Karate - Andrew Pendlebury & Doug de Vries

What a fabulous Cd this is, a little latin, a little jazz
a little bit of everything. Truly this would convert
any disbeliever that Andrew Pendlebury is
a national treasure.


Take two top Melbourne guitarists, with backgrounds
in jazz de Vries and rock Pendlebury, let them loose
on an intriguing array of acoustic standards and
originals from Brazill to New Orleans and Nashville
or as far afield as Soweto and the streets of Forbes.
Although each has played on the other's solo records
and they perform together regularly around town,
this is the first duo recording and it's a beauty.
Backing is by Denis Close on Brazilian hand percussion,
bassist Steve Hadley and drummer Peter Jones.
You will recognise tracks such as the quirky
Crepuscle on the Yarra which featured on the
Moon Over Melbourne collection, Pendlebury's
Catalina or de Vries's Homestead and After The
Carousel from their respective solo albums.


The elegant Egberto Gismonti title number contrasts
with the breakneck Western swing of Stratosphere
Boogie by Jimmy Bryant - a favourite of Pendlebury's -
and they swing to a more refined soul jazz metre in
Oliver Nelson's Hoe-Down trading sneaky licks until
de Vries switches to a down-home banjo.
Among other impressive tracks a spirited arrangement
of the New Orleans Mardi Gras classic Big Chief
(no doubt inspired by the Neville Brothers great
concert rendition), the steady rolling blues of You
Gotta Move, a languorous rendition of k d lang's
Tears of Love's Recall and a superb de Vries original
called Winnie based on South Africa's infectious
township jive.'

Mike Daly
The Melbourne Age



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