Pascal Marzan & Roger Smith – Two Spanish Guitars

Emanem 4145

Truth in adverstising definitely applies here --guitarists Marzan and Smith are indeed playing Spanish models of their instruments, unamplified and at length—but the pithy album title does little to describe the sheer diversity of sounds they unleash and that’s probably the point. Smith seems partial to the pleasures of home, at least when it comes to recording material for albums. As with earlier Emanem collections of his work, the eleven tracks were birthed within the confines of his London flat. Marzan is a new name to me. Martin Davidson’s helpful liners describe his classical training and past collaborations with Steve Beresford and Keith Rowe among others. He’s certainly on the same page with Smith, though not the same paragraph. Even with the aid of stereo separation, both men are usually easy to distinguish. The illusion of amplification frequently cloaks their constructions, with brittle and scintillating tones hanging and decaying in the air. Miking is close and encompassing, even capturing exhalations of breath and the occasional ambient noises from within and without the recording space.

Both men bring a full battery of extended techniques to bear on the bodies and strings of their guitars. The stacked rolls of tape pictured on a table in front of Marzan on the booklet back cover aren’t coincidental though fingers handle the majority of manipulations. Percussive movements also play a prominent part with one or both knocking and rubbing fractured rhythms on what sounds like all available surfaces, from wood to strings, to frets, and exploiting the natural resonances of both instrument interiors and room. Even at their most aggressive and discordant the duo sustain a surprising degree of confluence, echoing the old truism that the best improv circumstances usually arise through attentive and responsive listening. They also play disarmingly pretty on occasion as with the dulcet picked latticework that drapes “Freezing Water” Parceling the various pieces by titles and individualized sounds eventually becomes a largely incidental endeavor and the whole has the feel of interconnected suite of sorts despite having been captured at several different sessions. Emanem’s customary “bang for buck” sequencing assures that there’s plenty to digest.

~ Derek Taylor