Robbie Basho – Art Of The Acoustic Steel String Guitar 6 & 12

Very good pressing!
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Although this is probably the easiest Robbie Basho LP to find, don't let the "collector value" fool you, as it actually may be one of his very finest recordings. The early Takoma days are undoubtedly brilliant in their innovations, no arguments there. Then the couple titles he did for Vanguard often seemed to find Basho's mysticism getting in the way of his ideas of what a listenable album could be. And the fact of the matter is, his technical prowess on both guitar and vocals only improved over time, so moments of uncertainty on albums from 1965-'69 have evolved into a complete confidence of character 10 years later. This whole release is fine-tuned and well-executed. The vocals are tasteful, but sparse, which is good news if you're like me.
We also see a number of short tracks that are remarkably good - something he didn't do too often ("Apres Midi American" & "Clair De Lune" are just gorgeous).
Definitely not one to pass up, and would even be highly recommended as an entry point to this esoteric music.