Music by... W.G. Snuffy Walden
Claiming he was wary of finding himself "playing Holiday Inns at 60," W.G. "Snuffy" Walden segued gracefully from a career as a rock/blues guitarist and sideman/musical director to artists from Donna Summer and Laura Branigan to Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan to become one of modern television's most prolific composers. This collection offers up several of Walden's contemporary TV successes (the powerful, guitar- and wordless-aria-driven elegance of "Once and Again"; the haunting "Felicity's Theme"; an acoustic guitar revamp of "Thirtysomething"; and the stately theme from his Emmy-winning work onThe West Wing) alongside other nonsoundtrack compositions that frequently evoke his Louisiana and Texas roots with graceful resolve. Assisted by a strong roster of notable sidemen (including guitarist Dean Parks, pianist Randy Kerber, bassist Neil Stubenhaus, and percussionist Paulinho da Costa), Walden's music gratifyingly stretches the boundaries of the Windham Hill "mold," especially on the evocative solo guitar and orchestra piece "Sketches of Topanga" and the percussive, energetic ambitions of "New York/Melting Pot." With his elegiac acoustic guitar leading the way, Walden's music here mixes woodwinds, orchestra, string quartets, and electric slide guitar into a subtle musical stew that expands on his screen work in ways both logical and rewarding.--Jerry McCulley