Michael Hedges - Breakfast In The Field (1981)

The discography of acoustic guitar virtuoso Michael Hedges might have been tragically cut short after sixteen years, but it contained some sublime music.  It all began here, after Windham Hill boss William Ackerman discovered Hedges playing in a coffee shop and offered him a deal immediately.  It's an interestingly low-key start for someone of Hedges' jaw-dropping talent, especially in the laidback pair of opening tracks.  The reverbed production of Aerial Boundaries hadn't been intergrated into Hedges' sound yet, making Breakfast In The Field a showcase of his raw sound that still resonates.

And with just that guitar technique front and centre (barring backup cameos from Windham Hill mainstays Michael Manring on bass and George Winston on piano), it becomes apparent as the record progresses just how much the label had struck gold with their new signing.  The album consists of mostly brief pieces, delightful little miniatures of skill and melodic sensibility, like the atmospheric title track or the nightclub down the street-inspired Funky Avocado.  The most drawn-out track is the almost five minutes of Two Days Old, another gorgeous highlight of an essential album.  A major talent had arrived, in the most understated, unpretentious way possible.

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Previously posted at SGTG:
Aerial Boundaries
An Evening With Windham Hill Live

Windham Hill Artists - An Evening With Windham Hill Live (1983)

An Evening With... was a star-studded 'live sampler' album issued by Windham Hill in their first flush of major success.  From the liner notes: "On October 9th, 1982, a group of ten Windham Hill musicians gathered for two shows at the Berklee Performance Center, Boston, Massachusetts. It was during those two shows that these recordings were made."

It's a treat to hear all these great musicians out of the studio and on stage, even if just a fleeting spotlight falls on each of them.  Michael Hedges is up first with a superb Rickover's Dream from Aerial Boundaries, the live solo performance showcasing his extrodinary talent to an even greater extent than the original.  Not to be outdone, Alex De Grassi turns in nine minutes of rolling loveliness in Turning: Turning Back, then is heard in a group format on another of his pieces, Clockwork.  That odd sound you hear is a lyricon, the first ever electronic wind controller; the player here, the late Chuck Greenberg, was one of the co-engineers of the instrument.

Hedges returns to kick off the album's second half, again playing a track from Aerial Boundaries, Spare Change.  Dedicated to Steve Reich, the piece is backed up by Liz Story on piano and bassist Michael Manring, and displays just how much the early Windham Hill stable owed to the classic ECM sound.  Next in the spotlight is Windham Hill founder William Ackerman to play two of his pieces.  Visiting has more lyricon from Greenberg and bass from Manring, then Hawk Circle is a guitar duet with Hedges while George Winston backs them on piano.  And it's Winston who closes the album, in a solo medley of Reflections and John McLaughlin's Lotus Feet.  Absolutely gorgeous music from start to finish.

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Windham Hill at SGTG:
Piano Solos | Autumn | December (Winston)
Solid Colors | Unaccountable Effect (Story)
Southern Exposure (De Grassi)
Aerial Boundaries (Hedges)

Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries (1984)

Second album from acoustic guitar virtuoso Hedges, who died in a road accident aged just 43; a huge loss of a true individualist.  Often filed in 'new age' bins due to his association with the Windham Hill label, there was much more to his technique and melodic sensibility that should've reached a massive audience.

Everything's instrumental here (he'd evetually record some vocal tracks later in the 80s) and perfectly produced, with an ECM-esque swathe of reverb highlighting all the hammering/pulling techniques and making for a timeless record.  Can never quite decide if I like the cover of Neil Young's After The Gold Rush, or if it misses the mark a bit (surely he could've had a stab at...anything more guitar-based from Young's catalogue, and made it shine with his brilliant technique?) - download and decide for yourself, and enjoy the rest of this gorgeous album.

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