Sergio Maria Saguaro - Rain Guitar

Sergio Maria Saguaro
Rain Guitar
Forest Jams
Japan/USA, 2002/2026
LP

Another dappled winner from the wonderful Forest Jams label, previously only released on CD. Rain Guitar is the work of the guitarist and synth programmer Hiroaki Sugawara under the pseudonym Sergio Maria Saguaro. It opens with a bit of blissful bossa with a laidback vocal, easily calling to mind Hosono’s globetrotting phase. A2 stays in a temperate balearic zone, a dreamy, perfect instrumental called “Dog In The Window.”

The album could have rinsed & repeated these moods for 10 cuts and I would have been more than satisfied, but Sugawara had something more interesting in mind, deviating into a synth and gamelan workout that melts into bluesy soloing reminiscent of George Harrison before switchbacking through a wonky synth workout. He spends the rest of the record mixing and matching these various elements in a mellow patchwork. As the title suggests, this is, at the end of the day, a guitar album—but as impressive as his playing is throughout, the real virtuosity is in his varied and imaginative arrangements. Perfect afternoon record.

Soundclips at Bordello a Parigi.