- Audio CD (13 Aug 1990)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Windham Hill
- ASIN: B000000NHV
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 28,479 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. The Naked Stalk |
| 2. The Jealous Tunnel/About Face |
| 3. The Jade Stalk |
| 4. Nomad Land |
| 5. Point A |
| 6. Chava's Song |
| 7. Ritual Dance |
| 8. Scenes (On The Road To Shrub 2) |
| 9. The First Cutting |
| 10. Point B |
| 11. Song Of The Spirit Farmer |
| 12. The Rootwitch |
| 13. I Carry Your Heart |
Product Description
Review
Pixyish instrumental journeys, with often ingenious arrangements, pristine instrumentation and pleasing melodies --BAM Magazine
Utterly gripping --Musician Magazine
Amazing, engaging, mystical --Detroit Monthly
Utterly gripping --Musician Magazine
Amazing, engaging, mystical --Detroit Monthly
CD Description
Michael Hedges described Taproot as an 'autobiographical myth told in music'. The album shows a departure from the solo guitar that made him famous and a move towards ensemble pieces. The final track is the lone vocal, a spellbinding setting of an E. E. Cummings poem with soaring background vocals from Hedges' pals David Crosby and Graham Nash.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A beautiful album from an amazingly talented acoustic guitarist who has combined many musical influences including jazz, folk and rock to create a very personal sound. He coaxes sounds from the guitar that are hard to believe come from one person playing. As well as strumming, picking, thumping guitar solos there are fine ensembles with sax, clarinet, whistle and drum. Though the tracks are quite diverse there is a central spiritual, mystical feel to the whole, unifying it ... His music seems to weave in and out and return to the centre, a technique found in both ambient music and in contemporary classical composers like Arvo Part, which gives a profound sense of calm, peace and timelessness. But don't get me wrong, that does not mean slow, spaced out ... whilst The Naked Stalk, Chava's song are gentle pieces, Nomad Land and Point B are syncopated jazz, Ritual Dance is pacy, ... and then there is Rootwitch ... worth buying the cd for this track alone. Song of the Spirit Farmer is haunting, and reminds me of classical music by Part and Gorecki. And as the icing on the cake, I Carry Your Heart, the only vocal, a setting of E E Cummings poem .. it is a very powerful love song. And it is great to hear Michael's voice, it makes personal and brings home the passion heard in his guitar playing.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Great Introduction to an intriguing guitarist
9 Aug 2001
Format:Audio CD
This album grabbed me with the following quote from Steve Vai, paraphrased here : "No one alive plays an acoustic guitar better than Michael Hedges." It may very well be true. Although his recorded musical legacy is sometimes uneven, his brilliance and virtuosity on the guitar cannot be denied. On this mostly insatrumental album, Hedges slaps, taps, pokes, and cajoles his instrument - even employing a special guitar synthesizer for dynamic tonal adjustment - until it begins to take on a life of its own as a completely new musical entity. His polyphonic technique on the acoustic guitar is literally without peer, and his sense of melody and adventure is well-served on _Taproot_. The music is generally on the softer side of things, with traditional nature-worship-type mystical new-age themes. This is not his most energetic performance, yet it is mesmerizing and frequently jaw-dropping. And as it posesses only one complete vocal track - the excellent "I Carry Your Heart" (with backing vocals by David Crosby and Graham Nash) it will be his most accessible album to those who have little tolerance for some of his more ordinary endeavours into pop songwriting (like on _The Road To Return_). Sadly Michael has left us, far before his time, but his instrumental offerings are challenging examples of "new age" music, and some of the most amazing virtuoso acoustic guitar work ever committed to tape.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
an eclectic mix
14 Oct 2001
Format:Audio CD
This is probably MH's most musically diverse album, with an emphasis on ensemble music. Although this genre doesn't shine on every single track, the bulk of the music contained here is excellent and worth buying. If anything, this album could justifiably be bought simply to hear "Rootwitch," perhaps the most astounding guitar piece Hedges ever composed. "Ritual Dance" is also very exciting, with its very intense and fast rhythms. The "Point A/Point B" series is an interesting presence, performed on an experimental guitar called a Trans-Trem. As far as the ensemble music goes, "The First Cutting" is the most appealing. Finally, Hedges sole vocal performance on "i carry your heart" demonstrates that the artist is also a gifted tenor. Definitely worth your time.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Something Different
27 Dec 2001
Format:Audio CD
I'm a huge Hedges fan, but I always play Taproot when I want a departure from solo guitar. This CD has a mystical, fantasy vibe to it that is hard to explain. It is filled with great multi-textured tunes ranging from jazzy to depressing. It's one of my all-time favorites. You've got to check out Ritual Dance.
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