Review from http://www.minor7th.com
"The Last View from Mary's Place," Circular Records CR 1007Ged Brockie's dazzling premier solo venture features nine wonderfully crafted original compositions performed by an extraordinary collection of musicians.
This dynamic recording features Brockie on electric and acoustic guitars, Paul Harrison on keyboards, Mario Caribe on acoustic and electric bass, Dave Stewart and Paul Mills on Drums, and David Sim on percussion.
While the leader is best known as a member of the Scottish Guitar Quartet, this recording is sure to firmly establish the guitarist as a solo artist. Although several pieces feature the electric guitar, most of the album centers around Brockie's extraordinary acoustic playing.The opening "Spring in My Step" is a dazzling tour de force featuring dramatic unison flurries accompanied by impressive sweep-picking crescendos. This song is a great example of how an acoustic guitar can be a very formidable presence in contemporary improvised music. The two reflective solo acoustic pieces, "As the Sun Streams Through" and "The End of the Beginning," are also exceptional standouts. A future recording devoted to this genre would be an excellent follow up to this remarkable debut.
Brockie is an extremely versatile musician equally gifted as a composer and improviser. The album offers the listener an eclectic array of musical genres ranging from Celtic, modern, classical, world, and jazz, all of which merge gracefully throughout this alluring recording. Fans of Pat Metheny and Earl Klugh will thoroughly enjoy this album. Also, those interested in seeing how versatile an acoustic guitar can be in a variety of musical settings, will find this collection extremely engaging.
With "The Last View from Mary's Place," Brockie has earned himself a prominent position in the world of Contemporary Jazz assuring him an audience well beyond his native Scotland.(James Scott)
