By Grant Stoner
My album pic for this month is Strunz and Farah's " Mosaico" Ganesh records 1982 vinyl.
This is Strunz and Farah's first album, and my personal favorite. I think the songwriting on this album is less mainstream and more exotic. The songs really take you places, plus they're all sound different. The newer albums tend to run together. In fact , when I've seen them live ,( at least 10 times), I thought how do they remember all these notes and melodies that are so similar?
On this album they play steel string guitars, which lends a different sound and feel. They switched to nylon later in their career. Jorge Strunz, from Costa Rica, dabbled in some electric and acoustic fusion in his past band "Caldera". He then met Ardeshir Farah, from Iran, in 1979. They formed an acoustic duo, and have been going strong ever since. The guitar playing is stunning. When I discovered them, I had never heard anything like it, except maybe John McLaughlin in Shakti, and some Al Dimeola. They are right up there in that league.
This album features a whole ensemble with bass, drums and percussion. Also featured is the great South Indian violinist, L. Subramaniam, playing a great solo on my favorite tune of the album," Shadow of Heaven", and on "Confluence". Omaya Alghonim from Kuwait lends more guitar on "Mandala".
The recording is nice and detailed. All instruments are distinct and clear, with a wide stereo image. As I mentioned, the guitars are the main feature. I read in Guitar Player magazine long ago they Strunz and Farah invented a computer program to generate every possible scale and mode in every key. They proceeded to practice all those, which contributes to the exotic sound. Not your average blues scales. Jorge's Latin heritage and Ardeshir's Persian influence obviously play into that as well.
Oddly though, it doesn't sound too technical. There's a lot of feel and melodic sensibility. And you can drift in and out of listening to the incredible virtuosity, or just lay back and be transported to exotic locales. A Baghdad marketplace, on a camel in the Sahara, or the jungles of Central America are all within reach of your favorite armchair or couch. All of Strunz and Farah's albums are good, but this one has a special place in my heart.