Strat Andriotis – Exits

Andriotis is a guitarist based in Hamilton. Several previous albums have demonstrated the extent of his musical connections. Although firmly rooted in jazz since discovering Miles Davis’s In A Silent Way when he was younger, his stylistic abilities have regularly allowed him to flirt with rock and classical music.

Exits gives a fairly faithful overview of his musical language (all eight compositions are his own), harmonically rooted in accessible contemporary jazz, and rhythmically supported by a propulsive but not overblown drum and bass section.

It’s Andriotis’s ultra-sharp, bouncy playing that really stands out, providing the impetus for the whole musical and narrative dynamic. His technique is impeccably clean, surgically precise and flawless, reminiscent of Tony Levin (on bass, of course, but with whom the Hamiltonian has collaborated). Andriotis is a fabulous rhythmic improviser, and his spontaneous outbursts, combined with tonal refinement, are exhilarating. One of the most impressive guitarists on the Canadian scene.