Daniel Thompson

"The British tradition of guitar improvisation includes some game changers like the Derek Bailey, but also John Russell, Keith Rowe and Fred Frith. Yet it doesn’t prevent Daniel Thompson from carving out his own little corner. Finch proves that even in the most demanding and intimidating of circumstances, Thompson has a sharp, creative mind. Surely, there will be more to follow. There should be." - Guy Peters

"Daniel Thompson's Finch contains music recorded in a studio called the Sunny Side Inc. Studio on August 9th 2019, surely one of those hot days of the previous European summer. Previously, I heard Thompson’s music as part of a duo with Colin Webster (Vital Weekly 1198) on the same label, which I quite enjoyed and this one is along similar lines. Playing improvised music on an acoustic guitar goes back a long way, to Derek Bailey and many others (seeing Olaf Rupp playing one was a personal highlight for me) and Thompson does a great job. He plays short phrases and repeats them for a while, allowing for small changes in them. Within a piece he can switch to other techniques or even picks up a bow, scratching and bending strings, but his playing does not seem to the extent to going all nervous and hectic string abuse (like a kid would uncontrolled go up and down the strings). Thompson keeps his playing refined, delicate and, above all, controlled. Not necessarily his playing is always quiet, even when an element of introspection seems to be running through these pieces, but some delicate force is never far away.” - Vital Weekly