a DVD with LJ teaching all the songs on WOODEN HORSES and accompanied by transcriptions in both standard notation and Tablature done by LJ himself is available to order and  IS IN STOCK!  See the DVD section or DVD section in the Laurence Juber page!!

 

 

WOODEN HORSES is an all  new collection of 14 solo guitar instrumentals by Laurence Juber and is loaded with his  unique melodic and groovin' compositions!

LJ is also wrapping up the transcriptions for all these songs which will be available later in the fall with an accompanying DVD full of his thoughts on the songs and how to best perform them!

 

and now the songs and song notes by LJ himself!

 

1 :: Enough Is Never Enough ::: Enough said….dadgad
2 :: Guitar Noir ::: Perhaps should be ‘Guitarra Negra’, as the dark harmonies are overlaid on a Latin groove. First appeared as an ensemble tune on the DVD of the same name. CGDGAD
3 :: The Crow’s Nest ::: A solo version of a composition from the Magellan Suite written in 2000. Reflects a nautical theme. dadgad
4 :: Maple Avenue Strut ::: Jazz on a maple guitar – images of tuxedos and high-kicking chorus girls from the 1930s. Standard tuning
5 :: The Ornament Waltz ::: I rarely write tunes in waltz feel. This one feels like a theme to one of Hope’s movie scripts. dadgad
6 :: Rufus ::: One of the Juber menagerie - something of a King Charles Spaniel mix. A very good boy. dadgad
7 :: Highway 17 ::: The winding road from San Jose to Santa Cruz California – always an exciting drive. Standard tuning
8 :: Being Here With You ::: Adding some romance to the collection. Standard tuning
9 :: Wooden Horses ::: A carousel-like ragtime excursion with plenty of fun key changes. Standard tuning
10 :: Double Agent ::: Started life as duet called ‘Private Dick’. Revisited here as a solo, it draws inspiration from cold-war era twisted spy tales. Standard tuning
11 :: Shebeg & Shemore ::: Composed by the Irish Baroque harpist O’Carolan. It tells of a famous battle that took place between the two hills named in the title. I picture the scene early on a foggy morning with a single soldier playing the plaintive melody on a tin whistle. dadgad
12 :: Around the Block ::: Walking the dogs is our mutual meditation. The rolling groove is courtesy of Juno. Standard tuning
13 :: Portobello Road ::: The area of West London that is home to a vibrant street market. It’s a little bittersweet, as I have fond memories of living there for a while in the late 70s while I was in Wings. I left it behind when I moved to New York and met Hope. dadgad
14 :: Green Room Blues ::: A spontaneous 12 bar – live bonus. Standard tuning
...from the upcoming LIVE DVD!!!

 

more from LJ...

 

Wooden Horses

The title has a double meaning. The tune itself is a ragtime bit that took on the character of carousel music and developed into 
a fun, fingerstyle romp. The other perspective is that of my guitars as workhorses.  Having the luxury of an extended recording process allowed me to choose the most appropriate conveyance for my musical journey.

In the evolution of my solo career, I have attempted to keep a balance between arranging familiar tunes and composing original material. "Wooden Horses" is trend to the latter and emerged from a period of quite intense creative activity. A stage musical and a video game score took me away from the guitar and allowed me to work with the orchestral and vocal resources that periodically are at my compositional disposal.

In regard to my previous two releases: The original compositions on "PCH" were a mixture of 'hot from the fretboard' tunes and a few that that been without a home for a few years. Arranging the songs for the "Pop Goes Guitar" collection was, for the most part, an attempt to translate some iconic pop records to the guitar without much 'interpretation'.

By comparison, working on "Wooden Horses" allowed me a solid period of focus to craft a collection of guitar tunes that could reflect not only my desire to wrap my hands around some new repertoire, but also an opportunity to apply some of the musical experiences I've had since my last collection of original solos "Guitarist" in 2003.

The exceptions to this process were:

'Guitar Noir' which was originally conceived as a trio piece for the DVD of the same name but deserved a solo outing; 'Double Agent' which started life as 'Private Dick' on the Groovemasters duo album with Preston Reed. Here it perhaps gets closer to the cold war-era spy caper that was my original inspiration; the iconic Celtic chestnut 'Shebeg and Shemore', which has a poignant melody that I couldn't resist arranging, and 'Green Room Blues' a bonus live improv that closes the disc.

I appreciate the way that Hope pushed me to draw out the material and focus the grooves. Thanks to James Jensen at Solid Air Records for keeping the fingerstyle faith and to Dick Boak and the team at Martin Guitars for being so responsive in aiding my quest for the perfect guitar.


AN EARLY REVIEW....

 

DaveWalkerMusic.com  in Canada! writes an extended review at

 

http://davewalkermusic.com/page2/Wooden_Horses_Review.html

 

and finished  it off with...

 

 

 This is a CD that no one will want to miss. Whether you are a guitarist or just a lover of good music, this CD is enjoyable as fine music as well as a tour de force of guitar technique. If you add just one guitar CD to your collection this year, make it this one. It's that good.

MINOR 7th. COM

 

Laurence Juber, "Wooden Horses," Solid Air Records, 2009

Few followers of modern acoustic fingerstyle guitar music remain ignorant of Laurence Juber’s amazing playing. The two-time GRAMMY winner is best known for his use of DADGAD tuning, and on "Wooden Horses" uses it to good effect, but half of the songs are in standard tuning, allowing Juber to explore other sonic pathways. Several songs, like "Guitar Noir", appear earlier in his discography, but their inclusion on "Wooden Horses" is welcome nonetheless. As with every Juber recording, the playing is tantalizing with his signature hooks and chord voicings. But there is another dimension on this CD that seems fresh and new, as on "The Crow’s Nest," a lovely re-working for solo guitar of his "Magellan Suite" from 2000. The romantic "Being Here With You" sounds like something he would play seated across from his wife Hope on a quiet afternoon, life partners locked in a visual and aural embrace. Stylistically, Juber roams all over the map, from the swingin’ "Maple Avenue Strut", to the delicate "The Ornament Waltz", to the O’Carolan standard "Sheebag & Sheemor", to the title track, where he gets into a ragtime spirit. Perhaps my favorite tune on the CD is "Rufus", equal parts playful and dark, layered over an infectious bass groove. What "Wooden Horses" shows above all else is a player who can do it all with equal power, prowess, and grace. Laurence Juber is a guitarist in full command of the fingerboard. After a dozen acoustic offerings, Juber’s music never ceases to inspire.
© Kirk Albrecht / Minor 7th.com