The idiomatic nature of Callahan's music is with no doubt closely related to his musical background: Born in Boston he first picked up the guitar as a teenager, inspired by his relatives who were singers and songwriters. Like many of his generation, at first he played mostly pop and rock, and it wasn't until he was in his midtwenties that he discovered classical guitar. Then, while he was at his undergraduate years, he pursued training in harmony, composition and orchestration, studied some jazz guitar, and finally did a year of intensive study in classical guitar. As a performer and music writer Callahan has been engaged in a variety of music genres, as well as in writing music software applications and teaching music via video conferencing. The Fourth Stream, composed in 2005, is a set of three separate pieces: 1 - "Jackson Street," 2 - "Yesler Way," and, 3 - "The Viaduct." Starting with an uncommon scordatura (the first movement requires the sixth string tuned to E-flat, while the third is tuned to D), the structure and character of totally different compositions are samples of modern and minimalist expression. Perhaps in the first movement there is an excessive elaboration with similar kinds of legatos, but in the other two, technically speaking, the material used is quite complex and interesting.
Uros Dojcinovic (Soundboard Magazine)
