It was only in January that James Elkington last dropped a record, the wonderfully idiosyncratic Me Neither, a twenty-nine-song project chronicling a month of improvisations, one being created per day. For All Gist, his third collaboration with the always classy and discerning Nathan Salsburg (whose last release was the haunting Landwerk No.3 in January 2023), the pair demonstrate with fluid, confident playing why they are such a solid duo.
These ten songs were cut during two three-day sessions in Chicago, and the feeling from the finished article is of a pain-free process, with the playing across the board being deceptively relaxed and unassuming. But, of course, there is plenty of chops and prowess hidden beneath the surface.
Take the beautifully undulating Nicest Distinction as a starting point. A three-part ballad, this one begins with the duo’s acoustic guitars playing a leisurely, loosely entwined piece with subtle string bends and gently probing notes, before the soft woodwind of Wednesday Knudsen gently caresses the notes, adding a delicate timbre to the music. By the final third, the bass and percussion are slightly more in the foreground, with the guitars playing a knotty little refrain, its edges softened by Knudsen’s ethereal accompaniment.
A more mischievous tune is Numb Limbs, which sounds like it could belong on Bill MacKay and Ryley Walker’s SpiderBeetleBee. An unadorned duo guitar piece, this one sees the pair playing a complex little number that unsurprisingly took some perfecting (hence the title) and that showcases the talent each possesses without becoming too showy or any notes becoming superfluous.
Another sparer piece, the more pensive and melancholy Fears of this Nature, is reminiscent in places of dbh’s Shed Light from his Mood album, with the music slowing down to allow space and brevity to each picked and bent string. It’s a beautiful song that the occasional bass plucks from Nick Macri subtly enriches. All Gist could be Yours is another one that packs plenty into a modest set-up, this time with spare piano notes working alongside two guitar parts, plucked bass and super soft brass. Again, the quality of the music, the patience of its build-up and the confidence in its unshowy execution illustrate the strengths of both musicians. Both James and Nathan are known for putting out intelligent, thought-provoking music, and All Gist is the finest example of their skills as a duo so far—a wonderfully soothing recording of top-level musicianship.
All Gist is released on 12th April via Paradise of Bachelors.
Pre-Order All Gist:
Bandcamp: https://jameselkingtonandnathansalsburg.bandcamp.com/album/all-gist
Smart Link: https://lnk.to/pob75
