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Primal Rhythm 1  ~ Sue Balaschak

Sue Balaschak has been teaching music since 1977.  She has shared the billing with Michael Glabicki and Jim Donovan (Rusted Root) and opened for the well known author Wayne Dyer. Currently she is the drummer for the band Burning Sage.

The idea of this CD is to provide the novice as well as the expert drummer with an accompaniment.  You just bought that brand new drum, had a lesson at the festival, maybe even sat up all night with the drummers and got a first hand experience with a real live drumming circle.  Now you are home… what do you do?  Or you are an experienced drummer looking for an accompaniment to your practices.

The CD contains nine tracks, for a total play time of just over 45 minutes.  The tracks range in time from four minutes to just over six minutes.  The CD case is the traditional crystal case, with a nice cover graphic insert and a short note from the artist. 

Ms. Balaschak starts with three tracks that provide some basic rhythms that progress to more and more complex rhythms.  These are great for the beginner! And it does not matter what kind of drum you are using.  The focus is hand drumming and hand drums to accompany the basic rhythms set up in these Call and Response tracks.  The first three tracks are a single drum with a rattle accompaniment keeping time.  You listen to Ms. Balaschak beat out a rhythm and you respond in the time space provided, using the constant rattle to keep the time. 

From the fourth track forward you are able to play along with the multiple drums and regular rhythms. This and the following tracks focus on bringing the drumming circle into your living room.   Spirit of Ashika begins to incorporate the rhythms learned in the first three tracks.

None of these tracks are exceptionally long and are nothing like some of the all night sessions that you will encounter at festivals.  This allows you to build up your hand strength as you progress with the CD and allows you to progress at your own pace. 

Track five Agogo Song incorporates the bells into the drumming, very lightly so as to augment the drumming and not overpower it.

Four Legged Rhythm on track six starts out with single drum and works its way into some good basic rhythms for multiple drums.  This track is steady and even.  You choose the part you want to play.  The beats vary, from group simple to complex. 

Fire Dance on track seven is much more energetic, keeping the same beat throughout the piece, accompanied by a tambourine, with a “break” added.  This break is a common element in drumming, and is another component that is taught on this CD.

Crooked River on track eight is multiple drums accompanied by a shaker (forgive me, I’m not sure what kind), and again incorporates a basic beat, a variation on the break, and provides another element to drumming.

The final cut, Mother Speaks is a big bass Mother Drum, a pow wow drum, accompanied by rattles, and the idea here is for you to fill in your own rhythms to the Mother Drum! This is an excellent piece that allows you to work with all that you have learned and develop your own style within the accompanying piece.

This CD is a great learning tool, and a great “party on a CD”!  This is well thought through, expertly executed, and Ms. Balaschak shows she is an excellent teacher with the production of this CD.   It is available at Ms. Balaschak’s workshops and at various stores in Ohio and it is also available on-line on her website.  I would rate this CD five out of five stars for ingenuity, content and style.  boudica

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Meg Okura’s Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble ~ Meg Okura

Having been introduced to her MP3 downloads a while ago I looked forward with anticipation to Ms. Okura’s CD release.  I have not been disappointed.

To describe the style of music we are looking at here, I would like to suggest we are looking at classic jazz with progressive undertones, strewn with classic chamber music overtones and sprinkled with Oriental flavors.  The mix works, and it pleases the ear, relaxes when it wants yet bounces with an energy that makes you want to dance.

So we come to the CD itself.  We are presented with eight tracks on this CD which is independently produced by Meg Okura.  The overall quality is excellent, good recording values and arrangements.   There are no liner notes, and no times are indicated for the pieces but the CD runs a little over 45 minutes.

Right off we dive right into the unique style of Ms. Okura and her ensemble.  Ms. Okura provides the violin, viola and some scattered vocals on the CD.  Yukari plays a delightful flute.  Megumi Yonezawa provides a powerful piano and Satoshi Takeishi keeps the beat with percussion.  Dave Eggar also appears on a few tracks with a cello.

So we wander into Yuki, or Snow.  There are some wonderful rhythms on this piece, all blending to give the impression of a snowfall.  Absolutely delightful pizzicato strings, endearing piano melody and some lovely flute make this a most enchanting musical composition.  It plays long enough to absorb the nuances of the composition and appreciate this enchanting piece.  It goes from classical jazz to a very progressive composition and back again. 

From this piece we get the full feeling of what this musical ensemble is all about and they put their best foot forward by having this as the opening track.

Step by Step gives us a graduating jazz piece, going from the simple to the sublime.  The piece progresses in complexity, and there is a Coltrane implication in the piece that flavors but does not intrude on the original composition.  Delightful and a bit playful.

Dance at the Palace starts with a distorted rendition of a recognizable classic piece, being almost demanding of attention, and then breaks into a composition that feels “Middle Eastern” but not quite there.  The beat is more Latin.  This is an interesting mix which moves to a progressive style of jazz.  The piece exercises the skills of Ms. Okura, both in composition as well as the musical expertise of the group itself.  The piece is expertly executed, violin to piano back to violin.  We feel how tight this group is; they know what they are doing and how to carry it through.

Peace in my Heart is a ballad, warm and touching in composition, classic in composition.   A much calmer piece, it emphasizes the violin and piano talents of the ensemble as well as the cello skills of Dave Eggar. 

We encounter the dynamic energy of the group again in Viola da Samba, a piece with Latin overtones and a very diverse and vibrant violin.  We hear some vocals, more as emphasis than for their melodic quality.  The piano and flute return us to the progressive jazz themes that are key to the style of the group.   Blended with very classical violin, this is another good example of the style of this group.

Tracks six and seven are a three part composition called Dream Dancer.  There is a very dreamlike quality of the opening of track six Haze, almost cinematic in feel.  Flute melody with pizzicato strings, cymbal or metal clanking, we get a dream like feeling from the opening which leads into the seventh and most remarkable track on the CD.

Dream Dancer – this piece has been on a free download on Ms. Okura’s site and it originally caught my attention.  Cool jazz infused with a very Oriental sound, a very strong classical piano carrying the melody, a flute countering the melody and a pronounced beat.  And of course the complex voice of the violin throughout the piece.  This is a brilliant composition and one that you will find yourself listening to over and over again.  Probably the best track on the CD, next to Yuki.  The track ends with some vocals echoing the melody, very subtle, and the violin brings us to the close.

The closing track Ancient Bells is a melancholy ballad.  Rather an appropriate ending, as some may be sad to see this end.  Again, violin and piano accompany each other through a very deliberate composition.  Almost classical in feel sometimes, it does wander back and forth between jazz and classical.  A nice blending and a nice closing.

My overall feeling about this CD is that we are presented with something very original and fresh.  It crosses between classical and jazz.  It is relaxing, it is invigorating.  It never disappoints; rather it draws your attention throughout the entire production.  The compositions are complex, the skill of the musicians is without question and the quality does not hint at all of  it’s independent production.  

I am very pleased with this CD, and Ms. Okura has produced a work she can be proud of.  I will be looking forward to more from this group.  You can purchase the CD from her website.  While there, look for her appearances in the New York area clubs.  http://www.megokura.com/  and http://www.panasianchamberjazzensemble.com/  mafoster

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Tales of the Uninvited ~ Caprice

Sometimes an experiment works.  Sometimes an attempt to bring something new and exciting actually achieves its end goal.

Caprice achieves success in the interpretation of Elven or Fairy music.  Inspired by the Tolken series, we are presented with a musical interpretation of his poetries.   Using the “Laoris” language rather than English, we are offered music that dances, alighting gently on the ear. 

The group Caprice is Russian band and the vocals of Inna Brejestovskaya make the group.  The instrumentation is harp, violin, flute, clarinets, bassoon, cello, harpsichord with synthesizer filler.  The style is classical with an element of folk.  Sometimes it borders on Medieval in feel, which is probably attributable to the theme of the CD.  But the vocal range of Ms. Brejestovoskaya is incredible.  She is a classical singer; her voice can be light and lilting or dramatic and haunting. 

The CD contains 12 tracks, and runs approximately 51 minutes.  The cover is typical of the Prokosnovenie label works, featuring the fairy art of Sabine Adelaide.  There is a whole written language devised by Caprice, and it is carefully laid out for you to explore in the included liner notes.  It is worked into the cover artwork as well.  A very interesting concept of using leaves on vines to indicate a written language.    The lyrics are, of course, about Fairies.  Dancing fairies, mischievous fairies, fairy music, the lyrics are all things fairy.

The notes also include the lyrics to the songs in “Laoris” as well as English.  The typeface is small, the color is black and against some of the artwork and it is almost unreadable to my old eyes, but that does not diminish the lyrical composition. 

Some of the tunes will have you up and dancing about the room.  This music does carry a very “magical” feeling to it, and it invites you to dance.  It is mostly light and airy, but it can be dynamic, and it does demand attention in some places.

The musicians are skilled; there is nothing amateurish about this CD.  The composer Anton Brejestovski knew exactly where he wanted to take the listener and expertly executed the entire feel to get you precisely where he wanted you to go.

The music does get a bit “leading edge” at some points, but it is to be expected from music like this.  We are looking at music that was written to be different, experimental and think outside the conventional.  Yet, we find ourselves tapping our foot to the time of the lyrical and melodic pieces, wondering in amazement at the more experimental works, always being delighted at the vocal qualities and applauding the arrangement of the overall production. 

I wanted to point out some of the more outstanding pieces of this work.

Enter Laoris is a delightful, light and airy work that opens the CD and introduces all the elements of this production.  We are also introduced to the amazing vocals of Inna Brejestovskaya. 

A very dynamic composition is Two Fairies, focusing on the musical capabilities of the artists, with vocals as harmonic compliment to the melody.  This is a lovely piece, classical in appeal with some very folk features, and it dances in some places while drawing us into the dream of fairies. 

I love the combination of these instruments.  This group has a very unique and original sound here, and the musicians are together enough to accomplish this sound and concept.  It is so hard these days to find original music that is well executed.  A feather in this band’s cap.

The Court of the Faerie is another piece that will have you tapping your foot in time to the music if it doesn’t succeed in drawing you out of your chair to dance around the room.  It sings of fairy love and dancing fairies.  It has almost a waltz beat to it sometimes, again beckoning you to the dance.  Love the harpsichord and the drums.   Summer Night is another one that bubbles and bounces and calls you to dance.

The Forest is a darker piece, much more experimental and I found myself skipping this one when I replayed it.  Not everything is perfect, and while this is very progressive, it was not to my liking.

Probably the best track on the CD is Fairies Stole Bridget.  Sung in English, it tells the story of a young lady who wanders off with the Fairies.  Very catchy chorus you will find yourself singing “Fairies Stole Bridget – Will she ever wake” long after the song is over. 

The final track Maple brings us to the end of Summer and to Fall as the fairies disappear.  This is a lovely track, delicate and mournful.  Another brilliant composition, and a fitting end to this CD.

Any lover of Fairy style music is going to love this CD.  If you wander up to the Caprice website, you can hear some mp3s of their music.  It’s in Quicktime, but it should be easy enough to load. 

http://caprice-music.com/index-eng.php?newsid=1127648030

Give this import a little of your time.  It will take you on a trip to the fairy world that will delight and entertain.  A unique trip you will not want to miss.  mafoster

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Rendezvous ~ Lorna Lee

Lorna Lee presents us with her first album, a work filled with romantic interludes in a jazzy electronica genre.

Her voice is silky, expressive and the style has a French Café or nightclub feel to it.  The lyrics are mostly in French, with a few tracks being in English.  The songs are about romance, love songs of lost love, jealousy, and desire. 

The music is all about the vocals, backed with a steady beat and keyboard electronica backfill.   But without good compositions the voice would be lost.  Most of the tracks are written by Dorian Wright and a couple are co-authored with Andrew Patch.  The lyrics appear to be written mostly by Lorna Lee herself.  The production quality is excellent and again, due to Dorian Wright.  So we have quality production, well chosen musical compositions and it all leads to a perfect platform for Ms. Lee’s enticing vocals.

Outstanding tracks were hard to pick from all the excellent presentations.  If I have to choose, the opening track Es-Tu Sincere? is a winner, presenting us with an overview of the entire CD.   The melody is memorable, the beat moves you to move and Ms. Lee’s voice soars through the entire performance.  A very romantic piece.

At Last will crash your heart on the shore with this song of love gone bad.  I found myself singing with the chorus “It’s so hard to be sad when your boat has sunk at last”.  Great lyrics!  Memorable music.

Je Reve Que Je Reve or “I Dream What I Dream” is a jazzy upbeat track, lovely execution, and makes me wish I spoke French a bit better than I do so I can sing along with this number. Very memorable music, lovely execution.

Can’t Get Over You could be from a Film Noir; a smoky bar and our hero is eating out his heart over the lovely café singer who he feels sings only for him, yet all but ignores him.  A brilliant piece.

Another driven musical presentation, Get Up Get Started is presented with English and French lyrics.  Very interesting composition, mixing the sound of the vocals as well as the language. 

On some tracks the vocals are a mixture of sung and spoken word, adding yet another element to the music.  The music is constantly evolving throughout the CD, and we are presented with some very original and enjoyable variations.

If you enjoy jazz with a French Twist, and silky, sultry vocals, this is an excellent addition to your late night listening.  Sit back with a cup of coffee on your balcony or settle into your favorite late night bar with a glass of your favorite and this CD.  mafoster

TRACKS
Es-Tu Sincère? 
Tu Es Le Seul 
At Last 
La Lune Foncée 
Je Rêve Que Je Rêve 
Interlude
Jalousie 
Jamais Jamais
Can't Get Over You 
Désiré 
Eve

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Inland Sea ~ Rin’

Rin’ is a female Trio from Japan.  They use traditional Japanese instrumentation with electronica backfill in a unique jazzy or pop format that brings the East to meet the West.

The trio – Mana, Tomoca and Chie graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.  They incorporate the traditional sounds of koto, jushichigen( a 17 stringed koto), biwa (a Japanese lute) and other instruments with not only their own vocals, which are quite good, but also well known western artists to give this CD a very international flavor.  It is very polished and has a professional overall appearance.

There are definite overtones of traditional Japanese music, underlined by very western influences.  There are mixed vocals in English and Japanese, some lovely harmonies and a very jazzy or pop feel to many of the tracks.

The production work of Jimmy Harry gives this CD its wide range of appeal and professional presence.   There are a few “pop” pieces featuring Lisa Loeb and Leigh Nash from Sixpense None the Richer.  Harry wrote or co-wrote all the sonds on this CD as well as being the producer.  The big hit Anti Hero featuring Lisa Loeb is also co-penned by Anna Waronker and Greg Kurstin. 

New Day Rising is the opening track and it gives us a real feel for the group, its sound and feel.  Very jazzy, Japanese influences and lovely vocals with Leigh Nash and harmonies.  This track is a perfect track to open the CD. 

What the Rain Said is another jazzy composition with Japanese highlights.  The instrumental talents of the Trio are emphasized and they are allowed to present the fullness of their sound and their style of music.  Love the vocals on this track, very Japanese.

I Never Knew What Love Meant is a more “pop” love song in feel with a nice upbeat feeling, again the elements of Japan in the background, the vocals of Leigh Nash and a very catchy chorus.

Moss Garden is a very traditional Japanese sounding piece, a little “Zen” mixed in with the jazz and pop.  A nice performance and it again highlights the musical talents of the Rin’ trio.

The big hit here is the track Anti Hero, featuring Lisa Loeb.  The story is about young lady in Japan in a “hero movie” like situation.  Very upbeat, great composition, love the lyrics and Lisa Loeb makes this a winner. 

Inland Sea is almost ambient electronica, with a very pronounced beat and Japanese flavor.  Sea of Tranquility, a short piece, has a very pronounced ambient feel to it, even with Leigh Nash’s vocals.  

Superflat (Part II) is very Japanese pop electronica.  Bouncy, with harmonizing vocals without words.  This is followed by the closing work Past Imperfect, a very traditional sounding Japanese work, with lovely vocals.  Another fancy East meets West composition, very sultry and jazzy. A nice ending to the collection.

If you like Japanese influences on your music, this is a lovely addition to your collection, or a fine introduction to the genre.  Don’t miss the Lisa Loeb piece, it is well worth getting the CD for.  mafoster

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Cinematic Life ~ Eliott James

Electronic rock is Mr. James forte, and this CD presents some of the best electronic I’ve heard since Alan Parsons Project.  This is an all instrumental composition, with a total playing time of about an hour.

The fusion is rock, jazz and most definitely all electronic.  This is smooth beat, and in some instances very dramatic, invoking a feeling of Cinematic grandness, hence the title. 

The compositions are for electronic keyboard and guitar.  There is some flashy guitar, some soft rock base, percussion that causes your feet to tap in time and a gentle jazzy sway to the feel of the music.

The titles sometimes evoke a feeling to the music, but the music speaks for itself.  The lead off say it is very jazzy with a great backbeat.  The CD progresses forward from there, never stopping to look back till the end.

second chance presents electronic guitar with electronic backfill and complimentary keyboard to give us a good composition and again, creating the grand feeling of cinema.  Could be a theme song for a movie.

I like the electronic bits this music has to offer.  Some distorted guitar in the track in the deep gives a touch of surrealism to the composition.  The scale running up and down gives a feeling of movement to the music and I came away with a feeling of a Dali ocean painting in motion, very graceful, in a distinct sort of way.

Powerful guitar starts midnight desert run giving a very rock feel to the piece, but it holds on to the electronic feeling and presents us again with another soundscape that beckons you to move in time to the music.  Reminiscent of something moving quickly through the night, the guitar lays out the landscape while the beat paves the road beneath the feet.  Nicely suggestive soundscape, and well thought out and put together.

This is electronic ambient for the most part.  A bit more energetic than most ambient, but a refreshing change from the norm, and Mr. James proves you can put some more energy in to ambient and still keep within the confines of the genre.

deep forest rain begins as traditional space music, working with a single electronic layer, adding additional layers of sound in the form of rain and birds, more electronic and finally an acoustic guitar that forces your focus on the delightful melody.  This has a medieval or classic folk feel to it, but the electronic backfill present it as a more modern piece.  The piece, while it could have been busy, is restrained and the backfill does not overpower the guitar work.  Again, nicely enhanced and skillfully constructed.

A short keyboard piece, starry night is a brief look at a topic suggested by the title and achieved in its brief run through an emotional response evoked by the soft, sultry music.  It does place you in a position of looking at a starry night.

The beat picks up and reverts back to rock with (day on the) fast track.  This is “behind the wheel driving music”, pumping a lot of energy through a suggestive title, some keyboard electronica and some bouncing beat and melody.  Yes, there is a melody here, and it tickles at your mind as you feel the beat on this one.  This one is worth turning up to appreciate.

We come back to acoustic guitar in dolly.  There is a suggestion of a grand entrance by grand dame, very cinematic.  This one is a little repetitive however and could have been a bit shorter and possibly combined with the next piece dolly (part 2) and worked up into a total composition.  This set disappointed a bit.

Oh, the deep base and jazz beat on this track is so streets at 2am that I was looking for a bar around the corner.  I love the electronic keyboard on this and felt this could end up as a backdrop to any Film Noir you may want to put this into.  This piece ends on a piano note, like the sun coming up, and is very delightful.

say it reprises at the end of this CD, and we come back to where we began.  We are brought back to the beginning of our trip, and we settle in to reflect on the ride. 

Overall a nice presentation, and while a few bits disappointed, the overall picture is exciting and very energetic.  A nice work by Eliott James and hopefully he will explore this genre further with another CD. mafoster

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Rivers of Stone ~ Jade Redd

This is a well produced CD.  The compositions by James Briggs are above board, picking a plateau from which Madalena projects her unique style.  There are melodies that will haunt your dreams, and lyrics that will stick with you long after the music is over.  And it will be her voice you will hear.   The vocal style of Madalena has been compared to many modern female singers, but none really describes the deep, rich tones or the lush expressiveness of her voice.   She has a great range and the music makes the most of her versatility.  She works her own harmonies, again utilizing her flexible range of voice.  This makes her stand out in the crowd.

The compositions are mostly guitars and piano, but there are flutes and pan pipes, with some great electronic fill that gives the music a fullness that suggests an orchestra.  Very well produced by Jay Ferguson.

So we put these elements together and we have a CD that should be part of any good rock collection.   Good enough to be nominated for a Grammy.  And while Madalena may be compared to Evanescence or a "darker" Madonna, she maintains a style of her own, making her unique and desirable in my opinion.  She also has some back up from James Briggs on a couple of tracks, which only enhances the vocals. 

The individual songs are strong.  There are twelve tracks on this CD, with most of the tracks running 3 to 4+ minutes and a couple over 5 minutes.  Total play time is about 51 minutes.

Most of the tracks on this CD are winners, which again is unusual for new music these days.   The mood is sultry and hanging on the edge of silky darkness.  We have songs about loneness or broken relationships.  We have eternal love songs or songs of eternal longing.  The one track One More Dance seems more pop in feel.   Fortunately the mood is not broken by this one track, and we immediately fall back into the sleek shadows left by many of the other tracks.

Outstanding tracks include the opening track Into the Night, a very dynamic composition; a dark take on the loss of innocence.  The Siren has a very catchy chorus, and is about one heart lusting for another. 

The title track Rivers of Stone features Madalena harmonizing with herself, having an almost Madonna feel to it but much more “Goth” than any Madonna material.  Well orchestrated, driving beat with guitars, a beautifully haunting tune and again is about passion, lust and personal sacrifice for love.

Almost sacred in flavor is Mary Was Gone.  It speaks of an experience that is spiritual in flavor, and the chorus evokes a religious event.  Very mysterious, it is provoking and curious but beautifully executed with some powerful orchestration and lovely vocals.

Most of the CD explores passion, love, lust and variations on this theme from earthy to sacred.  From women trapped in relationships, deep relationships that cause soul to meld with soul, love lost and relationships that have grown cold, each song touches a darker side of deep rooted passions. 

Hidden from the Rain is small on words, but hidden within the simple lyrics is a commentary on the emptiness of some lives. 

A Breath Away wraps up the CD with a song about a broken relationship and a heart yearning for resolution.  Lovely lyrics presented in a more subtle mood, the CD does not end on a dark note. 

If you have not experienced Madalena or the works of James Briggs, this is an excellent production to introduce you to Jade Redd.  mafoster

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Sines and Singularities by bluetech

Evan Bluetech’s work is described as “electronic dub”, and has been featured on WaveForm recordings as well as having CDs previous to this one. 

This is dance music, this is electronica at its finest.  The tracks find a beat, and then layers soundscapes and electronic designs.   The tracks flow one into the other but retain a freshness and originality from track to track. 

This side trip off of the ambient highway presents us with some expertly designed and executed works that are totally electronic dub.  The music can be “spacey” with a very definite jazz influence as in Enter the Lovely, the opening track.   

There are the electronic bubbles of sound, as in Condensation, that tell you this is electronic music, but it is skillfully integrated into the compositions, allowing you to hear the elements, but accept them as part of the
“music”.  Sometimes it can be slightly brooding as in Forgiveness, but it still maintains a very upbeat rhythm and feel. 

There are remix’s included in the eleven tracks.  Yaniv Shulmans First Came the Stars and Paddy Free and Michael Hodgson of Pitch Black - Ape to Angel.  These are wonderful interpretations of the originals, with a very Bluetech spin.  I liked the reggae beat addition in Ape to Angel. 

Outstanding tracks also include Dreamtime Lullaby, with lots of beat and a very driving bass.  Minimalist in its approach, it is very subtle yet intense.  Shimmer is a very different yet provocative composition, with a lovely light melody hidden in the folds of the rhythms and beats.   

Wilderness presents us with a very natural soundscape, complete with electronic “frogs” which delights the ear as we are drawn into a construct that Bluetech carries through very skillfully.    

The closing track A Garland of Stars is very spacey.  True space music has no fixed beat so this piece fits into the electronic “dub” but crosses over into the ambient genre with the addition of Rena Jones on cello.  This is a very elegant presentation, combining elements of different genre and showing how they can blend very effectively. 

I am impressed with this offering from Bluetech.  This is music for contemplation as well as enjoying the expert hand that designed it.  This is enjoyable to the ear, and exciting to the mind.  We explore the different elements Bluetech presents us and find how they blend and work together to furnish us with soundscapes to fill our personal spaces.  A very masterful work and one which shows Evan Bluetech to be an expert in the field. mafoster

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Smooth Chill by Various Waveform Artists

WaveForm has been giving us the best of the best of the electronica genre for many years.  Most of their CD’s are compilations of some great artists and their best contribution to the electronica style of music.  From deep space sounds to artistic renderings of sounds and feelings, to the deep beats of trance music, WaveForm has given us much to listen to and consider from musicians around the world. 

Smooth Chill – The Radio Singles is a compilation of “the best of the best” of their offerings.  The mixes on this CD are the recordings that have received the best audience responses when aired on the radio.  These are the “smoother” pieces from the collections, offering some very subtle yet high impact music for the listener to get into and appreciate. 

If you are a WaveForm fan, you will recognize most of the tracks on this CD.  If not, then this CD will introduce you to some artists you should definitely check into as well as introduce you to the WaveForm catalogue. 

The CD has eleven tracks.  Artists represented here are Sounds from the Ground, Coldcut, Potlach, P.R.O.M., Space Safari, Deep-Dive Corp and Trance Groove to mention a few. 

The opening track by Sounds from the Ground – The Cut – sets the mood and the smooth for the rest of the CD.  This is a jazzy piece, mellow and sublime, but very electronic.  You hear bits of trumpet, voices as in a night club, and some spacey backfill giving this a very off-worldly feel. 

One of my personal favorites is Autumn Leaves by Cold Cut.  A very pensive work, very electronica, but very delicate in its approach.  The repeated lyrics, “But I miss you most of all, my darling, when autumn leaves start to fall” makes this a touching love story where you fill in the story.   

Sleep at the Swamp by Potlach is another work that is suggested by the repeated lyrics but it grabs you with its moody electronica composition.  Hypnotized by P.R.O.M. has the beat that suggests chill music and the electronica soundscape that will shoot you out into the universe.  Another jazzy piece that you will find yourself playing again and again. 

Imagination from Deep-Dive-Corp is another upbeat work that will have you chair dancing in front of your computer.  Another one of my personal favorites.   

An additional and very excellent jazzy piece with an addition of the story “Not Just Yet” told within the work is Paris by Trance Groove.  A lovely combination of story and electronica accompaniment.  And again, another one of my favorites. 

Soma Sonic presents us with Crazy Moon, a very spacey electronic piece with vocals and a beat.  Smooth and very intriguing, a composition that floats but demands your attention.   

Also floating but very cutting edge is RAS Command’s Slippin’, very jazzy, suggestive beat and very artistic in its presentation.   

If you are familiar with the WaveForm catalogue, you are going to love this collection of their best works.  If you have never heard WaveForm before, this is the perfect introduction to their catalogue and would make a perfect gift for that someone who you would love to introduce to this form of music. mafoster

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Trance Yoga by Various New Earth Records Artists

This CD collection by New Earth puts together some of the best contemporary Indian/Middle Eastern/tribal style artists material for use in working Yoga.  We are presented with the artists Tulku, Rasa, Tya, Kamal, Cybertribe, Bhakta, Ganga Girl, James Asher and Sivamani. 

These pieces mostly have a subtle beat to them, and though I don’t think they all reach true “trance” level of
BPM’s, they do provide some contemplative background music for the Yoga practitioner, or for anyone who is into meditative contemporary Indian/Middle Eastern style of music. 

The pace is not slow, as with traditionally presented Yoga background recordings, but is picked up a bit, and allows the practitioner the opportunity to move a bit more freely.  There are a couple of intense tracks, but not till later in the CD.  Some may find them too intense for Yoga, others will find it a welcome change. 

The pieces are performed by mostly well known artists.  The pieces have vocals for the most part, much of which is in native tongues, but there is a booklet included which does translate some of the lyrics, allowing the yoga practitioner to meditate on the work, such as with Rasa’s Om Namoh Bhagavate.  This is a lovely, deliberate piece which is perfect for yoga.  I was also very impressed with Tulku’s Shanti Puja, which is catchy with its contemplative lyrics in English.   

Tya presents us with a very “Deep Forest” feeling piece entitled Baiame, very upbeat and very tribal.   A very lovely and airy composition with Middle Eastern style of vocals is Sassi by Kamal.   

Reaching Motherland by Cybertribe is a much different approach, as it is more an electronic piece, a musical composition rather than the tribal or stylized Indian/Middle Eastern/tribal piece and I found this to be very different from the previously offered compositions.  However, this is style is somewhat continued in Vajra Guru by Bhakta, as it is more composed music, but this time incorporating native vocals with some lovely harmonies.   

Very “down under” in feeling is Nungabunda by Ganga Girl, with driving drum rhythms and didgeridoo layered in some electronica.  This is one of the few pieces on the CD that I feel reaches the “trance” level suggested by the title of the CD.  This style is continued in Red Rhythm Dragon by James Asher, with more tribal styled drumming and the didgeridoo.   

The closing track also by James Asher called Amma includes drumming by Sivamani.  This is a change in feeling from the previous tracks, as it has more of a driving rhythm and some vocals but does not suggest any kind of Indian or Middle Easter flavor.  It could be considered “tribal” but is not “native” as the previous two tracks.   

This is an interesting compilation of music and artists by New Earth Records.  I am not sure I would go along with the “Trance Yoga” title which the CD suggests as the theme, but I found it to be a very interesting collection of World Beat music.  It is a nice collection of World Beat artists and would make an interesting addition to your World library, or a nice introduction to some of the better World Beat artists.  mafoster

Please click on the CD title to see more information

Across the Universe ~ Eric Hansen

In the World Beat area, we are presented with traditional flamenco guitarist Eric Hansen doing not so traditional interpretations of classic Beatles tunes. 

At first it may not appear that Flamenco can blend with the Beatles, but Mr. Hansen picks some of the best guitar pieces the Beatles had to offer and expertly weaves acoustic guitar in the flamenco style with some of their best loved melodies. 

This is traditional Flamenco style guitar playing.  Mr. Hansen is well versed in this style, having worked with this classic Spanish style of guitar since the early 90s.  He executes this flawlessly, yet brings in his own styling, adding elements of classic rock or a touch a jazz and allowing the styles to blend and speak together.  The intricate fingering of notes does not detract in any way from the music, but rather enhances the works, giving the listener something new to listen to rather than a tired performance of the same works again.  This gives many of the songs a new life and provides new interest for the listener. 

And excellent choice for the opening track that gives the listener the very best combination of both styles is Michelle.  This piece was made for acoustic guitar and Mr. Hansen expertly weaves the flamenco style into this piece.  

Mr. Hansen successfully interprets such pieces as Strawberry Fields Forever and Fool on the Hill, which lent them to the very intricate style of flamenco very nicely.  She’s Leaving Home came across surprisingly well, and is an outstanding interpretation on this collection. 

Across the Universe was also a real pleaser, as well as Here, There and Everywhere, which is another outstanding track of Mr. Hansen’s work. 

I enjoyed this very different look at the Beatles, through the eyes of a Flamenco guitarist.  I was skeptical at first, but Mr. Hansen shows how easily the forms can be blended.  There is a touch of ambience to the work, and it allows the two forms to peacefully co-exist and gives us a very likable and enjoyable performance.  I feel the style gave new interest to the works. 

If you are a fan of the Beatles, you will love this new look at their music.  And those who like contemporary Flamenco guitar will find this very different, but also very agreeable. mafoster