Album Notes

"Left of Sunday Afternoon"
The concept began with the idea of using Tabla to augment some of my solo compositions.
Jason and I discussed the sound of the great Led Zeppelin Track "Black Mountainside"
as well as the project "Shakti," led by John Mclaughlin.
The concept began with the compositions "Left of Sunday Afternoon" and "Violet"
We thought about mixing Western Folk and Bluegrass with Indian Rhythm and North African/Middle Eastern Gypsy
violin sounds.

"This delightful and highly inventive East-West fusion project centers on Darin Layne’s nylon- and steel-string acoustic guitar arrangements and Jason McKenzie’s tasteful tabla playing. Skillful use of odd time groupings such a 5 (“As She Goes”), 7 (“Hadji”), and 15 (“Shambhu”) keep things lively and interesting, while the addition of violin, cello, accordion, and voice here and there spice things up texturally and harmonically. A nice cover of Jimmy Page’s “Black Mountainside” closes out this collection of otherwise original compositions. This is the perfect “Sunday morning” disc. Heart Music."—Barry Cleveland, Guitar Player Magazine

We added cello and some keyboard sounds to flesh out the tracks and voila!
A new and melodic acoustic project was born!
The concept of West meets East is not new, But this is a unique, beautiful melodic project.
Simplicity of melodic statements was key to making the project accessible, while introducing
"odd" time signatures like 5, 7 and 15 to give a rhythmic uniqueness. We included an Arrangement
of "Black Mountainside" as an ode to our youthful inspirations for this very special project.

When It came to the cover, I knew an artist who would be perfect.
After much coaxing, I was fortunate enough to commission this painting
for the project. The cover was Jay Long's brilliant vision of the music realized.
Images of the wise owl soaring above Middle Eastern rooftops. It is our hope
this music evokes such beautiful imagery for the listener. A soundtrack
for relaxation and imagination.

Enjoy!
-Darin Layne

recent review on Itunes:
"In a time when western music has become a desert dry with extemporaneous creativity, guitarist Darin Layne's album Left of Sunday Afternoon through the confusion with that one clear, clean drink of water you were looking for. Teaming up with ace-of-all-trades drummer and percussionist Jason McKenzie performing on the North Indian drum called the tabla, their acoustic guitar and tabla interplay is inthing less than brilliant. Well, recorded, arranged and produced, Left of Sunday Afternoon is no mirage. Simply by the purity of the performance, melody and rhythm, it sends you on twilight rides through the desert in gypsy caravans or to wander back down that old country creek with cypress trees that you used to swim at in the summers as a kid. Darin Layne brings his own amazing abilities as a guitarist and composer into sharp relief, with echos of John McLaughlin's Shakti coupled wit the acoustic prowess of Michael Hedges and Leo Kottle. Each song has a clarity and freshness that is only found when the muciscans at hand lose themselves in their common love of music. And isn't that what we are looking for, after all ?"