1987-1994); Mayfair Studios, London, England (1987-1994); Winsford Studios, London, England (1987-1994). Photographers: Craig Oddy; Eric Dinyer. Cynics might point out the reality that greatest-hits packages on artists who have left a label are a ploy to milk the consumer, but the consumers care more about a solid package full of their favorite songs from the artist. The new Acoustic Alchemy (with Miles Gilderdale replacing the late founding guitarist, Nick Webb, as Greg Carmichael's partner) is riding high on Higher Octave Music, but the material on this collection -- part of a new GRP collection series -- will always be, to the true Acoustic Alchemy fan, the real deal. AA's post-Webb sound is fancy and feisty, extremely soulful, and very attractive. Yet, there's something more intimate about the way Carmichael and Webb interacted; theirs was a union of true musical soul mates. This wonderful 16-track collection from their GRP and earlier MCA "Master Series" projects was chosen and sequenced by their manager, Stewart Coxhead, and he smartly picks all the crowd favorites: "Mr. Chow," "Catalina Kiss," "Same Road, Same Reason," and more. The range from pop to Latin to reggae is fun to experience again. There's obviously a poignancy to all this because of Webb's 1998 death, but it's more important to celebrate the legacy. As syndicated radio host and Catalina Island Jazz Trax festival promoter Art Good says simply in his liner notes, "These are good songs." More importantly, they speak of an innocent time, the early days of smooth jazz when even the gentlest of these could become radio hits. ~ Jonathan Widran

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