Summoning the Muse – Incendio
Several years ago while I was searching through the used CDs at The Princeton Record Exchange, I came across a CD by Jim Stubblefield. I had never heard of Jim. But the album , which was titled Inspiracion had a picture of a guy playing a guitar. That was good enough for me to take a chance on the album. At $1.99 how could I go wrong? I didn’t the album was terrific and I became a fan!
Since then, I have been a regular listener to all of Stubblefield ‘s albums. Along the way I learned that Stubblefield was also a member of a band called Incendio. Recently, I’ve been listening to and enjoying their latest release Summoning the Muse.
About Incendio
Incendio is composed of Stubblefield, fellow guitarists Jean-Pierre Durand and Liz Carbe and drummer Timothy Curle. Each of the guitarists have released their own recordings and along with drummer Curle have performed with other acts.
Incendio has been touring and gaining fans world-wide for the last 20 years. JP Durand says the following about the effects of their years of recording and performing…..
” When you have spent many years performing as a professional musician and when you have recorded as many albums as Incendio has…. you have to look around for new ideas and dig deep for fresh inspiration which is why we titled the album Summoning the Muse. We decided to make the pop and dance influences a little more obvious on this album, go for a more groove-oriented approach and try some sounds that we had not previously explored. We have always been known as an acoustic guitar band , so we wanted to add a bit more electric guitar than usual and some keyboards”
About the Musicians
Typically Incendio features both Stubblefield and Durand playing acoustic nylon-string Spanish Style guitars. In concert both also add electric guitar to some tunes. Carbe primarily plays electric bass and occasionally adds additional acoustic guitar. On Summoning the Muse Durand also plays steel-string acoustic and electric guitars. But also adds piano, electric piano and synthesizer. All three artists compose.
Jim Stubblefield composed three of the twelve tunes that appear on the album. “Rumba Ponderosa”,”Blue Bolero” and “High Tide” The muse for “Rumba Ponderosa” was Italian composer Ennio Morricone and those classic Sixties “spaghetti western” sound tracks.
Durand and Carbe jointly composed the other nine tunes
The Music of Incendio
Finally, Stubblefield says the following about the music in Incendio……
“The music of Incendio is hard to categorize ….One moment it sound like modern flamenco, then a more diverse world-fusion blend. You might hear elements of roots rock, Progressive Rock, Latin dance music, plus diverse seasonings sprinkled in containing hints of funk, folk, jazz, pop and classical. Fortunately our fans have come to expect us to change it up. Our only criteria is to make entertaining music”
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is Summoning the Muse is New Age world fusion at its best! Currently the album is number 23 on the Zone Music Reporter’s Top 100 AirPlay Chart. So Check It Out! Additionally, check out Stubblefield, Durand and Carbe’s solo work.
When I was writing this post, I rediscovered an album that I probably picked up back in 2016 A Bridge Between by Carbe and Durand. I gave it a listen and really like it! Maybe I’ll write about it soon!
Links for Further Exploration of the Music of Incendio
Artist’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram :Carbe and Durand
Amazon
Here is the aforementioned “Rumba Ponderosa” Sit back and imagine those horses thundering across the plains in that “spaghetti western”
