Carl Weingarten is the quiet subversive who applies his guitar experiments within unassuming New Age digs. A rare slide guitarist who isn’t a blues hack, Weingarten’s career has demonstrated how guitar glissando sounds so good in settings far off from the blues.
The latest proof of this comes from This Is Where I Found You, which Weingarten released in May, 2018. A set of nine new original instrumentals, the guitarist keeps things sanguine and has it all anchored down by electric bass extraordinaire Michael Manring. Also accompanying him are Kit Walker (keys), Pat Duffey (acoustic guitar), Celso Alberti (drums and percussion), Tate Bissinger (wordless vocals) and a few cameos.
This Is Where I Found You is perhaps a little jazzier than Weingarten’s prior efforts; indeed the soothing “Sing Like Water” has bright, folk-jazz harmonics that coupled with Manring’s wistful bass sonorities is evocative of Eberhard Weber’s Colors recordings of the late 70s. At the other end of the album, “Bunk Beds” boasts an eminently hummable melody, well in keeping with the cheery mood of the whole record.
“Jazz76” is much more diversely styled than the title suggests, Weingarten’s slide work at times sounds almost like a pedal steel, giving this song a mild country seasoning. He teams up with noted record producer/remixer (and current Tangerine Dream member) Ulrich Schnauss, looping in more and more guitars on “Deittaloo” until a lush, chiming audio mosaic is fully formed. Peter Calandra contributes piano to “Kites and Waves,” where Weingarten blends in liquid slide notes with crisp acoustic leads.
Rich, enveloping fingerpicked guitars grace “The River King” as Weingarten leaves plenty of room for Manring’s bass lyricism and “Sandwave” glistens with guitars and keys as Manring takes on another spotlight amid Weingarten’s own tasteful asides.
This Is Where I Found You finds Carl Weingarten in a very good spot, musically speaking. With ample support and positivity oozing from his songs, Weingarten’s velvety revolution continues.
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