Pat Donohue in Concert

Filmed live at Berkeley's Freight & Salvage, Pat Donohue in Concert features the multi-talented guitarist blending a wide mix of musical styles--including blues, jazz, country, and folk--in tunes that range from the traditional ("Maple Leaf Rag") to the humorous ("Stealing from Chet," a funny ode to Chet Atkins' influence on contemporary guitarists), and even a few choices not generally found on a guitar player's playlist (such as Vince Guaraldi's "Linus & Lucy"). Though not as well known as some of his contemporaries, Donohue can play a mean lick when he wants to and has a considerable sense of humor (his "Bio," fashioned after "Down on the Bayou," is a very funny tune about the hard life of trying to find gigs on the road, and the wonders of new technology, which allow players to fax their résumés to club owners). Still, the actual musical quality of the recording is not as good as others I've heard from the Freight & Salvage, and the picking--while good--is not consistently dazzling. A strong optional purchase for larger music collections. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)