Search - Phil Keaggy :: Master & Musician

Keaggy's biggest seller

Cletus J. "Bubba" Huckabee Jr. | Chesterfield County | 06/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album remains the biggest seller in Keaggy's catalogue, and after 25 years of steady releases, that states a great deal. This was Keaggy's first instrumental album and followed up a set of albums that had garnered considerable attention within the CCM community. During the peak of the Jesus Movement Keaggy was busy with Glass Harp. By the time he started releasing admittedly low budget solo work to the CCM market, the Jesus Movement was almost completely gone and a new sub-category of music would provide plenty of room for anything Keaggy wanted to do.So after a couple of years establishing himself as a known commodity, he came out with this gem that took most people by surprise. Since the bulk of the CCM crowd were, at that point, unaware of Glass Harp and oblivious to the fact that Keaggy had a previous incarnation long before What A Day, this stunning album was a wonderful surprise. The guitar work, complex and delightful, moody and cheerful, was fuel for the urban legend that ______________ (fill in the blank with any of your favorite secular guitar slingers) said that Keaggy was the best guitar player on the planet.This album was so good that we were able to believe the urban legend, and spread the word now and again. Though he didn't yet allow his guitar slinging to be revealed, he did a lot of incredible finger picking that was well beyond the skill level of any guitar player in CCM at the time. This album remains a delight for the very same reason it was a delight in the late 70s. It is virtually timeless and doesn't carry any of the dated trappings of the era... just a collection of original melodies worked and reworked until Keaggy managed to squeeze hooks, tricks, and signature swirls of musical color in to each tune. This album is a staple worth having - not because it captures the start of the CCM era, but because it is beautiful, pleasant, and timeless."

Master instrumentalist, masterfully crafted

ljison | Chicago, IL United States | 02/05/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is Phil's first all-instrumental album and also a concept album. The original LP version included a short story in the liner notes telling of a young musician in the early Rennaisance period trying to get his big break by playing before the King and his court, which sets the tone for the music. Unfortunately, this story is not included in my copy of the CD. This CD is a 'must have' if you're a fan of Keaggy's fretwork but not necessarily keen on the Christian lyrics of his vocal releases. Phil plays most of the instruments (guitars, drums, percussion, bass, synthesizer) and there are a few guest performers on selected tracks. M&TM features a mix of nice acoustic pieces (Pilgrim's Flight, Suite of Reflection, to his arrangement of Amazing Grace) and some fiery electric work on the jazzy Agora (the Market Place), Follow Me Up (which almost sounds like a theme song to a 70's cop show), to the frantic Jungle Pleasures. There is also a unique short track called Mouthpiece, which features Phil and his wife, Bernadette, making rhythmic vocal sounds. Very cool. The entire CD is very listenable."

The bait that hooked this fish.

PhilPenn | Cincinnati, Ohio | 01/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The "Master and the Musician" is truly a master work that made me a Phil Keaggy fan almost 30 years ago. I have since worn out 3 LPs, at least a half dozen cassettes, and even three CDs. (Mr. Keaggy can thank me later.)



In the end, it comes down to one thing. If someone took all of my music tomorrow, the first CD I would buy to start replacing almost 40 years worth of very eclectic music is "The Master and the Musician.""