The Whole Music Experience

Dino Saluzzi, Anja Lechner, Felix Saluzzi Navidad de los Andes ECM Records I’ve heard two other of Argentine bandoneon player-composer Dino Saluzzi’s recordings and each time I felt captivated by the soulfulness of his compositions.   On Navidad de los Andes ( Christmas of the Andes ), cellist Anja Lechner and his brother reed player Felix Saluzzi come on board.   All these musicians have already collaborated with each other on previous recordings, but this is their debut as a trio on ECM.  And yes this is exciting news. I put my headphones on to listen deeply to this musical landscape and I felt rewarded with the subtle nuances of a bow gliding across strings, the click of the bandoneon keys, and breath flowing through reed instruments.   But the best way to describe the music here can be found in the liner notes where Leopoldo Castilla shares his reflections on the Saluzzi’s compositions.   “In this beautiful musical work the sound is born...

Ravi Shankar Nine Decades, Vol. II Reminiscence of North Vista East Meets West Music   Nine Decades, Vol. III Orchestral Experimentations East Meets West Music Imagine it is 1969 and you’re sitting in Hollywood parlor witnessing two ragas performed in the intimate space of Ravi Shankar’s home.   Not only that, Shankar and tabla player, Alla Rakha just returned from playing Woodstock.   While we can’t travel back in time, you can listen to Raga Kaunsi Kanada North Vista (28:14) and Raga Bihag North Vista (39:22) in your home now that the ragas were re-mastered and on Reminiscence of North Vista released as part of Shankar’s Nine Decades series.   Shankar’s and Rakha’s performance feels alive and even spontaneous coming off this disk.  This vibrant presence in my room is hard to explain. Raga Kaunsi Kanada begins with a meditative alap that last for most of the duration of the track.   An alap allow musici...

Even when we think we are listening to silence, we still hear ambient sounds of our urban and rural environments.  Scientist Gordon Hampton, with his research project One Square Inch has traveled the world in search of pockets of pure silence.  He found one such spot in the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington State. I found the article on scientist Gordon Hampton's research about sound in the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington Magazine , (Summer 2010) or issue #5. While I don't have the online link to this article, you can learn more about this research at www.onesquareinch.org

Sibiri Samakè Bamana Hunter Music Dambe Foli System Krush Every traditional culture has its healing plants, magic, and sacred music.   The Donso (hunter) of Mali is no exception.    Finding roots in the ancient Mande Kingdom of West Africa, the Donso once were in service to the Great Mande King Sunjata Keita, who you hear about a lot in the traditional music and history of Mali. The Donso served as soldiers for the king, along with providing spiritual healing and nourishment to their communities. True the traditional songs, sung in their original language, that appear on Dambe Foli possess a trance and ritualistic aura. While the liner notes supply me with information about each of the song-sets, I can barely read the font in which the information appears.   From what I can glean the album contains praise songs (not uncommon with traditional Malian music), protection spells, and ceremonial songs.   The Donso n’goni (not to be conf...

Heather Masse Bird Song (2009) Red House Records The Wailin’ Jennys Bright Morning Stars Red House Records The music industry is rife with irony.   For instance Heather Masse, a musician with a solo career and a member of two bands, marks the third alto vocalists for the Canadian band The Wailin’ Jennys.   The first two altos left the band to pursue solo careers, but neither of them became a "Prairie Home Companion" darling in the manner that Masse had.   However, each alto brought her own signature to the band such as the old English ballads influence of Cara Luft and the mandolin-tinged bluegrass of Annabelle Chvotsek and each vocalist helped to transform WJ. Heather Masse, the only American vocalist in the band, brought her music conservatory experience, mainly as a jazz vocalist and her love of old timey blues and jazz.   While you can certainly hear these influences in the form of bluegrass swing ( Cherry Blossom Love ...