Artist: Strunz and Farah CD Title: "Stringweave" Reviewed by: Nick Martinelli Reviewed: 7/12/2001

    Over the top, groove driven, music for the soul, and world renouned are just a few words to describe these Spanish guitar heroes.  After hearing this superb work I have to rename them "Super Strunz" and "The Diabolical Farah!"  Their caliber of guitar playing is immeasurable.  Strunz and Farah have been around the block a few times with this marking their 11th album in a 20 year plus career.  These artists aren't new on the music scene, they have traveled around the world playing for audiences all over from North America to South America to Europe and the Middle east.  Who knows where they will end up next.    They also come from two totally different back grounds; Jorge Strunz being of Costa Rican descent and Adershir Farah being from Iran. You can see that they have varying styles and you can easily tell the two apart.  Well maybe not all the time.  I have been a fan of these gentlemen's work for sometime now, and I look forward to every new work produced by these to Nylon Guitar Gods.  Yes, I mean gods!

     If you have never heard a Strunz and Farah album in your life let me give you a taste of what they are all about.  Take a mix of many world styles and blend them together and combine aspects of Spanish, Middle Eastern, Persian, Gypsy, and Latin Rhythms and top it of with lots of Harmonic Minor and Spanish Whole Tone scale and other eastern sounding modes for a listening experience you'll never forget.  One thing to try is to sit back listen to the music and visualize being far of in a distant land where this style of music originates from, it's very powerful and moving.  If your a fan of intense and musically inclined tunes, these guys will hit your target every time.  

     Lots of people have asked me to compare these guys to other musicians, the only thing I can say, there is no one!  You will defiantly build a shrine and worship the ground they walk on after hearing the works they compose.  They defy all laws of Physics when it comes to their playing.  Strunz and Farah's technique is very clean and accurate, and it's safe to say I have never heard a bad note come from the hands of these top stars.  The wild thing is that they only play Nylon string acoustic guitars, no steel strings!  So you can really get a feel for what they can do with these guitars just by hearing a few notes.  This pair have to be one of the best guitar duos I've ever heard.  Strunz and Farah really compliment each other's styles very well.  It's almost like they know exactly what the other one is doing at all times.

     Track one "Las Verduras," is a wonderful song to start a CD with.  It has a very infectious groove with tons of melody and harmony.  This is song that will have you up and dancing or rocking along.  "Las Verduras," is very well put together. 1:05 breaks in a very interesting ascending arpeggio climb that will simple wisp you off your seat.  Check out the killer descending pull-off and deciding slide line at 2:07.  It's accompanied by some serious string action.  You won't get over the speed and accuracy of this guitar duo, not to mention the great song writing.  Please check out the lead section from 2:56 to 03:35.  Pay attention to the phrasing and blending of licks and lines.  They range from melodic and catchy to full out nylon shred.

Track two "Rosa Blanca" is a great track that has a great back ground rhythm section. The percussion blends in and forms a solid backing.  As always, Strunz and Farah will whisk you away with the enchanting and melodic guitar lines.  The main repeating lick is very well put together, and it sticks in your head.  Then in comes the shredding, at 1:48 with a super clean 3 string arpeggio line that leads into a smoking climbing run.  The one thing that amazes me is, that their playing is so clean, and remember they use nylon string guitars, so if they mess ups you can tell very easily.  Which never happens!  At 2:37 they slam out a cool pedal line ideas that works very well.  Then my favorite section begins at 2:45 where a 3 string arpeggio movement kicks in, moving up an down the minor scale.  Overall, this track is action packed with tons of awesome licks from hammer-on pull-off lines to speed runs.  A second can't go by with out saying "how'd they do that?"

    "Campera" track three starts off with a very calm rhythm line and one of my favorite repeating licks on the album that starts at 00:13.  It's a very moody song, relaxing, and calm.  Check out 00:53 for a great slow melodic line, paying attention to the accenting certain notes in the scale.  The track has very diverse lead sections, ranging from slow melodic to the darker and more haunting feeling.  Strunz and Farah really know how to take the listener to different levels throughout each song.  This track is a stellar example of what I mean by that. The ending of this song is really interesting as well, they move in rhythm patterns and rotate around a few chords, and put a lot of emphasis on how each on is played.  This would be a part that you want to practice your solo work over, because the rhythm parts are melodic and they have a good flow.

    Track four "Ecos" is a very upbeat track.  Again, the backing rhythm section starts with a great backing groove.  The main repeating lead is very cool, and it's very progressive.  Each time the main lick ends, the ending notes gets a little higher in pitch each time.  Which is a great way to build intensity in a track.  These guys are virtuosos of guitar.  Hands down!  Their skill and accuracy is something that we should stride for as musicians. Pay attention to the one string sliding part at 02:02.  This part is impressive by way of which notes they choose to slide up and down to.  Did I mention the speed that is is done at?  Overall this is a great track that has many great rhythms and leads, listen closely for them.

    "Tierra Mojada" track five begins with a smoking ascending line that topped of with some major shred at the end of it.  This track holds a medium speed throughout the song.  This one is also packed with lots of speed runs and modal climbs.  To get a real feel for the pure speed these guys can achieve check out 1:57 for a mind blowing run.  Strunz and Farah's abilities always shine through and you always get them at their best. They are a superb complement to each other's playing and the two really form a astounding alliance of music when they work together.

    Track six "Rimas de Cuerdas" is a slower song that is auctioned packed with trade off leads through out the whole piece.  In this work they give you a taste of what soulful soloing can be or should be.  One of the standout sections is 2:12, where they perform with excellence a double harmony pedal movement.  Talking about locking together, these two have got that concept down.  Another thing about the lead work in this song is that it flows so naturally together.  There are many different lead concepts situated together in a nice orderly fashion.  Another thing to point out is the backing rhythm guitar in this song.  It has lots of depth to it. This is one thing that is common in Strunz and Farah's playing style; they both pay attention to every detail of the song, and in this one the rhythm patterns are well constructed and varied.  The strumming techniques are very well defined, using a combination of up and down stroking patterns to accent chords in different ways.  The accenting is very well pronounced throughout this song.  This is one thing that stands these players out from the crowd.

     "Siluera," track seven starts with an ear pleasing main melody line.  This song is a medium paced tune with lots of different lead sections applied over the basic rhythm of the song.  A highlight is the double harmony scale climb from 00: 40 to 00:45.  Talking about being in sync with each other!  2:08 to 2:28 sports one of my favorite lead sections on the CD.  It begins with descending pull-off side combos, then into shred.  I especially like the stuttering part at 2:18.  That lick alone is worth learning and applied to your normal lead playing.  As far as the rest of the song, you will be amazed by the skill and rhythm of Strunz and Farah. The ending harmonies at the end are to die for.

     Track eight "Gypsy in the Wood" is one of the most powerful songs on the whole album.  Starting with an in your face style of rhythm guitar.  According to Strunz and Farah, the song was influenced heavily on a folk motif.  Even with out ever have hearing any traditional folk music, you can still get an idea of what they were attempting.  It has a sort of magical sound to it.  This song is also graced with some very high energy violin solos which really give it that folk sound.  The leads in this song also help contribute to the folk sound they were going for.  They are more melody driven then content.  There are also many parts when the duo play identical lines with the violin, which builds a massive wall of sound coming at you.

     "Laleh," track nine knocks you off your seat with a massive shred opening that breaks the speed barrier for nylon string guitarists.  Then the song slows down its pace and gets more content orientated, focusing on the actual backing guitar.  Their strumming patterns are very defined so you can get the accentuation as your listening.  One thing to listen closely to is the acoustic bass used in this song. The bass is a strong backing that adds to the rhythm and life of the song.  The guitars are very intertwined together.  Strunz and Farah trade of leads all the timef.  So keep your ears open for all the cool licks and runs in this track.  3:06 marks one of my favorite leads on the CD.  It begins very melodic while accenting certain notes, then it pumps up the speed a little for some mind blowing nylon shredding.  Another highlight is the constant guitar and violin doubling and trade offs.  They really help give the song layers and keeps the excitement level very high.

     Track ten "Shamsa," slows things down a bit and is a great song to end an album with.  This one has a very middle eastern feel to it, and packed with exotic instruments.  The main melody of the song is absolutely wonderful, both guitars double the same line.  The doubling in this case makes for a strong wall of sound, that I believe is the foundation for the rest of the leads in the song.  One thing that Strunz and Farah constantly do, is to create solid foundations in their songs, with a main melody, and then add on to the track from there.  Lots of instrumental artists just take off shredding, where Strunz and Farah take time to layer and bring a song to life.  Especially in this song, you can hear the layers and overlaying everywhere.  Strunz and Farah also have instruments like the qanun, tumbak, along with the violin and other middle eastern instruments that create an unbelievable atmosphere.  Another contribution that also makes this song great is the percussion work.  It really lays down a great groove and gives the song that exotic feel that I have been raving about.

     So looking back this CD was a profound release from Strunz and Farah.  They really showcase their solid writing abilities on this work.  The way they produce and write their songs is something all artists should stride to do.  One thing I would really like to get into is their writing abilities.  In the past reviews and interviews I have read in magazines and on the net; Strunz and Farah are always being mentioned virtuosos of the nylon string guitar.  The articles tend to focus on their ultra fast and clean technique.  I agree with these statements hands down.  Strunz and Farah are amazing players, but what I truly think what makes them stand out in the industry is that they posses astounding writing abilities.  Yes, they shred super fast at times, and wow us with their arpeggios and speed licks, but other times they focus their leads on melodies that are constantly reinstated through out the song.  To me that's the the heart and soul of the song; the main melody. 

     Going behind to song one on this CD "Las Verduras," you get the main melody line right away, and they make sure you never forget it.  I often complain that artists neglect doing this.  I have listened to tons of instrumental CDs and about 1/2 use restating melodies or "hooks."  To tell you the truth if songs didn't have hooks what was their true intended purpose?  Sure we all love to hear a million notes per second, and fret board acrobats, but it does get old after a while.  To keep from losing the listener's attention Strunz and Farah use a lot of different tactics to keep you sucked in.  Their songs have lots of layers and texture. Many instruments are present in each song.  Starting with the percussion as the backing beat that carries the song along with the groove orientated bass lines that give the song an upbeat spice.  Then comes in the rhythm guitar.  This alone really gives the song character.  Strunz and Farah use varied strumming patterns and accents in each song.  You never get the same beat or feeling in each song.  Each track can stand alone on it's own and still stick out.  I also like their introduction of more exotic sounding instruments like the tombak, and qanun, and not to mention the violin.  Each instrument adds a new flavor to song.

   Strunz and Farah also pay lots of attention to minor details of the writing.  By adding many instruments and even an occasional sound sample into the song, like an exotic bird or water running.  They build an atmosphere that just can't be matched by any one in the field today.  I can't imagine how long they must spend writing an album, because in the end you always get perfection.  These two are a total compliment to each others playing style.  It's rare that two guitar players on such a high level of skill can get along (egos aside) and produce breath taking music. 

     Strunz and Farah have been playing and recording with each other for over 20 years.  Since their first album Mosaico (1982) they have been amazing us with their wonderful songwriting and musical chemistry.  Some other albums that I recommend picking up are as listed next. Americas (1992) which was re-released on Selva (1999) was the first Strunz and Farah album I ever heard.  I did go out and buy the CD immediately after hearing "Gypsy Earrings."  That song today is the most powerful song ever written by Strunz and Farah in my opinion.  And I hope they intend to keep that song in their set list forever!  Then I got "Heat of the Sun." which is another high octane guitar driven CD with lots of flare and style.  Another great older favorite is Guitarras (1985) that is packed with superb guitar work.

     Lastly, I would like to thank Selva Records for being a friend of The Shred Zone.  We love featuring Strunz and Farah here and look forward to hearing about what's going on in S and F world.  And thank you for allowing Strunz and Farah to continue releasing such works of art on your record label.  They truly are the flagship of their industry.

     So if your new to the world of Strunz and Farah please drop buy your local record store and look them up under the World / Latin / Jazz sections.  Please pick up this CD along with any others you can get your hands on.  Each album takes a different turn, but they never stray from what they do best; writing melodies and strong songs.  And did I mention some of the most eye popping music you'll ever listen to.  Along with that please visit their Official Website: www.strunzandfarah.com.  If your having trouble finding their CDs in stores, visit their homepage for mail order which I recommend highly, because you can get everything from them that way and the customer service is fast and reliable.  If you prefer online shopping go to these great sites:  http://www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.cdnow.com or you can always find some at www.ebay.com for all your Strunz and Farah needs.  Adios Amigos.