Last Danger of Frost

Comprising a variety of delicately composed passages that feature a multiplicity of stringed instruments, guitar master Steve Kimock’s new album delivers with a splendid collection of musical hypnotics and subtleties with a Far East flavor. An enigma in the contemporary instrumental-music scene since the 1970s, Kimock is revered and respected in improv/jam-band circles. On Last Danger of Frost, Kimock sets aside the rock-band approach he’s employed in such bands as Zero, Ratdog, Phil Lesh and Friends and Steve Kimock Band, in favor of a solo recording of personal expression. “Music Tells a Story” kicks off the album with a 20-minute-long, always-interesting, four-part suite featuring a multi-instrumental layering of textures and tones that conjure up a dreamlike scene of reclining under the stars while observing a busy collection of nature’s nocturnal creatures. The intricate guitar work continues on the title track, an uplifting, floating-on-a-cloud piece of soul-contemplating of music.