Search - Richard Leo Johnson :: Fingertip Ship

Fingertip Ship
Richard Leo Johnson
Fingertip Ship
Genres: Jazz, New Age, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

With all his incredible virtuosic technique, and a boatload of imaginative tunings and improvisational structures, Richard Leo Johnson falls squarely into the "where've they been all these years?" file. Johnson, a professi...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Richard Leo Johnson
Title: Fingertip Ship
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: Blue Note Records
Original Release Date: 2/23/1999
Release Date: 2/23/1999
Genres: Jazz, New Age, Pop
Styles: Meditation, Relaxation
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 724349690127, 0724349690158, 724349690158

Synopsis

Amazon.com
With all his incredible virtuosic technique, and a boatload of imaginative tunings and improvisational structures, Richard Leo Johnson falls squarely into the "where've they been all these years?" file. Johnson, a professional photographer whose interest in the acoustic guitar compelled him to practice and play constantly, has devised multiple unique tunings and fingerings, turning his double-neck acoustic into far more than the sum of its strings, chords, and customary harmonic possibilities. Where the late Michael Hedges once walked, Johnson is now sprinting, playing at frantic speeds with pile-ups of notes and hard-strummed concatenations making the ear race to follow. For all the tunings and preparations, though, there are eminently warm moments, albeit ones that will fascinate the ears of the adventurous and the guitarophile equally: "Prometheus Meets the Digital Age" is full of middle-low register playing that invokes a Dobro before going into clipped repetitions that sound unreproducible. Johnson is a magical talent and perhaps the next in a short line of guitar greats--a line that includes Hedges, Derek Bailey, Pat Metheny, Sonny Sharrock, and precious few others. --Andrew Bartlett

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CD Reviews

Great, but Don Ross is more musical
artshogun | Rochester, NY USA | 02/25/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Richard Leo Johnson has outdone Hedges in edgey, percussive, harmonic-ringing playing, but not in musical interest. Johnson still has to be heard to be believed, though. And just when you think he's worn out every textural possibility a guitar is capable of, he goes and plays an entire song above the nut! -and it's actually captivating! Ok, so why do I withhold my fifth star? It's because there is very little breathing room to Johnson's composition style, and even less lyricisim. It is just relentlessly rhythmic and fast. However, I find myself strangely addicted and keep going back to it, like some kind of wierd cheese facination. Anyway, Don Ross' recent debut on Narada: "Passion Session" is another outgrowth of the Hedges phenominon, but a more sucessfull one. Ross is MUCH more musical, without selling out to the modern "pretty boys" of the fasionable fingerpick set. Buy both of these CD's for some real humility if you play."
Inventive Chop Master
Robert Lunte | Seattle, WA USA | 07/13/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"If your a solo guitar lightweight, i wouldn't reccomend this CD. Its heavy on techniques, chops and abstract usage of tapping & captuirng weird new sounds out of the guitar.To that end, It IS however, extremely interesting and this player is clearly a technical wizard. If you want pretty new age melodies, stick with Will Ackerman, if you want something more progressive, check this one out.Guitarists will like it a lot..."
Acoustic guitar nirvana
artshogun | 10/07/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"this guy is beyond anything i have ever heard on acoustic guitar, including the great Michael Hedges. if you like Hedges or any sort of guitar virtuosity get your hands on this album. he is so good it makes your head hurt. (in a good way)"