Serenity Knolls is an album by guitarists Bill Brovold and Jamie Saft released on the RareNoise label in 2017.RareNoise Records album details, accessed February 22, 2018
Reception
On All About Jazz, Dan Bilawsky called it "an album of front porch twang-and-strum, evoking peacefulness on the prairies and offering one American idyll after another" noting "Bill Brovold and Jamie Saft have managed to capture the heart, spirit, and sound of a country day in their duo explorations. Heartland, hearth, and home sweet home are well-represented on Serenity Knolls".Bilawsky, D., All About Jazz Review , March 14, 2017 Chronogram's James Keepnews wrote "Although Kingston-based Rasta polymath Jamie Saft is best known as an accomplished keyboardist and studio maven, his recorded work as a guitarist dates as far back as two decades ... His dobro and lap steel skills get a rare, ample, and ravishing workout in this new collaboration with his fellow local multi-instrumentalist, guitarist Bill Brovold. The album title references the rehab center where Jerry Garcia died, striking a fitting balance for these 12 often stark tone poems—some warm and serene, others as dark and searching as the emotions upon the loss of a loved one. Much of the darkness comes from Brovold's chimes-at-midnight, dirge-y chordal atmospheres enveloping Saft's adept, pealing slide chorales".Keepnews, J. Chronogram Review, November 1, 2017
Track listing All compositions by Bill Brovold and Jamie Saft "Sweet Grass" – 8:33 "Mitchimakinak" – 7:25 "Saddle Horn" – 4:58 "Wendigo" – 4:23 "Thermopolis" – 8:46 "The Great American Bison" – 6:08 "Bemidji" – 5:42 "No Horse Seen" – 5:02 "Splintering Wind" – 5:02 "Greybuli" – 6:54 "Serenity Knolls" – 6:35 "Silent Midpoint" – 7:00
Personnel Bill Brovold – electric guitar Jamie Saft - dobro, lap steel guitar
References