Brent Gunter

This is off his website: When artists are pegged into specific musical categories, too often they are creatively restrained and not allowed to think outside the box. Not so with guitarist/composer Brent Gunter who, on his auspicious debut CD, Andalucia on Sandia Crest, has chosen to straddle many worlds in his world fusion instrumental music, from pop and blues to flamenco and Middle Eastern, laced with jazz and classical grace notes.

When artists are pegged into specific musical categories, too often they are creatively restrained and not allowed to think outside the box. Not so with guitarist/composer Brent Gunter who, on his auspicious debut CD, Andalucia on Sandia Crest, has chosen to straddle many worlds in his world fusion instrumental music, from pop and blues to flamenco and Middle Eastern, laced with jazz and classical grace notes.

"My songs run through a broad spectrum," says the Portland, Ore.-based Gunter, who produced and recorded Andalucia in his home studio. "Rather than approach a thematic means of putting the music together, I decided to collect a bunch of songs that work together. My philosophy of music is moderation, respect for simplicity and a love for music of the world, including Western pop."

Gunter's world fusion is equal parts world, pop and new age, with tinges of electronica, an array of Middle Eastern rhythms and scales, and an infusion of flamenco. In the liner notes of Andalucia, Gunter writes: "From the beginning of time, [the region of] Andalucia has exemplified the essence of fusion. Situated in southern Spain, people from the far reaches of the globe have settled there to create and contribute to its unique, multicultural place in history. Andalucia transcends its region. It is more a state of being."