Will Ackerman: Positano Songs
West River Records
Upon listening to Positano Songs, one could be forgiven for wishing Will Ackerman spent less time producing other artists' albums at his Imaginary Road Studios and issuing more of his own. The release is, after all, the first solo collection of original compositions from the Windham Hill Records founder since 2011's New England Roads. No matter: Positano Songs is a superb testament to Ackerman's gifts as a composer and guitarist, regardless of however long it took to reach fruition.
Credit a fall 2015 trip to Positano, a village on Italy's Amalfi Coast and a spot Ackerman's visited for decades and where he and his wife Susan married, for inciting the album's creation. Picking up a guitar during that stay and inspired by the captivating setting and the warmth of the townsfolk, ideas began to flow, and upon departing Italy a week later more than enough material for a new album had been collected. Back in Vermont, however, the business of running his studio meant that the formal recording of that material would have to wait.
Ten acoustic instrumentals appear, all grounded in Ackerman's steel-stringed fretwork. In liner notes, he clarifies that three guitars were played: his principal instrument, the Froggy Bottom K Model six-string; the Martin parlor guitar Michael Hedges gave him as a gift decades ago; and a Steve Klein guitar used for lead parts. As satisfying as a solo guitar recording would be, Positano Songs is enhanced by the contributions of violinist Charlie Bisharat, cellist Eugene Friesen, flugelhornist Jeff Oster, vocalist Noah Wilding, and bassist and pianist Tom Eaton, who co-produced the album and also mixed and mastered it.
Fittingly inaugurating the set with a solo presentation, “Nighttime in the Chapel” is graced by Ackerman's inimitable picking, the haunting ode evoking the image of the guitarist visiting the site at midnight and channeling inspiration from the Nocelle village setting. Whereas other pieces evoke the locale allusively, “The Tyrrhenian Sea” appears to reference it directly when lilting guitar patterns suggest the gentle rocking of anchored boats. A heartfelt homage to a longtime Positano friend, “For Carmine” offers a splendid stage for interactions between Friesen with Ackerman. In a similar vein, “For Giovanni” pays affectionate tribute to the homeowner whose upstairs apartment Ackerman's stayed at during Positano visits.
With the splendour of Bisharat's violin joining Ackerman's guitar, “Our Wedding Song” is as beautiful and lyrical as anticipated. Here and in the peaceful meditation that follows, “Did I Dream This,” Wilding's wordless hush adds to the beauty of the music, though much the same could be said of Friesen's, Eaton's, and Oster's contributions. Each guest's painterly hue is used to extend Ackerman's colour palette and make this album even lovelier. Still, as invaluable as their artistry is, Positano Songs is ultimately distinguished most by the beauty of Ackerman's guitar work. At this stage, he owes listeners nothing. He's had a transformative impact on music and has shared a huge volume of music with the world; further to that, he's also helped midwife a massive catalogue of material by George Winston and others into the world. All of that being said, the world is a far better place for having Positano Songs in it.July 2022