| Is it classical, jazz, metal, grunge or folk? Mackey’s roots are
spread across a fascinatingly wide spectrum of available musical styles. A
classical composer of substance (his recently commissioned work for the Chicago
Symphony received glowing notices), Mackey is also a virtuoso electric
guitarist, possessing a Jimi Hendrix-like range of guitar color.
Mackey’s music, a multi-layered world of rhythm and sonority, draws much of
its harmonic palette from western art music, and its wit and vivacity from an
imaginative transformation of pop elements. Lost and Found repeatedly asks the
listener to break down all pre-conceptions regarding sound and style. What
remains is the warmth and humor of a true American "original"- a
composer fascinated by stylistic clash and the new language that his yields. On
Lost and Found, Steve Mackey emerges as a compelling musical personality- one
whose appeal crosses all barriers of categorization.
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