INTERCONNECTED

A Letter to Listeners:

My first solo guitar release, Places, included a brief transition written for string quartet. After hearing that recording, a wonderful pianist (Ruth Harteneck, who taught both my children) commented that I should write more music for strings with modern fingerstyle guitar. That advice must have lodged in my brain. When I started putting material together for Interconnected, I did just that and went a little farther by including bass and tabla.

Modern fingerstyle guitar itself is an amalgam of styles. The guitar parts on this recording include jazz chord voicings but also rely heavily on classical techniques, good old rock and funk rhythm guitar, in addition to altered tunings and the types of percussive hits and extended harmonics characteristic of modern fingerstyle playing. The ensemble is a perfect vehicle for connecting different styles, eras, and cultures. So, for example, the piece 6 in 7 begins with a traditional classical Indian introduction (called an Alaap) and includes a middle section which features a jazz-infused violin solo followed by a Peter Gabriel-esque rock cello solo. Hot Apple Stuff has a Celtic feel driven by a galloping tabla beat. For Every Child is a classical trio for guitar, violin, and cello inspired by the French composer, Maurice Ravel, whom I have revered since college.

Interconnectedness is also expressed here in the relationship between the solo guitar pieces and the ensemble pieces. They come in pairs connected by a guitar tuning and, therefore, an overall sound. Bodega Blue shares a D minorish tonality with 6 in 7 (tuning: D-A-C-D-A-E); Mia Lucia alternates between B minor and D major, while For Every Child turns that around, starting in D major, then going to B minor and back again (tuning: B-F#-D-F#-G-D).

This music requires musicians capable of delivering a wide spectrum of styles. As you will hear, each of the players on this recording are extraordinarily gifted. I am deeply honored, grateful, and humbled to work with them.

Thanks for listening!

— Mark Vickness

Mark Vickness is to be lauded, not only for his excellent compositions, but also his vision in bringing together those musicians who have understood and so skillfully performed the music on Interconnected. An album of elegance and beauty!
So on a final note and to answer the question posed in paragraph one. Can Interconnected offer solace in these dark times? Undoubtedly!
— Bob Mulvey, The Progressive Aspect
Throughout the recording there is a strong sense of the dialect and expression of music.
The quartet paint sonic landscapes, coloured by changes in textures and rhythm, with the tabla adding delicate touches at times and at others a rhythmic counterpoint to add contrast and depth. There is, as was the intent, an association between the numbers and the essences of beauty, peace and interconnection between the players and the listener.
It is an album of atmospheres, one to savor in moments of quietude and mindful listening.
—Sammy Stein, Jazz Views
Interconnected is a wonderfully rich combination of Free-form Jazz, Classical Guitar, New Age / Folk-inspired, and modern compositional music. It has a flow and ambient tranquility to it, yet is subtly energized with anticipation of the next note.
The music has a “Kinetic Energy” to it, as it moves forward, it builds up, and continues on its own perpetual motion, and long after the last note is played, it continues to play in the mind, permanently imprinting itself as masterful work that is for the present and future generations of music lovers everywhere.
—Joseph Timmons, IndiePulse Music
Mark Vickness has created something so special and timely. It’s such a hopeful album, packed with artistry and stirring, deeply personal pieces.
“Interconnected” is not only the title of the album but the driving force it seems, the purpose and the reason. What better way to perform songs full of power and whimsy, melancholy and heart than with a real sense of togetherness. I love this album! A breath of desperately needed grace and sweetness…with a perfect balance of skill and passion…glorious harmony of guitar, cello, viola, bass, and tabla. Brilliant!
—Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros, NoHoArtsDistrict.com
On Interconnected, Vickness has pushed the limits of acoustic fusion, blending many, seemingly unrelated, styles together to create something new and exciting. The song craft and musicianship is top notch and the album is one that reveals more to the listener with each spin.
— General Jabbo, Blinded By Sound
Mark Vickness Interconnected harnesses the power of a wide range of backgrounds, styles, and instruments and shows how glorious harmony can be created when we all work together.
These are masterful players creating at a peak level. The degree of skill and craftsmanship, as well as unrestrained creativity, is truly impressive. This record is the antidote for the age of vitriol and divisiveness we live in at the moment. A meditative mantra of inclusiveness.
— Jon Ireson, Music-News.com