“I thought it was time for me to revisit the first 20 years of my repertoire. My ongoing musical evolution, the passing of the two-decade mark since the release of “Runoff,” and the sea change in recording technology all combined to make me want to give listeners an up-to-date view of my 25 years of explorations of instrumental guitar and Americana.”

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The Chris Proctor Collection is a blockbuster- a compositional and aural treat for all fans of the acoustic guitar. Chris has advanced the arts of fingerstyle guitar technique, arranging and composition with each of his recordings, but with The Chris Proctor Collection, he’s revisited his own musical past, chosen 16 stellar pieces from his first six recordings, and has rerecorded their current versions to today’s audiophile standards. It’s a 74-minute monument to the depth of his original repertoire, and a perfect bookend and companion to his genre-bending 2000 recording of arrangements from across the musical landscape, Under the Influence.

Chris has always been known for his remarkable body of original works for six- and twelve-string guitar with their trademark counterpoint and inner voices, his technical wizardry and his pioneering use of the E-bow and guitar mutes. Hearing him re-interpret original songs which span 25 years of compositional and musical growth makes for especially satisfying listening, for the neophyte and established fan alike.

Recorded with state-of-the-art analog and digital gear, and using the revolutionary new HDCD mastering process, The Chris Proctor Collection traverses a broad swath of the landscape of Americana, with Chris’ altered tunings and original techniques taking flight on six different Taylor guitars. Twenty-five years of musical experimentation and growth leap to vibrant and satisfying life:

• “Late Again,” the CD’s amazing opening song, begins with a backwards chord and explodes into a rollicking 12-string tour-de-force.
• “The Emperor’s Choice” puts Proctor’s fingerboard-tapping wizardry to work in service of a beautiful ballad, to unusual and plainly emotional effect.
• “War Games” uses a Proctor-designed muting device to paint a picture of approaching darkness with an intensity that one normally doesn’t associate with solo guitar compositions.
• “Interstate ” has absorbed parts of two other Proctor compositions and added additional pioneering Ebow™ work, and has emerged as a long and poignant survey of almost continental proportions.
• “Seven-oh-four” will make guitarists’ hands sweat,
• “Hotspot” will just plain knock your socks off, while
• Swept Away” will do just what its title promises.

Proctor ventures effortlessly from tuning to tuning, from slide to tapping, from burnished 6-string counterpoint to powerhouse 12-string pyrotechnics, in a beautiful and coherent package that demonstrates once again why he’s regarded as one of the best acoustic guitarist/composers recording and performing today.