Search - Anthony Bez :: Holy Mountain

Holy Mountain

John Lehmann-Haupt | New York, NY United States | 09/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With the kind of dexterity and dynamic control guitarist Anthony Bez has on tap, it's easy to imagine him taking on the virtuoso classical and flamenco repertoires with style and aplomb. But from everything about Holy Mountain - the title and artwork, the program, and the recordings themselves - it's clear that he's after a different goal here. Inspired by Bez's sojourn in a Zen Buddhist monastery, Holy Mountain is a subtly effective reflection on human endeavor as meditation, and its place in Nature's order. Opening with the shimmering crescendo of the monastery's wake-up bell and the sounds of daily chores, the program is a sort of loose suite, seasonally arranged, which demonstrates the guitar's Protean ability to conjure up mood and atmosphere and to speak in the voice of another culture. In "Winterwind," rippling arpeggios shift through somber harmonies, and melodic phrases punctuated by delicate strumming suggest the Japanese koto. The flitting melodic fragments of "Birds in Spring" evoke both the flight of birds and the sounds of their calls, which are actually heard in the background. Much of Holy Mountain was recorded outdoors, and the sweetness and warmth of the guitar's sonority is rendered throughout with transparent naturalness. If the idea of music as contemplation - as meditation - resonates with you, you will find much substance here."