CAMERON KNOWLER & ELI WINTER “Anticipation’

For Anticipation we head to the Trans Pecos, West Texas. This is where Cameron Knowler and Eli Winter holidayed in 2018 touring through that part of the state. The duo bonded whilst gigging either together or solo to the small desert communities and the spell was cast. Knowler’s playing is based more in tradition and Winter’s the avant garde, but together there’s a constant frisson of excitement in the plucked conversations. Eventually finding studio time in Houston they were able to push each other onto fresh ground during some long sessions. Dissonance and improvisation are in the mix alongside a wealth of sublime crystalline counterpoint melodies. Sippin Amaretto could be Norman Blake and Ryley Walker under the tutelage of Derek Bailey. And Caddo Lake is a masterful take of the Michael Chapman classic. The long form meandering highlight is A White Rose For Mark, a tribute to the late fingerstylist Mark Fosson.