Tim Sparks - Chasin' the Boogie (2014)

Ever since bursting on the scene with his 1993 release »» The Nutcracker Suite, Tim Sparks has captivated guitar fans with some of the finest fingerstyle guitar playing around. An artist who can be difficult to categorize, Sparks albums and live performances have featured classical, blues, jazz, folk, klezmer, and other styles, and yet they all have a common thread that makes them immediately identifiable. Clearly, for Sparks the music itself is more important than the genre it may have originated in, and Chasin the Boogie continues this approach. Whether completely re-imagining the Beatles Blackbird, creating a complex guitar arrangement of Joni Mitchell s Both Sides Now, playing the folk standards Wayfaring Stranger and I ll Fly Away, or getting gritty on the Mississippi Blues, Sparks creates solo steel-string guitar magic like only he can. Put simply, Chasin the Boogie is guitar music at its best. Even on songs that you thought you knew, you ll find yourself hitting the repeat button to make sure that what you just heard really happened. Whether you re already a fan of solo guitar music or not, give Chasin the Boogie a spin and allow yourself to be taken along! --Teja Gerken, Peg Head Nation

Chasin' the Boogie is the tenth solo guitar album from local fingerstyle magician Tim Sparks. Once part of the vintage jazz outfit Rio Nido, Sparks subsequently delved into a broad swath of global music where few guitarists ventured before, including Balkans dances and Russian symphonies. Inspired by visits to his native North Carolina, Boogie is a collection of blues, gospel and pop standards, all with original arrangements and erudite historical references. Jazz sneaks into the spiritual standar I'll Fly Away and Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now, for instance. An unusual key and tricky extrapolations delightfully twist the melody of the Beatles' Blackbird. The Mississippi Blues is an intricate, rollicking joy ride, while the original Blue La La recalls eccentric New Orleans guitarist Snooks Eaglin. --Rick Mason, City Pages MN