Dominic Frasca
Deviations
(Cantaloupe)

American experimental guitarist Dominic Frasca must be part Shiva; only four hands could play that one guitar. But no, all the songs are performed in real time without loops or overdubs, some on instruments he created, like the 10-string combination electric and acoustic guitar. He plucks and pulls the strings and drums the bodies, creating an expansive minimalism influenced by Marc Mellits and Philip Glass, whose compositions levitate under Frasca's 20 fingers. Remember that wandering dream you had? You circled. Somehow you came to the end, in the clouds with the gods and goddesses. Frasca is the living sound track for that dream. -- Dan Wahl

Electropolis
Electropolis
(Innova Records)

If jazz ran helter-skelter through the house of funky rock, Electropolis would be riding piggyback, grabbing a handful of hair. This album is a danceable, can't-wrap-your-head-aroundable fusion of chaos and order. In this context, fusion means the process of atomic nuclei coming together to release unfathomable energy. This music is simultaneously its own invention and the invention of former jazz geeks, a Minneapolis foursome who have juiced up their horns and bass by plugging them into electronic components. Their 'electrosax' and 'electrumpet' are fitting for the uniquely joined form, a sort of experimental rock that transforms itself, jazzlike, in each performance. It's the bomb, chickadees. -- DW

Various Artists
La Guitara: Gender Bending Strings
(Vanguard Records)

Producer Patty Larkin put a capital V-for Victory? Vagina? Very? -- in 'various.' Larkin surveyed the ranks of talented women guitarists and selected a baker's dozen for what, one hopes, is the first chapter in the book of V. La Guitara encompasses a vast array of styles, from folk artist Elizabeth Cotten's unique lap style to the intricate work on the Chinese pipa by classical musician Wu Man. It's a voyage through guitar virtuosity. It's a lovely V, a peace symbol aimed toward the ignorant claim that there are no great female guitarists. Drop the index finger, if you like. The honest thing now is to name the often unnamed, and then say thank you: Wu Man, Sharon Isbin, Patty Larkin, Memphis Minnie, Mimi Fox, Kaki King, Ellen McIlwaine, Badi Assad, Alex Houghton, Vicki Genfan, Muriel Anderson, Rory Block, Jennifer Batten, Elizabeth Cotten. Thank you. -- DW