Music by PJ Birosik

Bill Miller
GHOST DANCE
(Vanguard 310-829-9355)
Winner of five Native American Music Awards, Miller's masterpiece is, on the surface, an innovative and appealing stylistic fusion of guitar-based folk and classical strings. But it is also a stinging indictment of how an often uncaring society permits people to fall between the cracks. Winos become warriors in his crimes-against-culture scenarios, and the spirit of Crazy Horse walks the rez with his crying heart in his hands. Like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie before him, Miller is a keen observer of life and a student of history; his lyrics are screams of a soul tortured by man's inhumanity to man. The title tune is pivotal in understanding his point of view as it parallels today's everyday atrocities with those committed in 1890 at Wounded Knee. Like the best work of Tori Amos and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam -- with whom he's shared a stage -- and that of U2's Bono, a big fan, Miller is most masterful when he transcends the point of view of personal struggle in order to embrace the bigger issues. These are best exemplified by the innocence and optimism of "The Sun Is Gonna Rise" and "The Reason" and are artfully balanced by the driving rhythm and potent emotion of "Every Mountain I Climb." A solid performer on guitar, bass, Native flute and harmonica, Miller's ability to balance the apocalyptic energy of his visions within a folk format is amazing and completely captivating.

Anders Norudde
HIMSELF (KAN SJALV)
(NorthSide 612-375-0233)
Best known as a founding member of the seminal Swedish folk ensemble Hedningarna, Norudde makes his solo debut with a set of 26 short tunes that focus on early ethnic instruments like low-tuned fiddle, bagpipe, moraharpa (three-stringed keyed fiddle dating back to 1526) and flute. Old instruments have always fascinated him, and Norudde makes good use of their often archaic sounds on arrangements of historical Scandanavian repertoire as well as his own slightly-left-of-center originals. The weirdly wheedling, high pitched sound of quarter-tone bagpipes kicks off the set as "Rammen" presents a haunting piece possessing both intricate melody and relentless rhythm. "Blastrattlaten (Wind-Stuffed Tune)," a piece Norudde picked up while on exchange at the Peking Opera School, is an appealing amalgam of bagpipes and bouzouki; but what makes this Northern Chinese composition so memorable are the dynamic breaks of silence that punctuate the piece. The moraharpa polka "Varm Och Ute (Warm and Out)" is a lively dance original by Norudde that sounds comfortably familiar, but its his "Svarlaten (Hard Tune)" that lives up to its name by melding a fierce and frantic bagpipe melody over the sound of sweetly sonorous guitar strings. Amazingly complex and exquisitely beautiful, it demonstrates Norudde's undeniable virtuosity and versatility.

Llewellyn
MOONLORE
(New World Music 800-771-0987)
Combining his signature keyboard textures with Uilleann pipes, Irish whistles, guitars, piano, flutes and Celtic skin drums, Llewellyn leads the listener on a musical adventure tale into history to reconstruct one of the legendary druid games that took place upon the full moon adjoining Samhain. With the help of Tori Donovan on recorders and the beautiful voice of Juliana, this celebration of the feminine and the Triple Goddess of lore includes "working" tracks ("The Maiden," "The Mother" and "The Crone") suitable for use during ceremony. Liner notes by renowned English ritualist Carolynn Clare Townsend share how to work with these three tracks either alone or with any group of like-minded pagan spiritualists. The music is based on the tale of the wild hunt, the first major test for young druids in training. The lyrics for "The Chill Wind" and "Echoes of Ancient Stone" are written in authentic druidic style and contain hidden meanings and teachings. The tracks also integrate the key natural elements of wind, sea, fire and stone, all utilized in the manner done thousands of years ago. MOONLORE is an exciting album that crosses real subject research into mainstream artist work.

Various Artists
GYPSY SWING
(Refined Records 415-831-0326)
This amazing recording of European acoustic gypsy guitar virtuosos and their ensembles revive the sophistication and sass of Paris' famed Hot Club where the sizzling sounds of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli turned the world on its ear! Playing with style and verve, their astonishing speed and hot melodies make one breathless. You won't believe how the players demonstrate their smooth fluidity, blending jazz, Latin, swing and flamenco for a passionately romantic listening experience. GYPSY SWING features incredible world-class guitarists such as child-prodigy and authentic gypsy Jimmy Rosenberg from the Netherlands (who was only 13 years old at the time some of these performances were recorded), as well as fellow contemporaries including Scandinavia's Hot Club de Norvège (featuring Oslo's resident guitar wizard Jon Larsen), the Amsterdam-based Robin Nolan Trio (who just finished a month-long US tour and will return soon), and the spell-binding French master of jazz-manouche, Moreno. Listen, and savor how they put new twists on old repertoire, including classics by Reinhardt, Duke Ellington and the Gershwin brothers.

Annie Humphrey
THE HERON SMILED
(Makoche 800-637-6863)
Folk songwriter Humphrey pens tunes with the skill of Buffy St. Marie and sings with all the earth mother sweetness of Paula Cole. Addressing the human condition from beyond an Ojibwe reservation perspective, co-writer Carson Gardner's and Humphrey's lyrics provide insight and healing for the rainbow coalition. Paired with non-tribal arrangements, THE HERON SMILED becomes one of the most exciting new artist breakthroughs of the year. In an unusual move, the album begins and ends with two versions of "Spirit Horses," an optimistic tale of a boy who uses dreams to create a sense of self-worth; the closing rendition features noted Native poet/activist John Trudell echoing Humphrey's vocal with his trademark haunting delivery. The album's epic is "500 Years," named after her mother's best-selling book and covering the same theme of America's five centuries of Red-White relations; both great injustices and heroic endeavors are catalogued in poignant detail. Humphrey's vocals are supported by excellent arrangements for guitars, piano, drums, percussion, violin, bass and cedar flute, making this record one you can enjoy time and time again.

The Third Planet
THE THIRD PLANET
(Hearts of Space 415-331-3200)
Helmed by Italian keyboardist Maurizio Dami and given voice by Algerian rai singer Smail Kouider Aissa (who compares well to Cheb Mami), the exciting new worldbeat ensemble Third Planet blends reggae, raga and rock into sultry sonic excursions. Deliberately simmering their cultural soup with wide-ranging musical accents and instrumentation, Third Planet produce divine dub tracks like "Mektoub" and the raga ballad "Sulimani," both of which boast beautiful, soulful vocals and catchy cadences. Dramatic dance delights like the superb, hand drum-driven "Salam Salam" and "Baghdad Rai" offer up intoxicating, interesting rhythm arrangements by skilled percussionist Paolo Casu. Nazar, from Iraq's Kurdistan region, sparkles on the saaz, a plucked guitar-like instrument with a ringing, open sound that is surprisingly punchy given its acoustic origin; equally sublime are Rashmi Bahtt's tabla performances, which help hang together many disparate elements. Happily eclectic, THE THIRD PLANET is one of the best deep groove debuts this year.

Indigo Spirit
INDIGO SPIRIT
(Higher Octave 310-589-1515)
On the album ARIA, classical was merged with electronica; on the recent recording OPERAZONE, classical was re-arranged for jazz quartet. Here, classical is injected with the raw essence of the blues by a mystery composer dubbed -- in comical manner -- The Fearsome Brave. While many of you are probably bored to tears by formulaic cross-genre hodge-podges, be assured that ol' anonymous Brave has cooked up a surefire recipe for success: 1) scour musical archives for snippets of vocal tracks by the legendary John Lee Hooker and Lightning Hopkins, 2) stir them into guitar and harmonica musings, 3) spice liberally with orchestral improvisations, and 4) deglaze with deliberately mechanical dance beats. Especially interesting is "Legends," in which the gritty narration of Dee Hound Dog Jeffs chants the names of almost-forgotten bluesmen accompanied by down-n-dirty steel guitar and snazzy harp riffs. "Roots," replete with quick-step rhythms and some delicious twang bar work, is another winner destined for the dancefloor; get ready to bust a move when the hot harmonica lick kicks in!

Axiom of Choice
NIYA YESH
(Narada 414-961-8350)
Some albums deserve dedicated, repeated listening, uninterrupted from beginning to end. This is one of them. Based on the quarter-tone guitar and featuring ethnic instruments like spike fiddle, ney (cane flute) and goblet drum, Axiom of Choice's innovative improvisations weave powerful, emotive textures with creative cadences to sheer perfection. Instrumentals like "A Walk By the Lake" and "Prelude" are artistically arresting amalgams of ancient and contemporary styles that achieve the impossible; that is, they remain loyal to their roots, yet are manifested along modern compositional courses. The deliciously dark and moody "Chaos of Paradise" features terrific traditional Persian singing thanks to vocal gymnast Mamak Khadem; her ability to manifest a profound sense of the mystic cannot be overstated. The lush velvet of Khadem's pipes is a perfect match for the tinny ney, sonorous sympathetic strings and percussion patter that hold hypnotic sway over this innovative album. Musical director Loga Ramin Torkian is to be congratulated on gathering such a fine palette of source sounds and players and dramatically combining them into one of the best albums of the year.

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 member of the Board of Directors 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.

This month's column is dedicated to the passion and power of music, featuring musical innovators whose potent artistic vision can either incite or quell a revolution (be it actual or metaphysical). Whether sung or instrumental, this is music that moves you, music that can transform perceptions or even lives. As always, if you have trouble finding these or any music recording reviewed in The Monthly Aspectarian at your local retailer, please call the phone number listed next to the record company name for more information.

Bill Miller GHOST DANCE (Vanguard 310-829-9355) Winner of five Native American Music Awards, Miller's masterpiece is, on the surface, an innovative and appealing stylistic fusion of guitar-based folk and classical strings. But it is also a stinging indictment of how an often uncaring society permits people to fall between the cracks. Winos become warriors in his crimes-against-culture scenarios, and the spirit of Crazy Horse walks the rez with his crying heart in his hands. Like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie before him, Miller is a keen observer of life and a student of history; his lyrics are screams of a soul tortured by man's inhumanity to man. The title tune is pivotal in understanding his point of view as it parallels today's everyday atrocities with those committed in 1890 at Wounded Knee. Like the best work of Tori Amos and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam -- with whom he's shared a stage -- and that of U2's Bono, a big fan, Miller is most masterful when he transcends the point of view of personal struggle in order to embrace the bigger issues. These are best exemplified by the innocence and optimism of "The Sun Is Gonna Rise" and "The Reason" and are artfully balanced by the driving rhythm and potent emotion of "Every Mountain I Climb." A solid performer on guitar, bass, Native flute and harmonica, Miller's ability to balance the apocalyptic energy of his visions within a folk format is amazing and completely captivating. Anders Norudde HIMSELF (KAN SJALV) (NorthSide 612-375-0233) Best known as a founding member of the seminal Swedish folk ensemble Hedningarna, Norudde makes his solo debut with a set of 26 short tunes that focus on early ethnic instruments like low-tuned fiddle, bagpipe, moraharpa (three-stringed keyed fiddle dating back to 1526) and flute. Old instruments have always fascinated him, and Norudde makes good use of their often archaic sounds on arrangements of historical Scandanavian repertoire as well as his own slightly-left-of-center originals. The weirdly wheedling, high pitched sound of quarter-tone bagpipes kicks off the set as "Rammen" presents a haunting piece possessing both intricate melody and relentless rhythm. "Blastrattlaten (Wind-Stuffed Tune)," a piece Norudde picked up while on exchange at the Peking Opera School, is an appealing amalgam of bagpipes and bouzouki; but what makes this Northern Chinese composition so memorable are the dynamic breaks of silence that punctuate the piece. The moraharpa polka "Varm Och Ute (Warm and Out)" is a lively dance original by Norudde that sounds comfortably familiar, but its his "Svarlaten (Hard Tune)" that lives up to its name by melding a fierce and frantic bagpipe melody over the sound of sweetly sonorous guitar strings. Amazingly complex and exquisitely beautiful, it demonstrates Norudde's undeniable virtuosity and versatility. Llewellyn MOONLORE (New World Music 800-771-0987) Combining his signature keyboard textures with Uilleann pipes, Irish whistles, guitars, piano, flutes and Celtic skin drums, Llewellyn leads the listener on a musical adventure tale into history to reconstruct one of the legendary druid games that took place upon the full moon adjoining Samhain. With the help of Tori Donovan on recorders and the beautiful voice of Juliana, this celebration of the feminine and the Triple Goddess of lore includes "working" tracks ("The Maiden," "The Mother" and "The Crone") suitable for use during ceremony. Liner notes by renowned English ritualist Carolynn Clare Townsend share how to work with these three tracks either alone or with any group of like-minded pagan spiritualists. The music is based on the tale of the wild hunt, the first major test for young druids in training. The lyrics for "The Chill Wind" and "Echoes of Ancient Stone" are written in authentic druidic style and contain hidden meanings and teachings. The tracks also integrate the key natural elements of wind, sea, fire and stone, all utilized in the manner done thousands of years ago. MOONLORE is an exciting album that crosses real subject research into mainstream artist work. Various Artists GYPSY SWING (Refined Records 415-831-0326) This amazing recording of European acoustic gypsy guitar virtuosos and their ensembles revive the sophistication and sass of Paris' famed Hot Club where the sizzling sounds of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli turned the world on its ear! Playing with style and verve, their astonishing speed and hot melodies make one breathless. You won't believe how the players demonstrate their smooth fluidity, blending jazz, Latin, swing and flamenco for a passionately romantic listening experience. GYPSY SWING features incredible world-class guitarists such as child-prodigy and authentic gypsy Jimmy Rosenberg from the Netherlands (who was only 13 years old at the time some of these performances were recorded), as well as fellow contemporaries including Scandinavia's Hot Club de Norvège (featuring Oslo's resident guitar wizard Jon Larsen), the Amsterdam-based Robin Nolan Trio (who just finished a month-long US tour and will return soon), and the spell-binding French master of jazz-manouche, Moreno. Listen, and savor how they put new twists on old repertoire, including classics by Reinhardt, Duke Ellington and the Gershwin brothers. Annie Humphrey THE HERON SMILED (Makoche 800-637-6863) Folk songwriter Humphrey pens tunes with the skill of Buffy St. Marie and sings with all the earth mother sweetness of Paula Cole. Addressing the human condition from beyond an Ojibwe reservation perspective, co-writer Carson Gardner's and Humphrey's lyrics provide insight and healing for the rainbow coalition. Paired with non-tribal arrangements, THE HERON SMILED becomes one of the most exciting new artist breakthroughs of the year. In an unusual move, the album begins and ends with two versions of "Spirit Horses," an optimistic tale of a boy who uses dreams to create a sense of self-worth; the closing rendition features noted Native poet/activist John Trudell echoing Humphrey's vocal with his trademark haunting delivery. The album's epic is "500 Years," named after her mother's best-selling book and covering the same theme of America's five centuries of Red-White relations; both great injustices and heroic endeavors are catalogued in poignant detail. Humphrey's vocals are supported by excellent arrangements for guitars, piano, drums, percussion, violin, bass and cedar flute, making this record one you can enjoy time and time again. The Third Planet THE THIRD PLANET (Hearts of Space 415-331-3200) Helmed by Italian keyboardist Maurizio Dami and given voice by Algerian rai singer Smail Kouider Aissa (who compares well to Cheb Mami), the exciting new worldbeat ensemble Third Planet blends reggae, raga and rock into sultry sonic excursions. Deliberately simmering their cultural soup with wide-ranging musical accents and instrumentation, Third Planet produce divine dub tracks like "Mektoub" and the raga ballad "Sulimani," both of which boast beautiful, soulful vocals and catchy cadences. Dramatic dance delights like the superb, hand drum-driven "Salam Salam" and "Baghdad Rai" offer up intoxicating, interesting rhythm arrangements by skilled percussionist Paolo Casu. Nazar, from Iraq's Kurdistan region, sparkles on the saaz, a plucked guitar-like instrument with a ringing, open sound that is surprisingly punchy given its acoustic origin; equally sublime are Rashmi Bahtt's tabla performances, which help hang together many disparate elements. Happily eclectic, THE THIRD PLANET is one of the best deep groove debuts this year. Indigo Spirit INDIGO SPIRIT (Higher Octave 310-589-1515) On the album ARIA, classical was merged with electronica; on the recent recording OPERAZONE, classical was re-arranged for jazz quartet. Here, classical is injected with the raw essence of the blues by a mystery composer dubbed -- in comical manner -- The Fearsome Brave. While many of you are probably bored to tears by formulaic cross-genre hodge-podges, be assured that ol' anonymous Brave has cooked up a surefire recipe for success: 1) scour musical archives for snippets of vocal tracks by the legendary John Lee Hooker and Lightning Hopkins, 2) stir them into guitar and harmonica musings, 3) spice liberally with orchestral improvisations, and 4) deglaze with deliberately mechanical dance beats. Especially interesting is "Legends," in which the gritty narration of Dee Hound Dog Jeffs chants the names of almost-forgotten bluesmen accompanied by down-n-dirty steel guitar and snazzy harp riffs. "Roots," replete with quick-step rhythms and some delicious twang bar work, is another winner destined for the dancefloor; get ready to bust a move when the hot harmonica lick kicks in! Axiom of Choice NIYA YESH (Narada 414-961-8350) Some albums deserve dedicated, repeated listening, uninterrupted from beginning to end. This is one of them. Based on the quarter-tone guitar and featuring ethnic instruments like spike fiddle, ney (cane flute) and goblet drum, Axiom of Choice's innovative improvisations weave powerful, emotive textures with creative cadences to sheer perfection. Instrumentals like "A Walk By the Lake" and "Prelude" are artistically arresting amalgams of ancient and contemporary styles that achieve the impossible; that is, they remain loyal to their roots, yet are manifested along modern compositional courses. The deliciously dark and moody "Chaos of Paradise" features terrific traditional Persian singing thanks to vocal gymnast Mamak Khadem; her ability to manifest a profound sense of the mystic cannot be overstated. The lush velvet of Khadem's pipes is a perfect match for the tinny ney, sonorous sympathetic strings and percussion patter that hold hypnotic sway over this innovative album. Musical director Loga Ramin Torkian is to be congratulated on gathering such a fine palette of source sounds and players and dramatically combining them into one of the best albums of the year. 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 member of the Board of Directors 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.



			by PJ Birosik