Hi folks! I’m back from vacation! Did you miss me?!

Don’t worry, it hasn’t all been lazing around and doing not very much. I’ve been working on putting together a number of blog post topics for the next couple of months. As ever, though, any suggestions for blog topics you’d like to see posted up are most welcome, as are contributions.

Over the past couple of weeks I have also had Duo 19’s new CD, Fluid Lines, on heavy rotation. There are 10 tracks in all on the CD, covering a range of composers from Aussie favourites such as Philip Houghton and Nigel Westlake through to the Bulgarian guitarist-composer Ourkouzonov All the tracks on the are delivered and presented so sublimely. For the synesthetics amongst you, this is an album of rich dark chocolate, earthy ochre tones and a smattering of cool, dark forests. A delightful mixture of angular directions and curvilinear lines (or perhaps I should say fluid lines?).

Picking a stand out track from the album is nigh on impossible. If push came to shove though, the couple of tracks on the album that I’d chose over the others include Prayer (Frederic Hand) – delivered with gravitas, yet sensitivity. And that tone. Man! Whoever is playing the main melodic part around the 2:00 minute mark I want to to eat it! That tone is so fat, full and juicy! And CD opener Prelude from Prelude and Fugue in E Major by (Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco). A gently relaxed introduction to the recording, warm, lush and inviting, before launching into an enthusiastic Fugue.

In summary, this is an elegant and masterfully executed recording by two artists at the top of their game. Musically engaging, and emotionally imbued without becoming trite, rich colour and tone worlds. A seriously well matched duo, both technically and musically. They sound as if they are one.

Well worth parting with your hard-earned cash for this recording. But don’t just take my word for it, grab copy for yourself: http://danmckay.net/audio.htm

Have a bit of a preview listen here: http://soundcloud.com/duo19