The Book of Crossings, the new album by Kevin Kastning
& Sándor Szabó, is released worldwide by Greydisc Records
on August 7, 2012.
Recorded 23 March 2012 at Madách Müvelődési
Központ; Vác, Hungary
Recording engineered by Roland Heidrich
Recording mixed and mastered by Sándor Szabó at Tandem Records Experimental
Studio; Vác, Hungary
Photography by
Chris Friel
Kevin Kastning: 14-string Contraguitar (9,13); 12-string Alto guitar (20);
12-string Bass-baritone guitar (1,2,6,7,8,10,12,15,17,19,21); Baritone classical
guitar (3,14); 12-string Octave guitar (4,5,16); Ebow (5); Piano (11,18)
Sándor Szabó: Classical guitar (1,9); 16-string guitar (4,5,8,10,13,16,19,20);
10-string Viola caipira guitar (2,6,12,14,17,21); Guzheng (3,7,11,15,18)
Kevin Kastning plays Santa Cruz Guitars, Daniel Roberts Stringworks Guitars,
John Pearse Strings, records with Microtech Gefell microphones, and flies Anvil
Cases. Capos by G7 Performance Capos, UK. Bass Xtenders on the C2 Contraguitar by
Hipshot.
Sándor Szabó plays a George Ziatas classical guitar, Tihamer Romanek 16-string
guitar, Giannini 10-string viola caipira guitar, and John Pearse strings.
Kevin Kastning offers sincerest thanks to
Sándor Szabó; Roland Heidrich; the staff at Madách Müvelődési Központ; the
people of Vacz, Hungary; Richard Hoover and everyone at Santa Cruz Guitars;
Daniel Roberts at Daniel Roberts Stringworks; Mary Faith and everyone at John
Pearse strings; Nick Campling at G7 Performance Capos; Jason and Bill at
Hipshot; the staff at Greydisc Records; Chris Friel; Katalin Németh; Max;
Therese; and Karen.
Sándor Szabó would like to thank Kevin Kastning, Roland Heidrich; the staff at
Madách Müvelődési Központ; Mary Faith and everyone at John Pearse strings; the
staff at Greydisc Records; Katalin Németh, George Ziatas, Tihamer Romanek, Peter
Finger, Linda Pearse, and Boni.
When I was younger, my goal was
to play the instrument perfectly. Later, my goal was to play good music on the
guitar. Now my ultimate goal is to see the music fully in its depth, and to play
such music on my instruments which cannot be heard from anyone else. In so
doing, to add something valuable to the universal culture of the guitar that
others cannot do, or do not have the courage to pursue or attempt. This is not
eccentricity or ego, but a deep desire: the endowment and the possibility to
invoke what I hear inside, and to share it with everyone. If this demands a
16-string guitar, or using odd tunings never before attempted, destroying
compulsive paradigms concerning guitar technique, or relearning to play the
instrument in ways required to achieve the goal, I do it without hesitation.
Enriching the world of guitar music is an act for which most of the creative
players do not have the required courage. Perhaps they might not know if it is
possible at all to step anywhere; others do not dare to step ahead or outside
the known boundaries, due to a fear of change and the uncertainty of roaming in
an unknown world. I choose another path. I have only one thing to loose if I do
not try what the unknown offers me. If I do the same as anybody else, I will be
lost. Not only myself, but also the music.
I had these thoughts in my mind when we recorded The Book of Crossings
with my soulmate and fellow musician Kevin Kastning while on tour in Europe in
2012. In Kevin, I met a brave exploring partner, the only one with whom this
album was possible to create, because he thinks in the same way as I. By now, we
both clearly see that only a small part of the possible playable musics have
been achieved on the guitar in the preceding centuries. The guitar contains the
potential to add much more to the world of contemporary music than is now seen.
We both know that the development of music should be not be dulled or detoured
due to the limits of the known 6-string instrument, and the player blocked from
new techniques, but the instrument and the techniques should be developed to fit
the music. Rather, our inner being should be improved and uplifted to the depths
of the music.
- Sándor Szabó
Vác, Hungary
April 16, 2012