It works better than I expected it to.

The concept behind El McMeen's latest recording is explained fairly succinctly in its title: Strike Up the Band! Classic Band Marches for Fingerstyle Guitar. McMeen reproduces a half-dozen of John Phillip Sousa's famous marches on a solo guitar.

If you know Sousa -- and of course you know Sousa -- you know his rousing marches have layers and nuance along with the unmistakable bombast and zing. And you just know it's not going to sound the same on a lone fingerstyle guitar. Right?

Right. Absolutely right. Of course McMeen's renditions here sound nothing like a full marching band. Who are you kidding? There's no way.

But McMeen makes it work nonetheless. These are an entirely different animal, but still he gives the tunes their due, and you still hear the familiar runs and can almost feel the tramp of feet in the performance. These are, by their nature, much softer. More reflective than rousing. But they still pay tribute to the regal nature of the music, and listeners will appreciate Sousa's genius in an entirely different way after listening.

Marches included here are "El Capitan," "King Cotton," "Hands Across the Sea," "Semper Fidelis," "The Liberty Bell" and "The Thunderer."

Also available from Mel Bay: El McMeen's collection of march arrangements for guitar. Check it out here

[ visit El McMeen's website ]