Album Review of
Night Manager

Written by Robert Silverstein
April 21, 2019 - 2:34pm EDT
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Based way up north in Hamilton Ontario, Canada, guitarist / composer Strat Andriotis returned in 2018 with another album of unique guitar magic called Night Manager. Featuring Strat's guitar backed up by memorable contributions from legendary violinist Jerry Goodman—appearing on seven of the eight tracks—and South Florida’s Cuban piano icon Gonzalo Rubalcaba, on one track, Night Manager also spotlights Canadian pianist Adrean Farrugia on a pair of tracks. According to Strat, “Gonzalo and Jerry overdubbed their parts in their studios. The chemistry is pretty amazing. It sounds that we are playing in the same room." Commenting further about Night Manager contributions from violin legend Jerry Goodman, Strat explains, “Jerry's playing sometimes reminds me of Grappelli. You get to hear Jerry play differently than he did with Mahavishnu. But he still lays out those lightning fast runs heard on the early Mahavishnu recordings! “The Arrival” is a song that Jerry's melody became the hook.” A perfect example of smart musicianship and recording in an age where musicians, with the help of untold futuristic technology, can record an album with other musicians thousands of miles apart, Night Manager perfects this releatively recent recording art form and makes it a fantastic reality. The sound of the eight cut album is so perfectly designed so you can almost hear the rosin flying off of Jerry’s violin bow, while the elegant piano work of Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Adrean Farrugia tastefully adds to the excitement of Strat’s guitar wizardry. Although Strat is also a gifted pianist, it’s really his guitar work that is central to the overall success of the Night Manager sound. The intense swing of the recording may seem overwhelming to music lovers at times, but the beauty of Night Manager comes with repeated listening. With sheet music and expert musicians on hand to expedite the realization and recording process, Night Manager stays up after hours but Strat's late night guitar action is well worth it.