Tony Barnard and Casey Golden - Inventions (BSP 3504)

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Two generations of the Barnard jazz dynasty have collaborated to create a stunning jewel of a recording.Now based in London uncle Tony Barnard and nephew Casey Golden deliver modern original compositions and improvisations that fall somewhere between jazz, classical, world and folk music.Harp guitarist Tony and pianist Casey are both classically trained musicians but perform separately at Ronnie Scott’s and other top jazz venues.It’s such a pleasure to listen to a guitar being nurtured as the beautiful classic musical instrument that it is into a jazz idiom and a Steinway Grand being caressed there also in the unique technique employed by Golden. Soft and intelligent guitar progressions lead into the scintillating chops of Golden.Throughout the majority of Barnard and Golden’s Inventions their compositions and arrangements are precise and well designed.From the delicate This Is All There Is,Where The Clouds Go, First Place and Rhapsodic to the jazz inspired Sprawler and First Place both artists display a fine and nuanced touch alluded to above.In an era where shredding and playingasfastasyoupossiblycan for no apparent reason have become a norm, it is a pleasure to listen to a harp guitar being nurtured as the beautiful musical instrument that it is. The pacing and tempo comfortably allows time to breathe and absorb the subtleties and distinctions that are well crafted in this stellar debut

Barry O’Sullivan