Beston Barnett

Beston Barnett Quartet: Curious Melodies from the Lost Travel Diaries of Sir Albus Manchild

by Jim Santella
July 4, 2006

The lost travel diaries of Sir Albus Manchild had been tucked away in an old trunk in Beston Barnett's grandmother's attic for many years, and their discovery led to this worthwhile project: an attempt to interpret these unfinished snippets logically.

According to the story, Sir Albus Manchild (1842-1914) was a composer who traveled to America to research the blues and other vernacular forms in the new land. This Manchild was an eccentric Victorian composer. He traveled the world ...

The Beston Barnett Quartet: Curious Melodies from the Lost Travel Diaries of Sir Albus Manchild

by C. Michael Bailey
May 15, 2006

Curious Melodies is an interesting, even prophetic recording by guitarist Beston Barnett that combines intelligent musical composition with a fun fictional narrative, making a story that doubles as its own soundtrack. The overriding theme is the discovery of compositions by the fictitious widely traveled Sir Albus Manchild, a polymathic wanderer. A narrator introduces the musical document by introducing the enigmatic Manchild. The recording recounts the travels of the Knight of the Realm and the music that inspired his composition.