Pierre Bensusan "Intuite" (Favored Nations, 2001)

Artist: Pierre Bensusan
Album: "Intuite"
Release Date: February 11, 2001
Label: Favored Nations
Genre: Chamber-Jazz, Instrumental, World-Fusion, Neo-Classical
Mood: Reflective, Sweet, Warm, Refined
Reminds Of: Al Di Meola, Pat Metheny
What People Think: BridgeGuitarReviews
Definitely Worth Buying: Amazon, CdUniverse

Tracklist
1. Kadourimbou
2. The Welsh Arrow
3. So Long Michael
4. Intuite
5. Bouree Voltige
6. Le Jardin d' Adonis
7. La Hora Espanola
8. L' Alchimiste
9. Agadiramadan
10. En Route From Scarborough
11. Silent Passenger

For his first all-solo, all-instrumental, all-acoustic album, French fingerstyle guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan found himself signed to Favored Nations, a label owned by rock & roll stunt guitarist Steve Vai. It may not be an obvious pairing, but Vai has long been a fan of Bensusan's elegant and pancultural approach to the guitar, and with Intuite he offers Bensusan a warm, resonant ambience in which to stretch out. As you might expect, the compositions refer to any number of guitar traditions -- "Kadourimdou" nods to the blues before veering off into samba rhythms and a wholly unique combination of folk and jazz inflections; "En Route From Scarborough" (dedicated to fellow fingerstyle guitar hero John Renbourn) inverts the melody to "Scarborough Fair" and explores a whole new world of variations on that familiar theme; the sweet and melancholy "So Long Michael" (dedicated to the late Michael Hedges) comes from no single tradition in particular, but is a gentle soul cry inspired by the untimely death of a genius. Like most of Bensusan's work, this album can function as background music, but it would be a shame not to pay attention to the wit of his ideas and the grace of his playing.

(source:AllMusicGuide)

"Pierre Bensusan is the most creative energy in the world of steel string guitar by far." William Piburn (Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine-USA)

"Intuite stands as the finest, most artistic and passionate example of anything composed and recorded on the instrument. I am amazed at every phrase, every turn, every nuance. But then again, consider the source! I couldn't mean that more..." John Schroeter/Fingerstyle Guitar Mag. (USA)

Distinctions: AFIM Award for Best Acoustic Instrumental Album (USA) - Guitar Album of the Year ROOTS (UK) - Album of the Week JOURNAL DE MONTREAL (Canada) - Best Albums GUITARIST MAGAZINE (UK) - Ein wahres Juwel OWL AM SONNTAG (Germany) - Bravo!!! TRAD MAG (France)

Abstract fingerprints under the brushes of Claude Monet...