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Music of William Ackerman |
Last updated May 5, 1998
William Ackerman, just your average Stanford dropout who got into the construction business, then accidentally started a record company which changed the course of modern acoustic music. Yes, Ackerman started Windham Hill records and the world of New Age or Acoustic music was started in the Bay Area, amidst the new world of computers and silicon chips.
Personally I am a big fan of Will so my judgment of his music is a bit suspect. In my opinion, William Ackerman is one of the pivotal figures of modern instrumental music, along with Manfred Eicher in Germany (who created ECM records). Like Eicher, Will for many years, was the producer of
The Creation of New Acoustic Music
Ackerman started out as just another guitar player. Then he learned about tuning the guitar to different base values and he says he has never played in the conventional tuning again. Will plays on a steel string guitar so that the notes have a distinctive ringing sound. Will likes to let the string vibrate free, and let the overtones and harmonic vibrations sound out on their own. He also perfected a technique of playing the same piece nearly the same way in successive recording and then layering the different recordings on top of each other. The result is a guitar sound that is unlike anyone else. Very simple, not flashy or complex, but a purity of soul comes through the music.
Recording, and Re-Recording
Ackerman is one of the few artists who is not afraid of his own work. He has re-recorded a fair number of his tunes, shifting emphasis, adding a new instrument (played usually by someone else), just trying things out. I admire this behavior. If it was a good song in the first place why not try another version out? Most of the art world seems only to respect the new. Will has the courage not to care.
I love all of Will's recordings, but some are better than others:
- Childhood and Memory. 1979
His third record. His best in my opinion. This was a perfect moment, Windham Hill had taken off, but would it fly? Will was traveling up and down the Pacific coast, playing wherever they would let him. Trying to convince people to give solo acoustic music a chance. The spirit of quiet hopefulness, born out of long days of travel and much heartache shines through the songs. This record is an emotional touchstone in my life, the music is without flaw, beautiful, like the Pacific coast pictured on the cover. - It Takes a Year. 1977.
His second record. Much like Childhood and Memory, not quite a perfect, not quite as assured. Still, one of the best guitar records ever. High point for me: The Rain Sequence. - Passage. 1981.
This record has some fantastic pieces. The first, Hawk Circle with Daryol Anger on violin is possibly his finest composition. This record also has the best version of his classic tune The Bricklayer's Beautiful Daughter. - Imaginary Roads. 1988.
As the 80's progressed, Will did less and less solo guitar and more and more ensemble pieces. His records were still wonderful and beautiful, but they weren't the same as his early recordings. On this record he has great success with his collaborations. The most mature and accomplished of his records. - Conferring with the Moon. 1986.
Just about as good as Imaginary Roads. Many ensemble pieces (though rarely more than two instruments along with his guitar). Will's last "West Coast" CD and a very sad record this is. All about love and loss. - Sound of Wind Driven Rain. 1998.
After a 7 year wait, a new CD. And what a joy it is. The years have washed past Will yet he remains with the same spirit of music within him. Some of the tunes on here are as good as anything he has writen (Driving, Lion's In the Sky, Wings on the Water and the title track) but others don't quite work for me: Pontchartrain, and the new version of Hawk Circle. I saw Will perform a few songs in March, 1998 at a very crowded bookstore in Palo Alto. His version of Anne's Song was the best I've heard. - Past Light. 1983.
Overall not the best CD, but there are some standout songs. Especially Night Slip with Michael Hedges! Wow! Also, I heard a live version of Visiting and was simply blown away. Sadly, the recorded version on this CD is a pale shadow of the music I heard one night long ago in San Francisco. Ah memories... - In Search of the Turtle's Navel. 1976.
This is the record that started Windham Hill records. It has some nice pieces, like Gazos and Slow Motion but overall, it's not great. Ackerman was heavily influenced by the other great guitarist of the late 20th century: John Fahey and it shows on this record in the silly song titles. Ackerman used to tell a funny story about how he played one of his tunes for Fahey because it seemed awefully similar to one of Fahey's earlier tunes and Fahey said "You can have it!". - The Opening of Doors. 1991.
One of his least successful recordings. He tries working with electric guitarist and that fails. His pieces with Tim Story are OK but nothing to write home about, with the exception of one. He finished this CD, sold his stake in Windham Hill and largely disappeared for 7 years.
Lesser Works
Well, none of Ackerman's CDs counts as lesser (with the possible exception of The Opening of Doors) but he has a number of songs on other CDs. I don't suggest that you buy these other CDs just for the Ackerman pieces but they are nice. The first two Windham Hill "Winter Solstice" CDs have new pieces by Ackerman, they are both lovely records even without Ackerman's contributions. Also, "Winter Solstice IV has an Ackerman track, not quite a good as the others. Finally Windham Hill has released a sort of "Greatest Hits" which is totally irrelevant to those of us that have all his works. And some of his songs show up on the Windham Hill Retrospective CD, but nothing new here either (except for the stories printed in the booklet).
The Moon and the Guitar: How William Ackerman Changed the World
Someday I'll write a book about Will and his creation. I've got the book title, now all I need is the time and energy to write the thing. :)The only other web site I know of about Will is Windham Hill's own site. This is a nice site and worth a visit: Ackerman at Windham Hill
Next artist: Michael Hedges
Page by Colin Glassey <cglassey@teleologic.com>
