Narada Equinox releases Ralf Illenberger‘s instrumental jazz album Circle in the U.S. (the album was released earlier in the year in Germany). 
If you haven’t heard of this guy, you’re in a sadly deprived majority. Illenberger’s one of the best jazz guitarists working today, and his style is truly unique. Whatever it is he does, it achieves wonderfully listenable results. His agility with a good riff salvages most of this album from ever being background music. And it’s still probably his best overall album to date. The album’s title track is a wonder of multi-tracked guitars which wander in a sort of musical circle, a theme which pops up throughout the album and is best exemplified in “Gemina”. “Blue Darkness” and “Ballad” are two other amazing pieces of music. Definitely one for my Damn Near Perfect Album List, and I strongly urge you to seek it out and get hooked on Ralf.
- Horizons I (5:15)
- Blue Darkness (4:56)
- Big Change (6:19)
- Jump (5:31)
- Gemina (4:28)
- Moonfood (3:21)
- Nightflight (6:25)
- Ballad (3:49)
- Horizons II (4:24)
Released by: Narada
Release date: 1988
Total running time: 44:45
1992 music review by Earl Green