Matt Withers & Callum Henshaw: Here & Now
Amica Records
How fitting that Here & Now is being released on Nat Bartsch's Amica Records label when the music Canberra-based classical guitar duo Matt Withers and Callum Henshaw create aligns so seamlessly with the kind the renowned pianist and composer herself makes; the connection is deepened by the fact that two of the album's nine pieces were written by Bartsch and arranged by Withers. Adding to its appeal and distinction, theirs is the first release by another artist to appear on her label.
As different as their respective presentations are, the sensibilities of the duo and Bartsch overlap. Like her, Withers and Henshaw put music before ego such that even though they're trained classical players, only when the material demands it will virtuosic displays occur. And while a few such occasions do arise on Here & Now, the music gravitates towards the soothing, peaceful, and painterly kind. Sincerity and quality of expression are paramount, in other words, not flash. As importantly, like Bartsch's, the material on Here & Now exudes authenticity and is voiced with sensitivity. If Withers and Henshaw play like kindred spirits, it might have something to do with the fact that they've played together for years, first as members of the quartet Guitar Trek and in performances together since.
Info accompanying the release clarifies that the album was inspired by the Australian landscape, and certainly the settings by Naomi Dodd, Elena Kats-Chernin, Paul Kelly, Ross Edwards, Tim Finn, Richard Charlton, Aksuna, and, of course, Bartsch are evocative in the extreme. Consistent with the title, the album, which includes four world premiere compositions and four world premiere arrangements, encourages the listener to be fully engaged in the moment, here and now.
Enchantment sets in the moment Dodd's “Snowy River Lullaby” introduces the thirty-six-minute collection. With one picking and the other augmenting with arpeggios and strums, the duo's guitars interlace beautifully as the material conjures the vision of a serene setting. In contrast to the restful character of the opener, Kats-Chernin's “Tango After Work” enlivens the set with rousing dance moves and a joyful spirit. Songs by Australian Paul Kelly and New Zealander (and one-time member of Split Enz and Crowded House) Tim Finn are highlights. Kelly's "If I Could Start Today Again” is representative of the album in its plaintive tone and heartfelt expression, while Finn's “Stuff and Nonsense” manages to be simultaneously playful, touching, and lyrical. Both of the singer-songwriters' songs also emphasize how strong a role folk plays on Here & Now too.
Darker in tone is Charlton's portentous “Hanging in the Balance,” whose title alludes to the global climate crisis and the predicament we're now facing. With a percussive pulse undergirding the song's chanting melodies and entwining guitar patterns animating the material with urgency, the piece invites reflection on the impact of climate change on the Australian continent and the rest of the planet. Brooding too is “Acacia” by Aksuna (aka Berlin-based composer Natasha Lin), which likewise relates to the climate crisis in being titled after a family of plants that's resistant to fire and drought, and defiance emerges in the music when Withers and Henshaw execute the material so forcefully. Meanwhile, like some elegiac folk ballad from the nineteenth century, Bartsch's quietly majestic “Guy Smiley” is poetry incarnate; as lovely, her tranquil “Grizzlepot” concludes the release on characteristic notes of grace and humility. Produced by Withers and recorded at Sydney's Church St Studios in January 2024, Here & Now is both a terrific standalone statement by the guitar duo and scene-setter for Bartsch's own upcoming release, Forever Changed.October 2024