Jeff Pearce
Lingering Light

While the TV lulls my mind by showing me characters that crowd a once-no-longer-deserted island or the usual refinements of the cultural assessor Vittorio Sgarbi, I went online to find news and information about an artist who has always invited me to listen to him.

Mostly unknown in Italy, Jeff Pearce is an experimental musician, who uses only the electric guitar to create wonderful tones and sounds, combining the instrument with a few effects like delay, loop, and gentle distortions. The genre that American critics love to describe this musical work with is "ambient music." Nothing could be truer: the wonderful harmonies and the complex melodic structures, slow and reflective, melancholic and dreamy, recommend listening to it in a tranquility that I would dare to call "autumnal," considering also the pleasant feeling of romantic desolation. Jeff Pearce had already enchanted the American public with albums such as "Vestiges," "Crossing the trails," and "To the shores of heaven," which many consider, so far, his greatest work.

Always accompanied by his faithful Stratocaster, a guitar that symbolizes sonic versatility and timbral sweetness if used without distortions, Pearce now dazzles us using an instrument called the Chapman Stick, a special bass with 8, 10, or 12 strings, with the tonal range of a piano, which is played with both hands on the fretboard (you'll often see it in the hands of musicians like Tony Levin, John Myung, Trey Gunn). And the atmospheres are therefore enriched with spaciousness and a great sonic range that enhances its charm. I recommend to everyone, if you have inserted this wonderful piece of art into the stereo, to turn off the lights and let yourself be lulled by the sweet and deserted notes of "Almost the moon," almost symptomatic of lunar solitude, a hymn to the silver star that fills the night skies. Among crystalline and low and full-bodied sounds, the track gently slides towards the next "Her Heart holds winter, unforgiven," which evokes a sweet, silent, and intimate suffering, accompanied by a few notes, slow and rhythmic. Instead, a small melancholic smile is evoked by "In the silent years to come." A small gem of emotional antitheses: suspended between hopeful joy and slight, light melancholy. So far, I notice the silence of the tracks, never over the top and never noisy or equipped with unpleasant sounds: everything is articulated and pondered to evoke relaxation and calm.

"A Secret to Hide" and "In the quiet days before" bring to my mind those autumnal atmospheres and settings, where the ground is colored by leaves, while some of them fly supported by a mild wind. A small masterpiece is "jazzmine in Lingering Light," which greatly moves by reminding me of painful farewells or wonderful lost memories. "Gentle Lesson" reminds me of piano melodies and "First Wounding" evokes considerable relaxation. A veiled happiness accompanies "First Wounding", in its never monotonous, delicate yet emotionally devastating progression. "These Things Unspoken" is a theme of secrecy, and is a silent, gentle track, while "Everything in time" is a sweet hymn to the passage of time. It closes with the illuminated darkness of "The mountain Dark Side," a more expressive track than the others, with its obstinate pauses and its slight slowness, endowed with sweet melodies and pleasant harmonic carpets that enrich every single passage.

It is almost too beautiful to discover how many pearls are hidden in today's musical landscape. I am not surprised that no one has ever noticed this extraordinary musician. This small musical work is made of veiled, hidden emotions, almost covered with soft lids to be opened little by little, with each listening. Each time you will find a nuance that will increase its value, that will destroy your mind making you calm, gentle, and satisfied. Almost a hymn to starry nights or autumn's deserted tree fields, this disc evokes reverential awe towards this musical beauty, towards a solitude free of thoughts and anxieties, rich in emotions and dreamy music.