Wish Where You Are
David Gillis
If you have not yet heard of David Gillis, keep an ear out for him. Another of Southern Ontario's guitar treasures, David is a very melodic player and composer with a fine ear for a catchy tune. Wish Where You Are contains a number of his vividly characteristic songs along with a good selection of cover tunes that contain some very pleasant surprises.
The CD gets off to a fine start with the memorably named Mr. Skippy Pants. This is an infectious tune that will stay in your head for days. This track features Mr. Gillis working with a stellar band that includes Niagara's finest jazz guitarist Warren Stirtzinger (here playing a Danelectro rather than his gorgeous Paul Saunders archtop), Mike Dunn on upgright bass, Dave O'Neil on drums and percussion, and Carlos del Junco who plays some outstanding harmonica. This is a fun track and these guys really know how to lock into a grooove.
Snow Day presents David Gillis playing solo on one of his own songs. This evocative, gentle ballad sets its own mood from the opening phrase. Mr. Gillis demonstrates his deft touch at drawing beautiful tone with his fingerstyle playing. This is one to savour right to its lovely closing bars.
The title track Wish Where You Are brings a more upbeat tempo along with more fine harmonica from Carlos del Junco and nicely understated percussion on the shaker. The doubling of guitar and harmonica on the melody gives this one a special charm, and once again David Gillis paints a memorable mood before taking us on some very pleasant excursions.
Bling is another song by David Gillis, this time with a funkier feel as befits the title. Harmonics are used to great advantage in giving the tune an unexpected kick as it moves along. This one is a real foot tapper.
One of the nicest surprises on this CD is Mr. Gillis' arrangement of Downtown. This song was a huge hit for Petula Clark in 1964, and brought a whole new level of fame to her in North America. David Gillis presents the song in a slightly gentler mood with just a tiny hint of nostalgia. For some reason this arrangement reminds me of Pat Metheny's version of Ferry Across the Mersey on his album One Quiet Night. You will be forgiven if you just have to sing along with this track.
Teagan of Cork has such an authentic old Irish feel that it was a surprise to me to find that David Gillis had indeed written it. A beautifully introspective start leads into a lilting jig that can stand with the best traditional music. Mr. Gillis' flying fingers really get a workout on this one but he shows that they are more than equal to the task. Another foot tapper.
Well speaking of Pat Metheny, the next tune is James, written by Mr. Metheny and Lyle Mays. The harmonic complexity of this one is a nice contrast to Teagan of Cork while the playing is equally fine, showing David Gillis' command of many different styles.
Next we have a very interesting tune, Hyfrydol. Subtitled "Alleluia Sing to Jesus" this is indeed an old hymn, written by Rowland H. Pritchard in 1830, before he was even twenty years old. The name is Welsh for 'cheerful'. It gets off to a very rich sounding - if not overly happy - start, as David Gillis plays it reverentially to begin with before taking off into a much more cheerful tempo, before returning us to the reverential opening tempo to wind it up.
Just so that the mood does not get too sombre, Mr. Gillis now treats us to the solo version of Mr. Skippy Pants. I was lucky enough to hear David play this one live and it is a real crowd pleaser. An infectious melody like a jewel in a perfect fingerstyle setting, this is a song that certainly bears repeating. Of course, there are a few surprises here that differ from the band version, just to keep you listening.
Free One Prisoner is another of David Gillis' fine ballads, this time with Don Ross on dobro. Don Ross seems to have influenced most guitarists in Canada and half of them in the USA, and his warm dobro playing is an outstanding addition to this already fine song. Need I say that Mr. Gillis' playing is flawless, as usual? (There is a minor typo on the back cover identifying Mr. Ross as playing on track 9, while it is actually track 10, but you will not be confused when listening.)
Showing himself a master of pacing, David Gillis then launches into Is It Lenny Wonder. This has a fun ragtime mood to it that just makes you feel good.
Katie's Corner is another original song in a slightly more relaxed tempo. This fine song has touches of ballad style, a hint of Irish, and a little folk flavour added to sweeten the mix. Another fine mood portrait by David Gillis.
Prairie Dog takes us back uptempo with elements of jazz and ragtime served up in an entertaining mix that will catch your ear and keep it right to its dying notes. A fine end to a fine CD.
David Gillis is a skilled fingerstyle player and moreover a songwriter who has achieved what eludes so many - a distinctive voice. You really should check out this CD to hear the characteristic moods that David Gillis creates. This CD will appeal to guitarists as well as those who just enjoy a good song.
You can learn more about David Gillis at www.davidgillis.com and you can order this fine CD directly from him by clicking on its cover in the bottom left corner.