{"id":147649,"date":"2025-04-25T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=147649"},"modified":"2025-04-23T13:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T20:37:08","slug":"teja-gerken-doug-youngs-the-water-is-wide-bridges-familiar-tunes-and-fresh-arrangements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/teja-gerken-doug-youngs-the-water-is-wide-bridges-familiar-tunes-and-fresh-arrangements\/","title":{"rendered":"Teja Gerken & Doug Young\u2019s\u00a0\u2018The Water Is Wide\u2019\u00a0Bridges Familiar Tunes and Fresh Arrangements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If, like me, you loved fingerstyle titans Teja Gerken and Doug Young\u2019s wonderfully eclectic 2020 album\u00a0Duets<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and Gerken\u2019s recent solo voyage,\u00a0Test of Time<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(released on New Year\u2019s Day 2024), you\u2019re almost certain to enjoy the SF Bay Area duo\u2019s latest stellar effort,\u00a0The Water Is Wide<\/a><\/em>. I know it\u2019s purely coincidence, but this album feels like it was aimed straight at my wheelhouse: Two of the songs\u2014Erik Satie\u2019s famous\u00a0Gymnop\u00e9die No. 1<\/em>\u00a0(written for piano in 1888) and the classic \u201cS\u00ed Bheag, S\u00ed Mh\u00f3r,\u201d by the blind early-18th-century Irish harpist and composer Turlough O\u2019Carolan\u2014are staples of the classical guitar repertoire (I was editor of\u00a0Classical Guitar<\/em>\u00a0magazine<\/a> for seven years). And two others happen to be among my favorite acoustic guitar instrumentals of the rock era\u2014\u201cEmbryonic Journey\u201d by Jefferson Airplane\u2019s Jorma Kaukonen (the first acoustic guitar piece I fell in love with, from\u00a0Surrealistic Pillow<\/em>\u00a0in 1967), and Duane Allman\u2019s lovely, lilting duet \u201cLittle Martha\u201d with Allman Brothers co-guitarist Dickey Betts (from the 1972\u00a0Eat a Peach<\/em>\u00a0album).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gerken\u2019s \u201cTakoma,\u201d originally written for 12-string in tribute to Leo Kottke (whose 1969 debut, 6- and 12-String Guitar<\/em>, still tops my personal list of solo acoustic guitar records), first appeared on Test of Time<\/em>. Here, as the liner notes say, \u201cIt\u2019s still on 12 strings, but spread out over two guitars!\u201d The familiar English traditional tunes \u201cThe Water Is Wide\u201d and \u201cGreensleeves\u201d also receive loving, quietly inventive treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With fingerstyle guitar duos, it\u2019s all about touch, timing, tonal variation, and telepathic communication\u2014and Gerken and Young are clearly masters of all those skills. They effortlessly weave their lines in and out of each other\u2019s parts\u2014trading leads, occasionally finishing each other\u2019s phrases, and always contributing subtle harmonic and rhythmic support. You\u2019ll hear everything from harmonic pings to glistening strums to grounding low-end lines that function as bass. They make it all sound natural and easy\u2014but of course, it\u2019s anything but. Even the most consonant and familiar tunes are arranged with great care, and the pristine, ultra-clear mix (courtesy of Young) allows every nuance to be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the expert playing and thoughtful arrangement of the parts, the other key element is the \u201ccasting\u201d of the many different guitars the duo used on the project and the varied tunings they employed\u2014all helpfully notated, along with capo positions, in the liner notes. And while the majority of the tunes feature two standard steel-strings, sprinkled throughout are some imaginative choices that add more color and depth: a couple of steel resonators, three baritones, an archtop electric on the Stefan Grossman\u2013penned \u201cBermuda Triangle Exit,\u201d and even an effective eBow solo on \u201cLittle Martha.\u201d Young\u2019s guitars included a Martin OM-LJ, Ed Claxton EM and Malabar models, Kent Hamblin SJ and GC, and an Eastman John Pisano archtop. Gerken played a Martin OM, Lowden 010, Mario DeSio baritone, Kenny Hill Ruck model, and a National Style 1 resonator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with their previous collaborations, The Water Is Wide<\/em> is a testament to Gerken and Young\u2019s deep musical connection\u2014and to the enduring beauty of two guitars in conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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