Battaglia / Mcmanus Pastellic Reflections CD

"Guitarist TERRENCE McMANUS is a new name to me. Based on these four discs, he's quite a diverse player. PASTELLIC REFLECTIONS (Flattened Planet I) pairs him with fellow guitarist Joe Battaglia for a fine if unassuming duo session (Dream Chain / Pastellic Reflection / White Blood Cells / Industrial Evolution / Desolation / Andalusia / Primaevus. 40:46. August 24, 2005, Jersey City, NJ) with McManus on classical acoustic and Battaglia on steel string. I'm reminded of similar string summits, not just in instrumentation but in spare style, pairing Tetuzi Akiyama with Jozef van Wissem or the fabulous Acoustic Guitar Trio on Incus. These fellows play with a similarly broad sense of space and counterpoint. Each tends to work heavily in chordal areas, both fully resounding and also choked off like John Russell. But they do change it up throughout, with percussive attacks on "White Blood Cells," sweet detuning and mild preparations on "Desolation," and a wonderful assemblage of dizzy slashes on the concluding track."- Jason Bivin,CADENCE MAGAZINE, Winter 2008"A decidedly different, yet no less experimental, album is Pastellic Reflections. The improvised duo features McManus with fellow guitarist Joe Battaglia, performing acoustic pieces that show the striking sonic capabilities of two unplugged instruments. Metallic punctuations and harmonic bell tones ring out on the title track, after a series of atonal chords break the silence over the grating scratch of a pick against wound, metallic strings. The two guitars, at times indistinguishable, blend sonorously before becoming distinct. Battaglia’s steel-stringed acoustic, the more jarring of the pair, producing slapped, metallic rhythms against McManus’ softer, Spanish-tinged nylon strings. “White Blood Cells”, a 5+ minute tour-de-force that features the duo at its most cohesive, begins with muffled notes and chords from McManus’ guitar before Battaglia joins, adding jarring dissonances, contrapuntal lines and open strummed chords. The episodic piece builds to a peak before contracting to muted rumblings and quietly rambling 8th note lines, only to build again. Both guitarists explore different effects, tapping percussively on the guitar’s body to contrast a complex accompanying line or pounding the strings to produce resounding walls of sound from chords with no distinguishable tonal center. “Industrial Evolution” mimics intricate, mechanized workings with rapidly picked, staccato passages and finds the duo creating tension by playing at opposite ends of their shared range. The two men solo with conviction and freedom, creating music as rewarding as it is challenging."-Matthew MillerAll About Jazz New YorkDecember 3, 2006"Acoustic guitar duo where reflections on various musical concerns find expression in an extended idiomatic realm. Noise elements contribute to enrich a sound palette whenever the issue calls for it, while the ‘lack’ of perspective chosen –static camera, one shot- results in a stark realism that seems to hint at an underlying attitude. "-reviewed by Modisti (Spain)October 21, 2006Guitarists Joe Battaglia and Terrence McManus have been performing and recording improvised music together since 1999, and it has blossomed into a deep musical connection. Their debut recording, Pastellic Reflections, was released in March 2006 on the Flattened Planet record label. The work displays the highly intuitive nature that they have developed and showcases their concept of improvised music. Joe and Terrence employ a very personal sense of musical architecture throughout each piece. The themes are all connected to one another, and you can hear the improvisations develop a composed sense of form. A visionary guitarist"-Gene Bertoncini Born in Brooklyn, New York, guitarist Terrence McManus grew up in New Jersey and Connecticut. He has performed with guitarist Bill Frisell, trumpeter Herb Robertson's quartet, bassist Kermit Driscoll's trio, drummers Gerry Hem