Glass Harp Live at the Beachland Ballroom 11/01/08
Artist: Glass Harp
URL: http://www.glassharp.net 
Label: indie 
Length: 11 tracks / 74:53
 
I'll bet when mama Keaggy would look at little Phil's report card she'd always see one particular 'A' in this area: “plays well with others.” Certainly, Glass Harp Live at the Beachland Ballroom 11/01/08 would be proof enough of this, not just for Phil but for his musical play-date buddies, drummer John Sferra and bass player Daniel Pecchio as well. Forty years after their first album was released these three amazing musicians are still playing well together – very well, as this new release definitively demonstrates.
 
The live Glass harp performance captured on this disc was a benefit concert for Roots of American Music, and, unlike 2001's fine Strings Attached project, which featured the trio and an orchestra, this is almost 75 minutes of unfiltered, glorious jamming by Phil, John and Daniel. Sure, there are ten songs on the album (the first 'track' is a verbal introduction), and I wouldn't want to diminish them – but the magic that happens when these three men stretch out on musical treks that take them miles from where they started is where the real gold is found.
 
Of the ten tracks on the album, five were also featured on the Strings Attached reunion: “Children's Fantasy,” “Changes,” “Do Lord,” “Never is a Long Time,” and “Can You See Me” are all done here and benefit from the freedom of not having the daunting task of dealing with a full orchestra. Right off the bat, with “Children's Fantasy,” Phil pulls out all the looping-stops and creates what sounds like an orgy of electric guitars, layer upon layer – rocking out, laying down chords, soloing, using volume swells and any number of techniques while Sferra's drums and Pecchio's bass symbiotically pick up the trail and create new musical pathways through the often-covered ground. Even the somewhat generic “Do Lord,” often a showcase for Keaggy's soloing, is transformed by glorious improvisation into a fresh, creative moment as the musicians venture out into uncertain waters but, unlike the Biblical Peter, run instead of sink.
 
From Keaggy's 1998's self-titled solo project, Glass Harp performs the still modern-sounding groove of  “A Sign Came Through the Window,” which morphs from a jazzy rock song, venturing into some spacey  soloing and eventually ending somewhat abruptly with Phil seeming to do a bit of Dylan on the last vocal phrase.  Undoubtedly, the centerpiece of the album is the more-than-15 minute long “Beachland Jam,” which is no-doubt exactly what you're hoping it is: a full quarter-hour of the legendary Glass Harp improvising and jamming – creating intelligent, coherent, living music in front of your very ears with a style and skill that few could match. Pecchio holds the bottom together as Sferra seems to read Keaggy's mind, laying down sometimes jazz-driven, sometimes rock-driven patterns on the drum kit with efficiency and taste. Keaggy, of course, creates patterns and textures, often creating loops that he plays over, with, and (seemingly) in-between, having the nerve to then blast solos through and over the whole affair! Not only does he play well with others, but he also knows how to play with.... never mind.  Long-time fans of Phil's will recognize familiar riffs and melodies, as the guitarist summons them from years past and teases the savvy listener. 
 
The sound of the recording itself is warm and solid, respecting the fine bass playing of Pecchio and faithfully reproducing the rich sound of Sferra's drum kit. Of course, Keaggy is right where he ought to be in the mix, and he sounds looser and more aggressive than he's sounded in years. All three men sing, and the harmonies – when needed – are excellent. It helps, I suppose, that Pecchio sounds almost like Phil's vocal twin brother. 
 
For me, the compositional highlights are the relatively newer “A Sign Came Through A Window,” the amazing, free-flying “Beachland Jam,” and the timeless gospel-blues of “John the Revelator.” At times, the Glass Harp originals (especially “Changes”) might betray their age and suggest the simplistic drama-queen mysticism of the day (from “Whatever Life Demands,” we hear, “...take my hand and I'll show you what can be / all over this land there are people who want to be free”), but even the weakest moment becomes a springboard for ensemble playing that transports you to another place – a place where the moment becomes king. And in the case of Glass Harp, it's all about another King and that makes it even better!
 
Bert Saraco

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