Aerial Boundaries

Personnel: Michael Hedges (guitar); Mindy Rosenfeld (flute); Mike Manring (fretless bass).
Producers: William Ackerman, Michael Hedges, Steven Miller.
Engineers: Steven Miller, Bill Mueller, Oliver DiCicco.
Recorded at Windham Hill Inn, West Townshend, Vermont; Sheffield Studio and the Peabody Electronic Music Studio, Baltimore, Maryland; Different Fur Studio and Mobius Music, San Francisco, California.
Michael Hedges is considered by many one of the most important innovators of the acoustic guitar. His total dedication to the acoustic guitar enabled him to develop a new approach to the instrument that transcended anything done before. He could sound like two--at times even three--guitarists playing at once, and his compositions drew on a wide variety of influences, from the earthy to the academic. While he is usually associated with the new age movement that flourished in the '80s and early '90s (having recorded on the flagship Windham Hill label), the reach of his music extends far beyond the drivel that the tag suggests.
AERIAL BOUNDARIES incorporates all the elements that characterize Hedges' music: astounding technique, innovative composition, and a spirit of exploration. Where many a musician with half of Hedges' ability would be prone to showboating, the guitarist seems to have thrown away the idea of ego altogether, opting instead for an almost ascetic purity of sound. The result is the groundbreaking music that this record captures.