I Got Strings

Description

The guitar has often seemed to take a backseat to other instruments in jazz, perhaps more closely associated with other vernacular music, such as blues, pop, and then rock. In her new album ‘I Got Strings’, award-winning guitarist and composer Eleonora Strino dives back into the great jazz standards, including ‘I Got Rhythm’, and demonstrates that even with just six strings, it is possible to find rich new variations on old songs. She is more than skillfully assisted by Joey Baron, the most musical of drummers, and by Greg Cohen, whose repertoire covers all topics, from traditional jazz to the avant-garde, from Woody Allen to Tom Waits. With a perfectly balanced trio and a program that will feel both familiar and completely new, Eleonora Strino seems ready to join a long tradition of jazz guitarists that began with Charlie Christian and reached an early peak of creativity with the work of her original inspiration, Jim Hall. However, Strino is ready to go beyond her influences. This is a bright and exciting new voice, full of personality and emotion, as well as a highly refined technique. An essential modern jazz album, all the more relevant as it looks to the past. (Brian Morton)