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by Glenn BurnSilver of the Fairbanks Daily News - Miner

FAIRBANKS — To hear Willy Porter and Natalia Zukerman tell it, they were made for each other. Musically, anyway. And listening to their most recent works certainly reveals just enough similarity to showcase the differences that have gelled into a strong working relationship.

Porter produced and performed on Zukerman’s most recent release, “Brand New Frame,” while Zukerman returned the favor on Porter’s forthcoming album, “How To Rob A Bank.” On tour, the pair routinely perform together, as will be the case at tonight’s Acoustic Adventures concert in the Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park. Zukerman will open the show.

The pair initially connected when the booking agent they share placed them on the same bill. Both agreed that was in 2006, though the exact place is up for debate. Porter thought the show was in Pennsylvania; Zukerman was sure it was Oregon. In any case, Porter said he immediately recognized the talent in Zukerman.

“I’ve seen a whole lot of guitar players and songwriters, and most of the good ones out there today, and I realized right away she was fully formed,” he recalled during a session break at his studio in Milwaukee. “She came out of the ground like a turnip or something. She was perfect. She could play really well, sing really well and had a great stage presence. Plus her writing was great. I thought I’d say to her that I’d love to play with her some day.”

After a series of shows together, Porter learned that Zukerman had an album’s worth of original material, but a lack of label interest was keeping her from cutting the tracks. His chance to play with her materialized when he invited her to his studio to record. He eventually signed her to his Weasel Records imprint.

“It’s been the path of least resistance,” he said of working with her. “It’s been really easy and it was just a great time making the record with her.”

For Zukerman, the daughter of violinist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman and flutist/writer Eugenia Zukerman, her previous three albums and energetic performances had already garnered some critical acclaim. Those albums were mostly self-produced affairs, cut live in the studio with friends filling in the holes. With Porter, the approach was entirely different.

“Willy and I worked really well together to create something that still sounded like me. It served the songs, but had killer rhythms,” she said from her home in Brooklyn. “This was done building everything around the armature which was me and my guitar. I did my parts first and then everybody came and played on top of that. That was really challenging, but working with incredible musicians pushed me a little bit to perform better. It changed my thinking. I used to just write a song, now I think about parts, and try to leave space for others to fill in.”

“Brand New Frame” showcases Zukerman’s dexterity on the fretboard without compromising artistic merit. The playing is economical yet powerful, while the lyrics are insightful and well-spun tales.

“What tends to come out is a bass-driven thumpy kind of acoustic guitar thing. I grew up listening to jazz and classical music, so I think some of the melodic abilities are genetically built in,” she explained of her songwriting. “Lyrically, it’s definitely autobiographical, but I borrow from friends lives, so beware. I try to broaden it because my experience is only so much, but I try and take it away from the love found, love lost, wah wah so sad, to something you can grab on to. I’m more interested in music that explains what something looks like than feels like. I think I write in pretty visual way. If it’s got a lot of proper nouns it’s a good song.”

While Porter may not focus on the particular use of proper nouns, he is very humble and self-effacing in discussing his song writing. He hopes his music one day might be compared with his musical hero Richard Thompson or maybe even Bob Dylan, but he believes he is currently “nowhere near that level at all.” His music glides effortlessly across an acoustic yet jazzy plane, drifting in and out of new age moments with hints of bluesy, folk and down-home Americana mixed in. Porter’s words also carry the listener to far off places through vivid and compelling imagery.

“Hopefully (the songs are) exciting enough that you’ll want to go sing it and replay it more and more,” he said. “If it sticks with you and pays off over the long haul, it will morph over time and take on other meanings for both the player and person listening to it.”

Despite all the accolades Porter’s work has garnered over the years, he doesn’t rest easy. He said songwriting is something he constantly tries to improve.

“I have a sense of suspicion about what I do, and I don’t judge things before I do them,” he said. “I’m able to crank out tunes, but I’m always suspicious about something that hits me really hard and I think it’s great. I tend to put things away now and have more objectivity when I listen back to them. It used to be that if I wrote a song and felt great playing it and was able invest enough emotionally in it, then that was enough. Musically, that often is fine, but lyrically, that’s not the case. The lyrics are something I work harder on and try to weed through things. That’s a great part of the journey now.”

Zukerman has also been growing on her musical journey as well. With Porter’s help, both her musicianship and songwriting ability has prospered. Her work as a sidewoman on Porter’s upcoming album, and on stage, has helped her improve her craft.

“That has opened me up to the idea that you’ve got to leave some room,” she said. “Solo performers are always trying to thunk it up and make as much sound with one guitar as we can. And that doesn’t always serve the song. It comes with time and maturity to know that sometimes silence is the most beautiful part.”

For Fairbanksans tonight, the beauty that unfolds on the Centennial Center for the Arts stage will not be in the silence, but the dynamic music these two performers create — both solo and together.

Original Article at: http://newsminer.com/news/2009/feb/06/made-each-other-duo-take-stage-bring-eclectic-mix/

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