Leo Abrahams – Masquerade
Leo Abrahams is a guitarist/ multi-instrumentalist whose work has graced anything from Paul Simon, Grace Jones and Vashti Bunyan recordings, to the Ocean’s 12 soundtrack. After developing a childhood mastery of piano, he switched to guitar at the age of 12 then dreamt of career as a composer but after a spell at the Royal Academy of Music, he became disillusioned and fate intervened when he was recruited as a guitarist for Imogen Heap, then Ed Harcourt.
A chance encounter as Abrahams tried out a guitar in a Notting Hill second-hand shop led to a seven year association with Brian Eno and to work with figures such as David Holmes, Jarvis Cocker, Vashti Bunyan and The Waterboys, while his classical training has seen him conducting the orchestra for Starsailor and he has worked with some of the finest modern folk acts.
As a solo artist he creates sparse mesmeric tracks, almost always with a filmic quality, with ringing tones here and trickling processed effects there. On his forthcoming third album the Grape And The Grain, Abrahams has explored English folk tunes with spacious beautifully arranged instrumentals, often closer to chamber jazz than stereotyped real ale and beards, with a sound akin to the pure guitar lines of Bill Frisell.
On the album there are touches of Talk Talk (Colour Of Spring-era and a few nods to the bleaker Spirit of Eden), the elegant plotting of Einaudi and the vibrant drive of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio. It's like punk never happened....
You can download a free copy of the album’s opening track Masquerade here
Leo is also a session guest on Q Radio's QPM programme on Friday, March 13, from 6pm.
1:08 PM | 10/03/2009
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