Some improvisors open the floodgates, but have little control over where the water ends up. But Elliott Sharp, a mainstay of the New York underground for more than a decade, exudes precise control, deftly balancing improvisation and composition, classic idioms and unprecedented ones, order and chaos.
Few players are as articulate about music as the dauntingly intelligent guitarist/composer. Sharp often describes his musical processes in language drawn from the sciences, sounding at times more like a biologist, physicist or computer programmer than an electric guitarist. But thereīs nothing cold or clinical about his playing; whether unleashing percussive, finger-tapped torrents on his Doug Henderson doubleneck, attacking his homemade tabletop guitar/zithers with metal rods, or coaxing pure Delta blues from an aged Martin, Sharp is the most visceral of guitarists. Heīs a bald intellectual, but heīs no egghead.
Sharpīs vast discography presents a bewildering assortment of project names and record labels. Elliott suggests starting with the last two Carbon CDs, "Amusia" and "Interference". "Carbon has always been my most personal project", he says. "Itīs where I work out concepts in a rock-band format. Both records use a wide selection of guitar sounds and a fair amount of computer processing". Sharp also recommends the two string quartet compositions - one augmented by fretless guitar - on "XenocodeX" and "Sferics" "Itīs performed entirely on fretless guitar with no digital processing. Itīs dedicated to Sonny Sharrock, who was a friend and inspiration". Sharp has also released two extraordinary blues albums, "Terraplane" and "Hoosegow", in which he conjures acoustic blues with startling depth and accuracy.
While most of Sharpīs projects have a strong chance element, Elliott insists there is no such thing as true improvisation: "It could only be performed by complete amnesiacs. If Iīm playing solo, Iīm operating to a certain extent within an architecture of memory - vocabulary, syntax, style, muscular - but modifying it all in real time. Acoustics, tangential intentions, random thoughts, a glint of light and shadow, accidents and passing sounds all have their effect. When Iīm deeply into the process of playing, I donīt maintain a conscious awareness of my intent, just a gestalt feeling of abandon and exploration. This can take you into unexpected sonic and emotional realms. One sometimes emerges from this flux to make decisions, which should then propel you back into the void. The techniques and muscle motions should be transparent, in the background."
Elliott has focused recently on orchestral composition. Some pieces, like earlier Sharp works for guitar and string quartet, are based on algorithmic procedures wherein the composer provides core material and a set of computer-code-like instructions for manipulating it. "My algorithmic compositions use a balance of structure and improvisational elements that lets the music maintain a certain shape and identity while allowing ever-shifting internal detail. It creates an interzone between order and chaos, a place where the controlled and the unpredictable intertwine. Roles are exchanged, foreground and background shift. For me, the most interesting part of a system is at its edge, this fluid border region that redefines itself as the process unfolds".

GuitarPlayer, January 1997.