Grateful

Tao Theory

Long on local flavor and sprinkled with homegrown locales, this new debut CD is a welcome surprise on the music scene. On Grateful, Tao Theory plays original New Acoustic music for two guitars and violin with flavors of renegade classical, Celtic, mood indigo, and jazz. The 12 tracks on this album are carefully constructed yet played with abandon while roaming free of the usual reference points. Drama, pathos, leitmotifs, pomp and circumstance, whimsy, and pensiveness—all are woven into this splendid new recording.

Interpretation intermingles with inspiration on the classically based pieces. Combined with spacious musicianship and coupled with some mighty fine pickin’, you’ve got a whole collection of standout pieces, such as the harp-like sounds of “Phoenix Lake Trio” and the carefree precision of “Take 57,” loosely inspired by the Dave Brubeck piano classic. The closer, “Dance of the Muse,” brings a colorful round dance theme from Olde England into modern times. Brilliant cover art by North Bay artist Jennifer Mazzucco is the perfect adornment!

Tao Theory is an acoustic music trio with Susan Shloss on violin, Greg Barnett on guitar, and Robert Adamich on guitar. They compose intricate instrumental music inspired by the beauty of nature, love, the complexity of the human experience, and their lengthy backgrounds in music ranging from classical training to pop songwriting and performances of rock, folk, jazz, funk, and kirtan.

Susan and Greg met in the kirtan world and worked as a duo for a couple of years. They had great musical chemistry and made wonderful music. Then Susan and Robert fell in love and began playing together. When the three of them got together to play, a special chemistry of music and friendship revealed itself, and Tao Theory was born. Grateful is a sweet album expressing the love of life, music, and our beautiful Northern California home. TaoTheory.com

—LLOYD BARDE (LLOYDBARDE.COM)