Live! (Live)

Album review

The Vortex in London, England, is a long way from Windham Hill, CA, but on his sixth album and first live collection, guitarist Antonio Forcione brings them closer together, playing the kind of acoustic music that Will Ackerman and his associates built a musical style on. That isn't all he plays, however. "Acoustic Revenge" reveals an affection for flashy, percussive effects, while Forcione also draws on a variety of musical influences including American R&B (a cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"), rapidly played Middle Eastern effects ("Mirage"), and South African mbaqanga ("African Dawn"). He also shows off jazz chops on "Black Magic." With all those accents at his command, he is able to present a varied, dynamic set that obviously pleases his listeners. But the heart of his sound remains contemplative pieces like "Sereno," "Diary," and "Nocturne," delicately played works that could have gotten him signed to Windham Hill Records in the 1980s, and that still could command an appreciative audience in the U.S.

© William Ruhlmann /TiVo