The View
was the name of an estate in the heart of the English countryside that David
used to work at when he was a student to fund his way through college. The
photo on the album cover is of the Andalusian skyline. These two
"views" reflect the crossover of influences and inspiration in
David's compositions. Or as Gordon Giltrap put it: "It's good to hear so
much Englishness coming through those Spanish influenced pieces".
Views
aren't the only form of inspiration that seems to run as a theme throughout
these compositions; water also seems to play a big part in inspiring, from
Waterscape, a composition for Spanish guitar re-tuned to DADGAD, an Irish
tuning; to the composition entitled Chiemsee, inspired by a lake in Southern
Germany of the same name; to Agua Clara (Clear Water).
Taking a
view across the diverse styles that flavout this album one can hear flamenco,
classical, subtle hints of jazz and latin harmonies (particularly in Brisa
Flamenca) and minimalism (in the beautiful and reflectional Agua Clara).
Whilst
Gordon Giltrap also said of the album "I defy anyone to better the
virtuosity displayed in these pieces" Martin Taylor also noted David's
sensitivity and said "what I love about David's compositions and
arrangements is that he puts the music first". Possessing an impressive
technique can sometimes lead to unnecessary embellishments but David knows
exactly when to let the music breath and when to inject that special something.
The
album opens with Waterscape, David's composition for Spanish guitar tuned to
DADGAD. The middle section for this piece is haunting and reflective and the
flamenco five-note tremolo is used to wonderful effect.
After
gently bringing us into his musical world with Waterscape David ups the ante
and invites a few musician friend to join us in the form of Manuel Berraquero
(flamenco guitar), Claire Furley (vocals) and Marco Vargas (taconeo - flamenco
footwork). The piece is call Brisa Flamenca which means flamenco breeze in
Spanish and, true to word, it washes over you like a welcome Mediterranean
breeze on a balmy evening.
David's
ability to arrange well-known pieces and present a fresh take on them is shown
in his re-workings of You Are The Sunshine Of My Life by Stevie Wonder,
Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton and Street Life by The Crusaders.
Nic
France, percussionist for Pink Floyd's David Gilmore can be heard on three
tracks: You Are The Sunshine Of My Life, The View and Street Life. Nic's
ability to lock in with David and catch each and every one of David's subtle
expressions makes him the perfect addition to these tracks.
Chiemsee
is perhaps the most classical composition on the album, inspired by the great
Bavarian lake in Germany. San Vicente too is classical in style but David
sneakily leads us into a jazzy groove before sauntering back to the second
section of the song.
The View
takes us back to David's flamenco roots and has a really energetic feel with
Nic helping to drive the groove forward
from beginning to end. Argentine singer Guillermo Rozenthuler also joins in the
fun, adding some smooth floating melodies that play perfect compliment to the
grittier underlying textures laid down by David and Nic.
After
taking us on a musically eclectic journey many faceted flamenco moods David
ties things up with a very reflective, thought provoking composition entitled
Agua Clara. This is the perfect end to musically and creatively rich debut
album and leaves the listener intrigued as to which direction David will go in
next. One feels that the waters that so inspire him could flow in any direction
but that they will flow in a beautiful and eclectic manner with ripples of
flamenco, classical, jazz and romance.