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The term outsider art often brings with it whiffs of exoticism and condescension, of jaded sophisticates turning to untutored oddballs to provide new sensations for their numbed palates. Electric guitarist Loren Mazzacane Connors is every inch the outsider, but he caters to none of the label's stereotypes. He records most of his music alone at home, crafting perfectly shaped miniatures and arranging them into sequences that depict literary and historical themes. Then he packages the albums with his own stark photographs and drawings and releases them without fanfare on microlabels around the world. Connors imbues his improvisations with a refined compositional consciousness; each piece is assembled from one or two tracks of sparse, ringing notes that shine light on the soul's darkest recesses.
"The Little Match Girl" comprises two suites. The first, titled after Hans Christian Andersen's sentimental fable, uses gentle contrapuntal melodies to evoke an air of transcendent serenity. The latter is called "The Art Of The Blues," but it's not a formal exercise in 12-bar riffing; instead Connors plumbs the blues' emotional depths in a succession of pithy tunes that are as spacious and haunting as Neil Young's soundtrack for the film "Dean Man." My only complaint is with the murky live recording of the second suite's beginning and ending segments, which distorts guest percussionist Neel Murgai's daf (a Persian drum). Otherwise, this record is an excellent addition to Connors' swelling discography. --Bill Meyer
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