Sean Cannelle

Camino is guitarist Sean Shibe’s first PENTATONE album, an introspective programme exploring French-Spanish musical borders, a pilgrimage leading from Ravel’s Pavane pour une Infante défunte, Satie’s Gymnopédie No.1 and Gnossiennes 1 and 3, Poulenc’s Sarabande, De Falla’s Miller’s Dance and Homaje, pour le Tombeau de Debussy and José’s Pavana triste all the way to Mompou’s Cançons i dansas 6 and 10, as well as his Suite compostelana. Shibe has deliberately granted Mompou a central role on this album, as his music demonstrates that melancholy, aimlessness and a whole host of other feelings are not things to be avoided or fixed or solved, but experiences to be felt deeply: not with sad nostalgia, but with genuine wonder and excitement at what this means for the future. In that respect, Camino also documents Shibe’s personal quest to overcome the challenges of a time dominated by Covid-19, and to ultimately see the world anew.

Cortlandt is the first solo CD by bassist/composer Sean Malone (Cynic, Gordian Knot). It features a rich tapestry of musical styles, from fusion, to world music, to the Baroque. It contains, as Sean puts it "a lot of the bits and pieces that never made it to the setlists of the groups I've played in" with a focus on fusion melody and harmony (Controversy, Splinter, Giant Steps). As much as it is a showcase for performance, Cortlandt is the freshman offering of Sean's composition and arranging skills, utilizing an array of textures and instrumentation. Fans of Cynic and Gordian Knot have sought out this little-known disc, but should be warned that it doesn't serve as a 'prequel' to Gordian Knot; it's a chance to hear Sean stretch out as a bassist and début as a composer in a fusion setting.

Sean Watkins has had a prolific couple of years. In addition to Nickel Creek’s long-awaited comeback album A Dotted Line in 2014, Watkins also released a solo record, All I Do Is Lie in the summer of 2014 and the collaborative covers album The Watkins Family Hour in 2015. Plus he toured with all three acts in between. Now he’s back with another solo album, and What to Fear continues his streak of strong releases.