TAYLOR USED:
712ce

The good news, though, is that he sure doesn’t play guitar like a physicist, at least not the preconceived notion of what “fingerpicking physicist” conjures up. On his sophomore release, Haselhoff’s formidable technique is abundantly on display, but he doesn’t sound “analytical” or “academic” in the least. He does, however, sound extremely musical.

The rousing, bouncy “Tap Your Other Foot”, inspired by Tommy Emmanuel, employs some percussive effects and stereo panning (which sound especially nice through headphones). To vary textures, Eltjo plays the body of the song on his Taylor 712ce (with he employs on seven of the CD’s dozen tracks, in every other case by itself), but switches to the Australian-made Maton (associated with Aussie Emmanuel) for the interludes.

All but two of the instrumentals herein were written by Haselhoff, from the beautiful waltz “Myosotis” to the fanciful “Tumbo”, inspired by a trip to Disneyworld, with the traditional fiddle tune, “Jaybird”, tacked onto the end. “The Lowlands of Holland” is a traditional ballad from the Netherlands, but it shows the universality and cross-pollination of music in its Celtic character (one can imagine Eltjo’s hammered-on trills being played on a penny whistle). It seems no coincidence that the only other non-original (“Morgan Magan”) is by the great Irish composer, Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738).

“Mugle” begins with a descending A-minor melody, played almost rubato, which sounds like a variation on “Chim Chim Cher-ee”, before jumping into a “Windy and Warm” groove. Similarly, the multi-movement “Phoelix & Grimm” is a jaunty, alternating-bass fingerpicker that reveals a strong classical element in Eltjo’s intro and outro — with his Taylor steel-string proving perfectly appropriate for either style.

True to Solid Air’s standard, the sound is a perfect combination of presence and warmth, with an intimacy that makes you feel like you’re in the same room with (in fact, sitting right next to) Haselhoff. Quite an experience.