Quartet 1991

"Terrestrials” contains the sort of freer solos that I would die for, walking the line between tonality on one side and the chromatic disregard for it on the other, the improvisation weaving it’s silken thread between the two fabrics creating a clear but wavy melody that is just as elusive rhythmically. “Circa” starts with a theme that wouldn’t be amiss off a Pat Metheny album, but then continues with a wandering melody line full of chromatic interest, the like of which I can’t get enough of at the moment....The structures of the pieces are relatively simple allowing for the soloists to gleefully stretch the music creatively....it all sounds remarkably fresh by today’s standards and seems like it could have been recorded later than the original date."

"This bracing, time traveling set of music is every bit as dynamic as one might expect given the participants— Shepik, Samworth, bassist Phil Sparks, and drummer Michael Sarin. Sounds swirl, tones waft, instruments prod, and this quartet demonstrates that discursive displays and focused findings are of equal importance in the art of life and the life of art. Sensitivity can sometimes be found in the interplay between these four ("Song Of Then"), but there's also a love of the lewd, an embrace of the skronky, and a passion for playfulness in these encounters. This is a crew that appreciates and investigates everything from the avant-folk and blues of Ornette Coleman ("Rambin'") to the nocturnal fever dreams of Robin Holcomb ("Nightbirds"), adding both into a winning portfolio that includes original music built on prickly sway and waltzing allure ("Bent House"), sounds of dystopia and myopia ("Confluenza"), and a general love for the marriage between the beautiful and the unnerving. This one was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait."

"Shepik and Samworth will confound yet please critics with each of the songs on this remarkable recording Quartet 1991. ‘Songs’ is the key operative word here. For if you listen carefully these nine tracks making up the album are marvellous examples of this form of music. The music is melodically profound in every sense of the term. There is old-fashioned lyricism here, poignant at times (read that as ‘Bent House’ and ‘Circa’) and played with heartfelt emotions, and completely bereft of machismo. Other songs (‘Confluenza’, for instance) are really fine, dynamic accounts, with virtuosity appropriately to the fore. This makes for some pretty imposing music – especially on ‘PLAW’ – but the end result is no less exhilarating. The reason: Brad Shepik and Ron Samworth succeed in plumbing the depths of melody the way that good musicians should....Some of the disc’s most fruitful music-making involves movements packed with counterpoint between the guitarists including a feisty conjunction of sparky guitar from Shepik while Samworth plays liquid lines. The song in question is Ornette Coleman’s ‘Ramblin’. This commendably adventurous song is typical of a programme that is truly spectacular. It can make us eavesdroppers on a personal aural journal that has been exquisitely captured on tape. Tony Reif brings the session to life in his liner notes. His account of the odyssey that became this disc is fascinating. To think that we almost lost this music completely until Reif found a way to bring it to life again…"

"This will appeal to fans of the textured guitar interplay that is closely associated with earlier Bill Frisell. But don’t come looking for a showcase of purely lead solo fire. Songs such as Shepik’s lovely Song of Then is full of open space, understated rhythm-guitar interplay and a gorgeous bass solo. It’s always a pleasure when sessions this good finally find release...this stands as a document of two excellent players finding their now fully developed tones and styles."

“The record sounds lively and compelling 25 years after it was recorded and it's notable that the set doesn't sound mired in the downtown musical vibe of the early 1990s. Shepik's tone palette varies from clean to distorted, his melodic lines from legato fast-tempo triplets to choppy staccato phrases. [Samworth] plays very tightly in rhythmic and thematic synch with Shepik, and his solos are refreshingly cliché-free. There's a mood of exploration, rather than destination, in many of the pieces….Highlights of the set are the contemplative "Nightbirds" and the closing "Song of Then." "Nightbirds" is a tightly-structured multi-part piece that mixes composed lines and short improvisational passages. It's a satisfying, melodically memorable work. "Song of Then" with its expansive 9-minute length, includes a well-conceived bass solo from Phil Sparks and subtle rhythmic support from drummer Michael Sarin, and draws the set quietly to its conclusion….Transferring an original analogue recording directly (and conscientiously) to hi-res digital preserves the analogue character of the sound. While many original digital recordings from the late 1980s and early 90s sound artificial, hard and flat, the 24/192 transfer of the Quartet 1991 multitrack studio tapes, and the careful efforts to mix, edit and master them, yields a warm sonic playback experience, more like a good late-era LP than an antiseptic early CD.”