Left My Mind

Greek-British guitarist Andreas Hagiioannu here plays a fairly long set of jazz guitar, with a set of new compositions that sound astoundingly like the great pieces from the bop and post-bop repertoire. A number of pieces are close enough to something from the songbook that one has to double check the liner notes to be assured that it is indeed an original composition. This is due in part to basing much of the sound on standard chord changes. However, the similarities seem deeper than that. Nonetheless, Hagiioannu puts out a fairly good performance, mixing some basic guitar trio efforts with solo outings. In the trio he sounds strong, playing some nice long notes on the nylon strings. Without the underlying rhythmic support however, many of the solo performances fall a bit flatter. Hagiioannu has some fair chops to show off, but he hasn't quite developed his own sound yet. By all means, look to the old greats of jazz guitar first as a new listener. For those already initiated into the nylon sound and that of folks like Kenny Burrell, Hagiioannu may prove a nice addition to the track list for a casual drive down the coast, whichever coast it may be. ~ Adam Greenberg|