Ted Reece: Reviews

Suggesting a guitarist is in the league of a Michael Hedges or other string idols is always subject to debate, but Colorado guitarist Ted Reece certainly has the tools to captivate his listeners. Reece's mind blowing fingerstyle
technique not only demonstrates the guitar's dynamic range and extensive capabilities, it also avoids the overly technical sterility fingerstyle guitarists are prone to. He uses a left handed, over-the-neck Preston Reed style of tapping where flourishes of chords are struck at a blitzing pace, interspersed with quick tapping along the neck as well as the guitar's body. At times, Mr. Reece snaps the low strings as if he were playing bass ina funk band. The melodic instrumental originals ("Temporal Groove," "El Paisano") leave lots to the imagination but they, like Reece's masterful playing are firmly grounded in solid concepts. Here, hearing is believing (DW)
Dirty Linen
Linen Shorts
issue#91
December 2000/January 2001

Sometimes an unexpected combination of chords or a certain sympathy with the fretboard raises goosebumps, irrespective of the technical ability of the guitarist. The "goosebump index" of Ted Reece’s "Song For America" is off the meter, as is his ability. Reece obviously owes a debt of influence to Michael Hedges and Preston Reed as evidenced by his slapstyle on "Temporal Groove" and "Rock the World Gently". But Ted Reece is a versatile player and I hear influences from a multitude of styles. His solo fingerstyle on "Bondy’s Pastures" nearly conjures aural images of a bluegrass band featuring fiddlers playing along if I strain my imagination. There are pretty ballads such as "El Paisano" and "Broken Arrow". There’s a Kottke-esque rag on slide guitar, "Where Does that Leave Me?". The tune "Celtic Dances" actually sounds to my ear more like a Spanish jazz, fired out with pizzicato flatpicking, and which magically morphs via Reece’s wizardry into a boogie blues riff. "Song For America" is solo independent fingerstyle guitar at its best.

solo fingerstyle guitar at its best

Do you enjoy the stylistic character of artists such as John Renbourn, Leo Kottke, John Fahey, and Alex DeGrassi? Then you will love this CD! One of those remarkable collections where every tune throws an impression of beauty, power, and energy into motion! This music will grab your ear. Incredible!

"Ted Reece reminds me of that kid down the street that could just hammer that acoustic guitar with reckless abandon, yet with a mature style that hits me to the core.

'Song for America' is just that: a compilation of various styles and hues from the plains of Nebraska to the high peaks of the Appalachians.

Ted Reece peaks the interest of the listener with fascinating picking and strumming".

"A delightful, original, acoustical treat" (Yahoo Broadcast)

"If you're an acoustic guitar lover, you can't go wrong with this disc" (Music Views)

Ted Reece is a guitar player's guitarist .... a master fingerstyle player who is a professor of guitar, a Just Plain Folks Award winner ... and one of the Rocky Mountain region's top instrumental recording artists ... his new cd, Things to Come, is a crafty, not as subtle as you think listen ... full of exquisite guitar playing, as well as e-bow, banjo, and piano and vocals (The Blacksmith) Things to Come -- our featured artist of the month for September ... Ted's new cd stretches his almost seemingly limitless imagination and skill as a fingerstyle guitarist. For guitar player afficienados, this one is a must ... full of Ted's trademark Taylor guitar, with plentiful doses of e-bow, slide guitar, banjo ... and pleasant surprises by guest artists on piano, vocals, and percussion throughout.