Home » Jazz Musicians » Jim McAuley
Jim McAuley
Jim McAuley: Gongfarmer 36
by John Eyles
As its title suggests, Gongfarmer 36 is the belated follow-up to guitarist Jim McAuley's Gongfarmer 18 (Nine Winds Records, 2005). But the seven-year delay is not surprising, as additions to McAuley's discography tend to arrive sporadically--the last being Vignes (Long Song, 2009), with the wonderful Acoustic Guitar Trio which brought him together with Nels Cline and the late Rod Poole. As well as two solo and two trio albums, The Ultimate Frog (Drip Audio, 2008) features a quintet worthy of ...
read moreJim McAuley: Gongfarmer 18
by Rex Butters
For a musician whose formidable technique and imagination require denials of overdubbing, guitarist Jim McAuley has long maintained a low profile. Thanks to Vinny Golia, that's about to change with Nine Winds' release of Gongfarmer 18, an explosive calling card that vaporizes notions of what an acoustic guitar can do beautifully. McAuley accomplishes his transformations via unique tunings, blazing harmonic insight, and the internal compass of a veteran sailor. Smear fast-fretted blurs into the tapestry envisioned by Kio Griffith's rich ...
read moreJim McAuley: Gongfarmer 18
by John Eyles
My only previous experience of Jim McAuley's guitar playing was via an Acoustic Guitar Trio record on Incus. McAuley was the dominant voice in that trio. He showed himself to be adept at improvising melodic lines, and he frequently instigated lines that the other two members--Nels Cline and Rod Poole--picked up on. This (inexplicably oddly titled) solo album finds McAuley confirming and building upon my earlier impressions. He plays acoustically throughout, without any overdubbing. He uses various guitars, ...
read more