9 tracks, 43 minutes

Listen to: “The guitar”
Reviews of “The guitar”
Release date: November 2000

This is the first solo CD by Swedish guitarist David Stackenäs. The structure of the material builds on sketches, compositional ideas and improvisation. The refined form and development of the tracks makes an interesting contrast to the rawness and simplicity of the sound of the acoustic guitar.

Mats Gustafsson (October 2000), on “The guitar”:

“sounds...
...travelling...
in any possible direction
movements of his head phrasing explosions of energy
extensions of silence
wild attacks and sudden stops/starts
eruptions...
lines of angular beauty
backwards and forwards
attitude and dedication!”

“David Stackenäs’ way of playing the guitar makes me happy, happy as a tenor sax reed surviving a Peter Brötzmann attack! There is an honesty and dedication about David’s playing that I personally prostrate in front of. THIS IS THE SHIT!!! His attitude is rock, his technique is (already) unique and highly advanced - that really allows him to shorten the time of reaction in a group improvisation situation to an absolute minimum - and his wide open way of listening to others is worth checking out for anyone interested in creative music.”

“This CD, his first solo adventure, is for me a great symbol of what the Swedish improvised music-scene stands for. The new generation of players in Pippi Longstocking-country is having a great impact on the scene in Scandinavia right now and projects (quite a few including young Mr. Stackenäs) have already spread to the rest of Europe and North America.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this release since I heard David playing for the first time a couple of years ago. The only thing I’m really worried about is the reaction to the actual image on the cover! ‘John Blund’ means a lot (???) to generations of Swedes, but... What will people outside Sweden think? Who the f**k is that gnome, with his mouth full of overcooked spaghetti??? Anyway - as always, it should be stated: The music speaks for itself!”

Personnel: David Stackenäs: acoustic guitars

Tracks: 1. Plect-plucked, 2. Nüsnose, 3. Santa Coloma, 4. Once around, 5. Bauldi, 6. Salbastia, 7. The guitar, 8. Hallo guitar, 9. Zeromountain

---------------------------------------------------------------

“Creating something different - not to mention memorable - with the world's most popular instrument, the guitar, often seems as unlikely as winning the national lottery. Yet young Swedish guitarist David Stackenäs has done so on this short, cunningly enigmatic disc.”
Ken Waxman, Jazz Weekly

“Mr Stackenäs' album is just what its title suggests: a whole lot of acoustic guitar. Striking a happy medium between the heady skronk of Derek Bailey and the melancholic stutter of Loren Mazzacane Connors, this diverse set of improvisations is equally as essential as Soul. And like his Swedish contemporaries, his playing also takes a similar amount of focused attention to get at the brilliance contained herein. For these tracks are not easy to wrap your head around upon a first listen. The depth of his sketch-like guitar playing and the varied tangents he takes us on with his playing are too deep for an easy listen. But indeed, like all great experimental sounds, the time spent getting to know this record will be time well spent.”
Jeff Fuccillo, Signal to noise

“A beautifully recorded solo-acoustic performance that puts a friendly face on potentially forbidding material.”
Bill Meyer, Magnet