Elliot Cole
Journals (vol. 1)
(Long Echo Music)

Elliot Cole presents the four pieces of his Journals (vol. 1) here. Enlisting Jordan Dodson on guitar and Gabriel Cabezas on cello, we get some well-played, deeply creative songwriting across these four.

A surely mournful Cabezas cello cuts across Dodson’s sweetly plucked classic guitar on opener, “November 1 (Homesick).” The pretty slightly Spanish-theme plucking keeps us rooted so we don’t get all too sad on this beautiful short song. “November 25 (Lovesick)” follows more of the same pattern; plucked acoustic and cello. This time the acoustic sets the melancholy in its arpeggio, slower as it is, and Cabezas follows what I feel is a strong melody line; it’s a proper stab at contemporary classic. As the song picks up steam, Dodson manages even more studied great fingering moments.

“December 4 (Papakata),” with its dervish-like beginning, has the pair riffing and bowing at great speed. I truly loved this one with the multi-finger picking, strumming beat, and the high-flying gypsy-like dance of cello play.

A low slicing thick rhythm starts the rockin’ “December 14 (Exit Row),” the last piece here. This is another one I really like, with its Sturm und Drang, Dodson running all over the fretboard, and Cabezas cutting that brisk pace alongside him. Both men even get into some slapping and plucking. It’s a great way to end Journals (vol. 1).

It’s not every day we get to enjoy someone’s compositions when that someone is not playing any instrument creating the recording of that composition. But this is often the classical way, and it is served well by a talented duo of players rendering Elliot Cole’s writing into reality.