David MacGregor is a Scottish guitarist, composer and music educator. He specialises in world jazz and his main career consists of performing solo and collaborating with other artists. MacGregor started his musical career in 2004 and has now planned, written and performed his own specialised touring projects all over North America, Latin America and Europe. He has studied and played many different styles of music apart from jazz.
During these strange, uncertain and sometimes isolating times, MacGregor says he is on a mission to reconnect people with their love and appreciation for good active listening music. This new album, Looking For A Place Called Home is a solo fingerstyle instrumental guitar album, intended to encourage people to take time for themselves, sit back, relax and enjoy.
MacGregor says that the music was inspired by his travels around the world with each song representing a special memory or life lesson from the last 10 years of his life. Whilst there are strong elements of jazz in the improvised and free style in which MacGregor plays the guitar, there are also many other influences at work here including world, folk and classical music. There is even a guitar rendition of Mozart’s Piano Concerto 21.
It takes skill and determination to record an album of solo guitar music and keep the listener engaged. Pat Metheny and Martin Taylor can do it and on the whole MacGregor pulls it off. Whilst that isn’t bad company to be associated with, I suspect MacGregor has his own musical vision mapped out.
Whilst this is not mainstream jazz guitar in the style of Montgomery, Burrell etc, it is nonetheless worth checking out for those guitar fans with more eclectic tastes. It is certainly a strong candidate for my “relaxing guitar” playlist should we enter a second lockdown!
Buy the vinyl (includes a free download of the album plus the bonus track) Buy the download alone. Also on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, and other popular outlets. David MacGregor can also be seen on YouTube: Road To Floyd and DayDream
Discography
Introduction (Looking for A Place Called Home); Road To Floyd; City Of Peace; La Bella Vie; Resonance; Mozart’s Piano Concerto 21 – Andante; Making Any Normal Day Yesterday; Wave; Day Dream; Sun-Day (42.00)
MacGregor (g). No recording dates provided.
World Jazz Records WJR2020VIN01