Given how many recent musicians follow in the vein of acoustic guitar legend
John Fahey, it's enjoyable to read
Charlie Schmidt's liner notes for his debut collection, where he not only makes the debt explicit but discusses his friendship and collaboration with
Fahey as it took place over many years. Like other recent releases on Strange Attractors by
Harris Newman and
Glenn Jones,
Schmidt's work takes
Fahey's as the touchstone to find his own chosen path, and
Xanthe Terra -- dedicated to both
Fahey and the astronomers and scientists working on the Spirit and Endeavour missions to Mars, where a geographical region provided the album's name -- is a deeply moving, entrancing series of solo compositions.
Schmidt's own descriptions for his songs serve as the best written introductions in ways -- they cover everything from his work with
Fahey to scientific meditations and (in a very
Fahey-like move) mock historical invocations -- but the greatest joy of the album lies in simply listening to it and hearing
Schmidt's often soothing but never dull performances, from revised waltzes to backcountry blues. "Samba De Xanthe Terra" is an early highlight, taking the musical form indicated and sounding like a lost soul in a beautiful but barren landscape under stars, a steady rhythm infused with romance. Other strong selections include "Firebird," a stately then playful piece inspired by
Stravinsky, and "Doggie Blues," a simpler and perhaps surprisingly joyful number inspired by a childhood incident. Perhaps the funniest but easily one of the best selections is a full
Fahey cover, "Dance of the Inhabitants of the Palace of King Philip XIV of Spain." Turns out according to
Schmidt that
Fahey specifically asked him to imitate his work for an early-'90s re-recording of the piece, and hearing both the skill and the joy in the soaring performance shows that
Fahey knew what he was doing. ~ Ned Raggett