Guy & Billy Reviews
REVIEWS OF GUY & BILLY PERFORMANCES
|
BOSTON GLOBE
"So often instrumental viruosity goes unrecognized while mediocre bands, as long as they have singers, make the big money. Guy Van Duser and Billy Novick are never going to retire in Palm Springs, but the pleasure they give in concert is indescribable. Van Duser is a master of finger-picking guitar styles from Chet Atkins to George Van Eps, and the fluidity in his playing seems so effortless. Novick...shifts from clarinet to pennywhistle, symbolic of this pair's brilliance at both ragtime and traditional material."
|
CALGARY HERALD (Canada)
"Guy Van Duser and Billy Novick's performance at the Nicklodeon Folk Club on Saturday night challenges conventional description.It was, quite simply, one of those situations where you had to be there. I caught only one of the pair's two sets, but that one set left an impression strong enough to guarantee that their names won't be forgotten.
Van Duser and Novick produce full, complex renditions of old jazz and swing numbers from the '30's and '40's- so full that it's hard to believe that only two people hold the stage..."
|
ITHACA JOURNAL
"Enough cannot be said in praise of the musial mastery displayed by Billy Novick and Guy Van Duser during their concert on Saturday night at Cornell University's Anabel Taylor Auditorium.
The Boston-based duo gave an intimate, exhilirating performance, playing and singing jazz standards from the swing era of the 1930's leaving the audience clearly amazed at the magic taking place on stage..."
|
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS (England)
"Billed as an American "blues guitarist," Guy Van Duser proceeded to show he was something completely different when he appeared at the Band on the Wall, Manchester, last night.
Partnered by clarinettist Billy Novick, he played quicksilver versions of jazz tunes, mainly from the '20's and '30's. The duo were totally delightful. Their playing was rhythmically light, it interlocked perfectly, and it was brightly inventive. Both demonstrated a love and respect for their vintage material but interpreted it with an individual freshness that was all their own..."
|
CITY PAGES (Minneapolis/St.Paul)
"Stride Guitarist Guy Van Duser combines understatement, grace, and genuine swing on his Rounder Record solo LP's. Toss in multireedman Novick..and you've got a firecracker duo, one that eschews flash but fairly revels in hokum. Your feet will tap ceaselessly, while your cheekbones adopt a semi-permanent smile."
|
|
REVIEWS OF GUY & BILLY RECORDINGS
|
ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE
"GUY AND BILLY"
"The 13 selections presented here are as much a treasury of American music as they are a showcase for Novick and Van duser'ssuperb instrumental interplay. From vintage jazz standards..to New Orleans Dixieland classics, the guitar and clarinet duo swings through clever arrangements with passionate energy and effortless grace...These guys just keep getting better."
|
JAZZ TIMES
"EVERY LITTLE MOMENT"
"... magnificent chamber jazz...sweet melodies, conversational volume, mellow mood. Novick's extraordinarily PURE clarinet is heard with Guy Van Duser...Van Duser's graceful (and swinging) finger-picked style is closer to jazz piano than to guitar, and he sings with great charm on the rarely-heard...tune, "When My Ship Comes In."... If you dig sophisticated serenity, you'll love this classic jazz."
|
SOUNDSTAGE!
"ON LOVELY SUNDAY AFTERNOON"
"...This CD captures and conveys a mood through the plaintive chemistry of the pairing of Van Duser on guitar and Novick on clarinet. The tunes are a mix of traditional and original arranged by the musicians, but the reserve of the playing makes each one boil very, very slowly. "New Orleans Farewell" had me hanging on each small gesture- and there are many of them- drawing me in, seducing me. This is infectious music, not in any showy way, but rather through its slow-rolling nature. The sound is naturally detailed, the clarinet and plucked guitar strings displaying lots of clarity but not even a hint of aggression. Anything less would kill the effect of the music. If you need more simplicity and quietude in your musical life, this disc is your ticket."
|
|