Leo Gosselin

The Longing 2012 CD $12.



Not yet reviewed.

 

Celtic Vision 2001 CD $12.



Celtic Vision, the second of Canadian born Leo Gosselin's 2001 releases, puts the veteren Stick player back into an ensemble format. On this release, Gosselin performs a collection of Celtic pieces on his ACTV-2 equipped 12-string Stick accompanied by Miriam Neuman on the violin, Susan Hammer on Irish whistle, Ty Rogers on Zendrum, and Christian Gosselin on synthesizer.

Throughout the record, the traditional instruments combined with the not so traditional instruments provides a unique interpretation of the pieces from the Celtic tradition. Right from the start, "The Butterfly" opens with a nice groove of Stick and Zendrum and is quickly joined by the Irish whistle and violin sharing melody duties with Gosselin's Stick. In the pieces that follow, different combinations of the musicians are used beginning with the Stick and whistle duos of "The Irish Boy" and "Morgan Magan", through more Zendrum accompanied grooves like "Sir Arthur Shaen", and culminating in Leo playing solo on "The Fair Little Child". Right in the middle of it all there lies one of the more interesting version of "Scarborough Fair" you're likely to hear with the familiar melody playing over an ominous drum and bass groove.

Dream Waters 2001 CD $12.



Dream Waters, the first of two 2001 releases by Canadian Leo Gosselin, is pure solo Stick recording from start to finish. Gosselin is another of the "seasoned veterans" of the Stick and right from the start, the brilliant tones of his 12-string Stick and ACTV-2 pickup are evident in both his full bass side work and his beautiful melodies.

And Leo's love for the beautiful melody is apparent in his playing style and his selection of pieces. Dream Waters opens with a soulful rendition of Chick Corea's "Crystal Silence". On this piece, Gosselin blends the sweet melody and chordal work together such that the two sides of the Stick become one. Also scattered throughout this work are Stick arrangements of traditional Celtic folks songs as well as a single Leo Gosselin composition titled "Spanish Circles" which carries on the lyrical qualities of his other selections.

Perhaps one of the most ambitious undertakings of this CD are Gosselin's renditions of Eric Satie's "Gymnopedies 1-3". Satie, considered one of founders of the impressionist movement, wrote the three gymnopedies in 1888. Thier melodies are simple and very similar to one another often described as walking around the same piece of sculpture seeing it from different angles. Gosselin delivers these works flawlessly on Stick staying very true to the original pieces.

All in all, Dream Waters provides another essential work for the Leo Gosselin fan and Stick community at large.

Potpourri 2000 CD $12.
Leo Gosselin's second CD album featuring The Stick, this time in a series of beautiful, blending duos with piano, drums and Irish whistle.

The Celtic songs are harmonically simple and sweet in tone, blending well with Irish whistle and Irish military styled drums, all very traditional until you realize that the bass and chords are subtly altered in their movement. Then there are those signature high melodic excursions from Leo's standard tuned 6+6 Grand Stick.

But he also plays the standards, "Funny Valentine", "Angel Eyes", "Willow" and others. This is where the sophisticated chordal voicings and countermelodies of Stick and piano coalesce with sonic clarity.

Then there is his magnificent original song, "Life Passion", this time arranged and orchestrated differently from his first CD "Border Crossing". Here the texture is sweetened by bell-like keyboards and smooth drums and percussion.

Border Crossing 1997 CD $12.
This collection of solo Stick recordings is a documentary of master player Leo's musical discoveries over many years. There are "live" renditions of jazz standards, including "Angel Eyes" and "Lover Man", performed with soulful abandon, yet with the discipline and precision that comes from experience. His high melody register is sweet and his bass and chordal registers are full, sonorous and guitarlike. He includes two Latin standards by Chick Corea, some Celtic folk songs, and his own richly romantic composition, "Life Passion".

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