by Greg Prato

The California Guitar Trio's Invitation is their follow-up to their excellent debut, Yamanashi Blues. What sets the albums apart is that there is more original material on this release, and it also contains the first appearance of electric guitar on a C.G.T. album. The opening "Train to Lamy" features distorted, buzzing electric slide guitar, which is a sharp contrast to the clean sound of the dueling acoustic guitars. The song is spread throughout the album, starting out with the first three sewn together, while its fourth and fifth sections are heard later on (with a reprise of part three closing the album). The trio again offers spirited versions of cover songs, spanning several different musical styles. Included is the spaghetti western classic "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Ennio Morricone, the surf-rocker "Apache" (originally done by legendary British '60s instrumentalists the Shadows), as well as two J.S. Bach compositions ("Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Prelude Circulation"). Nearly as good as their debut, and highly recommended to any aficionado of instrumental music.