Brian Prunka - "In Praise of Shadows"
Brian Prunka - "In Praise of Shadows" found on emu here...
http://www.emusic.com/album/Brian-Prunka-In-Praise-of-Shadows-MP3-Download/11258312.html
Brian Prunka: guitar, oud
Matt Rhody: violin
Tommy Sciple: bass
Mark DiFlorio: drums
Released back in 2001, I just happened upon it the other day; more proof it's worth aimlessly wandering the back catalog.
I would suggest that this album would appeal to fans of Anouar Brahem or just about any modern ECM album with guitar as the session leader. It'll also appeal to fans of Frisell's trio work, I would think, as well as those who took a liking to Taylor Haskins' "American Dreams".
I'm not much of a jazz guitar fan, and I'm really picky for what I do listen to, but this album really struck a chord with me. One element I really like about the album is that the guitar and violin weave together rather than a series of back and forth interplay. Nothing wrong with the latter, but the former is far more rare (in my experience) and far more rewarding (IMO).
The album bounces along nicely, with some serene and eerie moments in between. Night is probably my favorite track, just peacefully driving along through a sunset landscape. Aztec and The Thief and the Dog and the first reprise really work well.
The thing is, the best work I've heard from him is many of his unreleased tracks which can be heard here on his myspace...
http://www.myspace.com/brianprunka
Songs like Annie Lauria, Khajilli, and Blues are just phenomenal.
He only has one full track for listening from the album (Aztec), but I actually emailed the guy and mentioned how samples, especially in jazz, end so abruptly that it can be off-putting, which might affect a buying decision. I got a very nice response in which he says that he will see about getting full tracks up from the album. So if you listen to samples and are on the fence about buying the album, check back in with his site from time to time and see if there's more to listen to. Oh, hey, here's his site...
http://brianprunka.com/0/mp3.html