https://youtu.be/2naCknp0kvE

Editor's info:
Its wholly fitting that this questing US pedal steel guitarist has chosen to interpret the nuevo tango of Astor Piazzolla on her latest longplayer. The late Argentinean composer presided over a revolution in traditional music by emphasising elements of improvisation, dissonance and counterpoint, while Alcorn seeks the total liberation of her instrument, away from the stifling confines of country accompaniment, by incorporating free jazz and classical composition into her extraordinarily singular designs. The deeply affecting takes on Soledad are stocked full of such images, from Ornettes Lonely Woman (Adios Nonino) to Wagner (Invierno Porteno) and Vitali (Tristezas De Un Doble A). Such allusions, uncovered during the
careful translation process, weave between the sonorous mercury glides and soft percussive phrasing coursing through these five exquisite pieces. Soledad ranks right there alongside Alcorns very best work, echoing the ecclesiastical tenderness and far more secular sorrows of previous low-key gems such as Uma and the appositely titled wonders of And I Await The Resurrection Of The Pedal Steel Guitar. by Spencer Grady


Susan Alcorn is a Baltimore, Maryland-based composer and musician who has received international recognition as an innovator of the pedal steel guitar, an instrument whose sound is commonly associated with country and western music.Having absorbed the technique of C&W pedal steel playing and refined it to a virtuosic level, her original music reveals the influence of free jazz, avant-garde classical music, Indian ragas, Indigenous traditions, and other musics of the world. The UK Guardian describes her music as "beautiful, glassy and liquid, however far she strays from pulse and conventional harmony."

Though mostly a solo performer, she has collaborated with numerous artists including Pauline Oliveros, Eugene Chadbourne., the late Peter Kowald, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Maggi.......
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