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This month's column is dedicated to music for renewal. In anticipation of Spring, these flowering melodies and fecund rhythms recall the vibrant life force that flows through all living things. As always, if you have trouble finding these or any music recording reviewed in The Monthly Aspectarian at your local retailer, please call 847-966-1110 and ask for the record company's phone number for the title(s) you desire. |
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PEACEFUL GARDEN (New World Music)
Is there anything that reminds one more of Spring than the sounds of a country garden? Here, you can almost smell the budding blooms as beautiful, gentle music is richly entwined with the songs of blackbirds, thrushes and sparrows. There's even a gentle stream burbling in the background. It's amazing how well the natural "music" of robins and wood pigeons blends with soft melodies played on piano, classical guitar and Celtic flute, creating a totally relaxing ambience. If you've yet to try meditating to music with nature sounds, this recording is a great introduction as it features two extended 25-minute selections that greatly enhance the desired contemplative and tranquil atmosphere. Note: this recording is endorsed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a leading international bird watching and conservation organization. INSTRUMENTATION: piano, guitar, flutes, keyboards, environmental sounds.
Stephanie
Santé has been favorably compared to leading female space music
composers Constance Demby and Meg Bowles, and her ambient music is likened
to that produced by Jonn Serrie and Mark Pedersen (aka Geodesium). But
there is an added dimension to her galactic sound that reaches out from
the wonders of remote suns to touch the soul like a warm caress. Perhaps
that's because Santé began each composition with a meditation and
a request for direction from spirit, in keeping with her metaphysical
beliefs. These include new age philosophies, Reiki, magnified healing
and various meditation techniques. Listening to her incredible soundscapes
induces a deep, comfortable state of reverie suitable for internal voyaging.
All one has to do is melt with the sonic textures into a vivid, breathing
energy fully capable of imparting its own reality. INSTRUMENTATION: keyboards, guitar.
It's easy to fly on the wings of Spring's effervescent spirit as these flute-viola duets play. Seven delightfully buoyant improvisational rhapsodies reveal the innocence, playfulness and simple joy that comes from freeing oneself from inhibition, throwing off the shackles of expectation and allowing pure inspiration to lead the way. Musical cosmologist and violist Moses plays his warm and deeply resonant instrument with impressive dexterity and creativity; Jaffe, a classically trained flutist, is his perfect foil, darting in and out of melodies with all the lightning fast reflexes of the title subject's own aerial ballet. Together, they make truly lovely music that perfectly portrays the sound of the season. INSTRUMENTATION: alto flute, C-flute, shaker, viola.
Mehdi Inspired
by life's sweetest thoughts and deepest feelings, these ten marvelous
instrumental melodies will captivate your imagination as they surround
your senses in lushly layered soundscapes and energizing rhythms. On "Millennium
Dance," hauntingly beautiful flute soars over a revitalizing blend
of acoustic guitar and breathy panpipes. Sparkling chimes and the light
patter of hand drums accent "Images of the Heart," a stirring
ballad that explores the limits of emotion through gorgeous piano, fluid
violin phrasing and luxurious electronic textures. The remaining tunes
are equally terrific on this wonderful record, one destined to become
a bestseller! So consider this music as a tool to quiet the mind, refresh
the soul and heighten the awareness Marina
Swain This fragrant music is as rare and precious as the essential oils used in the titular ancient healing art. Created in partnership between one of Europe's leading beauty therapists and a leading holistic musician, this album creates the perfect mood and atmosphere to complement the experience of pure relaxation brought about by aromatherapy. As stimulating or soothing plant extracts are massaged into the body, their potent balancing qualities are enhanced synergistically by the music, resulting in a more harmonious blend of mind, body and spirit. Specific notes, instruments and tempos are integrated to bring out the best effects of both touch and inhalation therapy methods, just as it was done on the streets of ancient Athens and in Egypt, 6000 years ago. The result is a heady feeling of complete bliss that lingers long after the massage has ended! INSTRUMENTATION: piano, keyboards, guitar, sounds of nature (birdsong, water).
2002 Pamela and Randy Copus have recorded four successful albums as 2002, but this latest one is so magically moving that it makes the soul yearn to expand and embrace the entire universe. Sparkling layers of crystalline sound textures cocoon breathy wordless vocals as a poignant piano melody builds to a dramatic crescendo on the title track, an ode to the majesty of the Milky Way. "Elysian Fields" perfectly portrays paradise with its tranquil pace and contemplative keyboard line that elegantly weaves in and out of meditative guitar musings. But perhaps the most profound selection is "Starwalkers" which takes its theme from an indigenous belief that when a life ends, the spirit rises to the heavens and forms a star; thus, each beloved who has passed is still eternally with us. A truly glorious piece of music, this tune manifests all the mystery and magic of the after-life. INSTRUMENTATION: piano, keyboards, guitar, cello, harp, flute, percussion, wordless vocals.
Thomas
Otten The perfect stillness of a calm, clear Spring night is portrayed in "Qualitati Umane," the first track on this intriguing album that combines ambient synthesizer textures with soaring classical vocal stylings. By carefully combining crystal-pure female voices and warmly resonant male voices with echo, reverberation and other electronic spatial effects, Otten crafts some amazingly deep and profoundly affecting melodies. Subtle dance rhythms, breathy punctuation accents and thickly layered keyboard harmonies balance the high art of the singers on tunes like "Dulciate" and "Espiritu" to great effect, but the much darker tone of "Utter Confusion" is as strikingly out of place as a belch in a cathedral; even its synth tone is reminiscent of a cheesy '70s B-movie. Better is "Sanza," a lovely violin-led melody backed by sensual percussion groove and heightened by soaring vocal harmonies. INSTRUMENTATION: vocals, keyboards, strings, percussion.
GRACEFUL
PASSAGES Winter seems to trigger loss just as Spring celebrates rebirth. This powerful spoken word with music recording will surely be a great comfort to those dealing with the issues of transition, death and dying. Messages, prayers and stories shared by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ram Dass, the wonderfully gravel-voiced Lew Epstein and others who have faced loss in a profound way can help lighten the grieving heart, alleviate pain and serve as a spiritual resource during times of need. Their experiences in letting go help one enter into a deeper inner dialog with this often uncomfortable subject, and encourage the embracing of loss as a necessary step in personal growth. Created with much love and beauty by musician-producers Michael Stillwater and Gary Malkin, the words and music presented here reach into the very heart of wisdom in order to console the soul. INSTRUMENTATION: narration, piano, guitar, keyboards, choral chant.
A deep rumbling heartbeat rises from the depths of the ocean accompanied by the unearthly ringing of a Tibetan bowl. Stark flute calls emphasize the eerie sensation of being on the slow rolling ocean as the dawn mist recedes and a single great eye rises from the water to gaze deeply into the watcher's soul. Spring brings whales, and seeing their underwater movements is a study in tranquility; they are elegant dancers whose unhurried, undulating dance delights the spirit as they swim. Key, Emile DeLeon, Mike Clarke and Steve Rizzo present here the mystery of whales' motion in music through spacious, atmospheric instrumentals--primarily created by striking and ringing metal bowls until their overtones eddy like waves in a whale's wake. Sounding almost supernatural at times, these moodily ambient instrumentals are an excellent homage to all that is the whale. INSTRUMENTATION: flutes, Tibetan bowls, ocarinas, frame drum, bombarde, tabla, didgeridoo, sitar, hand drums, percussion.
Richard
Shulman When one is up to one's elbows in Spring cleaning at home, it is important to remember to also give oneself a tune-up! These two 36-minute musical programs are designed to clear and align the chakras, those seven primary vibrational centers that reflect the harmony and balance of our subtle energy system and have such an impact on our overall sense of well being. Shulman spontaneously played these instrumentals using a system of colored lights and musical keys associated with each of the energy vortices (for example, yellow = solar plexus = key of E) moving the music from the root chakra (key of C) up to the crown chakra (key of B) for a comprehensive sonic treatment. Included in the liner notes is a suggested meditation/visualization for use with the music to help the listener see or feel the energy of each chakra in front and behind the physical body as well as within it. INSTRUMENTATION: synthesizers. Submissions for review consideration may be sent to: PJ Birosik, MUSIK INTERNATIONAL CORP., 154 Betasso Road, Boulder, CO 80302-9606. Since 1977, Birosik has been a music industry consultant specializing in marketing, promotion, publicity and A&R/foreign licensing; she is a member of NARAS, NARM, NAIRD, CMC, IMA, and a past Board of Director of Los Angeles Women In Music who has been profiled in 11 international editions of Who's Who. Calls may be placed to her at (303) 444-9575 between 9:30am - 5pm MST regarding review criteria, consulting services for signed & unsigned musicians, and data list rentals.
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