Adventures of Leonid: Press

Guitar trip into the unknown of the great wide open.

Not afraid to touch and embellish classic material from the likes of The Fabs and Duke Ellington on his 2003's debut, "Tasty Guitar Lines", this time New Jersey resident Leonid Muhudinov walks his own way with a variety of stringed instruments on his back. Running in with a streamline rock 'n' roll with Beethoven lurking in the shadows, there's a filigree technique on display with no sign of showing off, especially when electricity breaks down into acoustic reverie. But if jazz, country and classical guitar pieces can be expected from the master, the jangly twangy beat of "Ghost Town" comes on as delicious surprise: Hank Marvin has never been so cimenatic - and there's more to the composition, much more! And there's much humor in here, be it Hendrix-cum-Hazel-Hackett transmutations in "Funky Bitch", lush but playful guitar pile-up in "Leonid's Return" or electric sitar of "Samadhi". Highly enjoyable record of rare elegance.

*****

"Want an eclectic, ultra-unique instrumental guitar record for the upcoming summer? Well Leonid Salvaje is back with something special for your listening pleasure with the Adventures of Leonid and the Daydreamers.

Right from the start of "Overture: Forbidden" you wonder what the hell is going on as a '70s science fiction movie soundtrack seems to be playing in your cd changer. On that very same song, the tempo comes to a complete halt and the most precious of acoustic guitar pieces is inserted. A few minutes later on the same cut this maniac is playing a killer progressive metal guitar rhythm and lead piece.

The next cut appropriately titled "Hallucinations" is jazz-fusion rock guitar and is also heavily weighted towards the bass guitar and drums. Salvaje tears up a really funky guitar lead as well with more distortion than a '70s VHF channel.

Speaking of distortion, the middle of "Ghost Town" has hi-fidelity record player static as well as several types of music, ranging from Hawaiian to funk.

Next up is the speedy track "Run" which features some killer drumming from Mike Cullens as well as Leon's rapid fender stratocaster guitar work...
This is a fun diverse cd that is certainly worth the purchase for anyone that enjoys something different in the realm of instrumental guitar albums."

"...What makes of Leonid a cooler cat than those guys is his eclecticism. The tracks included here variate in shade, hue, heaviness and level of exposition; he seems destined to switch moods because that’s his mission. He can play the guitar, but can he hold out attention? This stuff says Yes, and that’s more than most guitar albums can sound off with a straight-note."

I'm walking along a paved path in the small town of Krumovgrad, Bulgaria. On one side there are patches of fields owned by the townspeople. Now in this beginning Spring they are preparing the soil for the tobacco harvest. In unused land where the soil has turned into dust shepards are relaxing nice while their cows and sheep feed on grass and chill out. Beyond these flat lands there are rising and dipping valleys made of pine trees and rock. I usually walk this way with a friend or in navigation alone with my imagination. Adventure can happen anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances. This afternoon I took the beaten path of a new journey with my lovely friend Leonid. Listening to this album in junction with the motion of my steps I felt like a solo-nomad encountering scenarios the quntessential adventurer always encounters. The styles of Leonid's adventure develop throughout the album as elevations of charged electric riffs and durations of soft acoustic melodies. There is a story captured in musical moods of an adventurer experiencing the revelations, dangers, and triumph of adventuring. In the overture we are introduced to the soaring of an unhindered electric guitar, which represents Flying Leonid. In mid-flight he approaches the easy, slow, acoustic tune of a stranger, then flies off into his own space again. Next Leonid is clearly hallucinating as he slows the tempo of his mighty electrical weapon to the steady, funky beat of bass guitar. Before he has time to come to his senses he is thrust into a Ghost Town, where the inhabitants are trying to entice him into their blending of keyboard sounds. And thus proceeds the adventure of Leonid, confronting the musical elements of his world with the assured powers he wields in his electrical beast: the second half of the album is influenced by eastern traditions, so we know how far this adventure streches. The varied experimentation and delivery of the album is wonderfully unpredictable, evokes a multitude of moods for a mulitude of experiences, like any adventure should

"...an intriguing CD from an aspiring artist worthy of some well-earned name recognition."