I recently interviewed my friend Elliott Klein leading up to his new EP release and asked him so many questions that he graciously answered. Wanna read that one? Head on here for that interview.
But really, let’s talk about Elliott Klein’s new EP, Together, Finally.
This is a five track release at just over 12 minutes. The vibe is a mix of Ted Greene meets Joe Pass meets maybe a bit of Tuck Andress and a tinge of Jimmy Wyble.
And no, I’m not just naming famous solo jazz guitarists for a review. You can hear these sounds in Elliott’s solo playing, though I’m not sure how much he listens to these players.
Dream a Little Dream of Me begins with a dramatic introduction before it goes into the theme. I particularly love the counter-melodies that Elliott plays in response to the melody in this arrangement. There’s hints of Ted Greene and Jimmy Wyble in the performance which is cool. Perhaps my favorite part of it is that Elliott just plays the song without extending it too much.
Autumn Leaves is a brave choice for solo guitar since there is so much history within this piece. Julian Lage’s many masterful solo renditions of this come to mind and of course that really nice take by Joe Pass on his posthumous album, Unforgettable. That being said, Elliott makes some great decisions in this arrangement that makes it a joy to listen to.
The third track on the EP is Amazing Grace, which Elliott plays lyrically, respecting the melody while still taking time to play nice fills and play great sound gospel harmonic choices. Some subtle reharmonizations are also there to perk up your ears even if you know this piece well. This is one that I would probably recommend my students to transcribe if they dig these sounds.
On that note: Elliott are you releasing transcriptions of this music? That would be sweet!
Moving to the fourth track, we have Misty – another track that I personally love playing solo so it’s really interesting to hear how Elliott navigates and does double stops in the melody (which I probably should do when I play this piece next time). There’s some light bass reponses to his melody and again some cool harmonic choices at the end of the piece… and harmonics too. I dig the sliding fourths too, nice one!
The closing track on the EP is the classic Georgia On My Mind which has some pretty fills in between the melody. Elliott plays this really confidently and he has just the right balance between playing the melody and playing beautiful lines in between. This is something I want to learn to do better – might have to transcribe some of his playing to decipher this!
All in all, this is a beautiful solo electric guitar EP from Elliott Klein. Elliot’s lines make the album sound more modern harmonically though he plays everything with a tasteful restraint which makes the album an interesting listen. What I mean is he doesn’t go on long improvised solos that take away attention from the real star of the pieces, the songs themselves!
If you dig solo electric guitar playing, you might enjoy listening to this during a quiet night at home. I certainly will.
Rating: 4.5/5
[About Elliott Klein]
Elliott Klein started playing guitar at 16 years old after listening to classic guitar gods like Steve Vai, Tommy Emmanuel, and Eric Johnson. He was so dedicated to his instrument that he was able to attend Berklee College of Music just two years later. It was here that Elliott formed his first band that played over 100 shows a year up and down the east coast.
Upon graduating with a double major in performance and business, Elliott moved to Brooklyn, NY, where he spent time working as a session guitarist. While in New York, he also wrote his own original music and formed the indie rock band, Bright & Loud. His last release in 2015 was the album “Light Echoes” that showcased his guitar playing, producing, and songwriting abilities.
Elliott moved to Los Angeles, CA in 2015, where he has established himself as an in-demand session musician and made his way into the Country and Americana scenes. He teaches privately online and received his Masters of Studio/Jazz Guitar from USC’s Thornton College of Music.