The Whole Music Experience

Marshall Gilkes Sound Stories Alternative Side Records When trombonist Marshall Gilkes’ Sound Stories arrived at my post office box, I had no plans for reviewing the recording in the near future.   I was taking a short sabbatical from reviewing so I could concentrate on other projects.   However, out of curiosity, I slipped Sound Stories into my CD player and the music grabbed me.   The blend of lyrical and be bop jazz played tightly by this quintet begged for a review.   With Gilkes leading, Donny McCaslin (tenor sax), Adam Birnbaum (piano), Yasushi Nakamura (bass) and Eric Doob (drums) through both composed-through and improvisations, this album showcases a great deal of jazz talent.   Who doesn’t enjoy the alchemical process of music? A little bass, drums, toss in piano, and an extensive conversation between tenor saxophone and trombone, and you have a recipe for a jazzy escape. The ironically titled, Anxiety--Part 1 and Part 2 did not ...

Music Meditation If you choose to have your day go smoothly, then start your day with music, not the morning news (unless you wish to pray all day for what you hear in the news).  Now, that you have kept a music journal and you have an idea of how music affects your moods, it's time to set aside 20 to 30 minutes each morning for deep music listening.  You can listen to music through headphones if you don't want to wake others up, but keep the volume low so you don't suffer from hearing loss--ringing in the ears is not fun. Follow these steps: 1). Tune into your emotions and choose the appropriate music for releasing unwanted emotions or enhancing desired feelings. 2). You can choose different songs from different recordings or play consequitive tracks off of a single CD.  You can even listen to music you store on your computer or other devices. 3). Sit or lay down quietly with this music, removing all distractions. 4). Similar to sitting or walking medita...

Sagapool Coop Faux Monnayeurs Independent Release/Canada Similar to the French music collective Lo’Jo, Quebec’s Sagapool collectively represents a multicultural stew on its self-titled album.   However, as mentioned in the press notes, Sagapool performs meditative music.   Not to confuse meditative with new age, this sextet lead by clarinetist Guillaume Bourque musically ponders the Great White North, and oddly sounds like Finish or Norwegian folk music.   Sure, the musicians toss the words Klezmer and Balkan around in the band’s description, and we do hear an Eastern European gypsy tinge, especially on an upbeat song Marcel , which sounds like the circus rolled into town. However, I can draw comparisons between this Quebecois band and European musical acts, but by the end of the day, the best descriptor is original.   Now, I’ve never traveled to Quebec so I am left with a mystical description of the place--some far off land, bordering the US and ...