William Ellwood - Touchstone (1993)

Touchstone, William Ellwood's first recording in three years, reflects the unhurried, refined elegance of a consummate artist and craftsman. Ellwood's evocative, acoustic guitar music offers a beguiling simplicity that showcases the unique voice and full dimension of the instrument. With the addition of his own keyboard and percussion work, along with Ron MacDonald's bass, Ellwood's music presents a full, tangible satisfaction.

As the story goes, Ellwood cajoled his parents into buying him a cheap, nearly unplayable guitar when he was 12 years old. The instrument was too warped to play chords, so he came up with the right-handed picking style he uses to this day. The Canadian-born artist later developed an interest in renaissance and baroque music, taught himself to play the lute, and eventually designed a 7-string guitar so he could transcribe lute pieces without sacrificing any voicings. Ellwood's classical music leanings are apparent on his Narada recordings, although his music has a gentle, contemporary feel to it as well. ~ Linda Kohanov.