Códices by Daniel Reyes Llinás

“Códices” is the latest album by Daniel Reyes Llinás comprising eight études on Spanish guitar and four improvisations on the 12-string. The pieces are quietly virtuosic with a scope that ranges across continents and eras. The music pays homage to the pantheon of Latin American composers who have written for guitar while also incorporating harmonies from contemporary jazz and such American and European composers as Feldman, Debussy and Stravinsky. Extended techniques appear as well with harplike harmonic arpeggios evoking windchimes, wide melodic leaps as if from birdsong, and driving ostinati that groove hard. One hears free-flowing ballads that turn questioning or flamenco fanfares that expand into ecstatic looping pull offs. A brilliant record that opens new vistas for both the listener and the classical guitarist. -Elliott Sharp

"Códices" is a collection of études for acoustic guitar and improvised pieces on the 12-string guitar. Inspired by the spirit of modern Latin American guitar composers, Llinás pays homage through extensive use of shifting resonance, dissonance, rhythmic exuberance, and deliberate silence. The contrast between the written and improvised works serves as a conceptual gesture in the ongoing search for a sonic vocabulary.

The album was recorded in Santa Fé, NM by Grammy awarded engineer Marc Whitmore (Jon Batiste, T-Bone Burnett) and co-produced by Trey Gunn (King Crimson, Tu-Ner).

Daniel Reyes Llinás, a Colombian composer, guitarist, and producer, derives inspiration from rhythmic and melodic angularity. He weaves atonal architectures with vibrant lyricism into his music.

www.llinasmusic.com