The Whole Music Experience

Wahid Road Poem Independent  Wahid (Dimitris Mahlis, oud and Chris Wabich, percussion), features a semi-contemporary approach to Middle Eastern oud and Turkish maqam (classical scales and melodies) on the live recording Road Poem .   When I first read about the musicians’ rock and jazz backgrounds, I wasn’t sure what sound to expect.   Too modern of a sound and I would have felt turned off, but when this type of music is played with reverence combined with a pioneering spirit, the result is often mesmerizing.   The playing sounds mature as the musicians wed “Byzantine modes and Turkish maqams” (press notes), on seven original songs.   The album release date is September 25, followed by a tour TBA at www.rockpaperscissors.biz   (Note: This is an unsolicited CD and my policy is that I only review solicited CDs, due to time constraints.  I thought Road Poem was worth a mention so it has a short review).

Charlie McMahon & Gondwana Didj Heart Arc Music Since Charlie McMahon, mostly known as a didgeridoo player from Australia, granted me a short interview for my upcoming book Whole Music , I’m reviewing his calm recording, Didj Heart .   What I didn’t know about McMahon when Arc Music first referred me to him was that he also works as a music therapist, especially playing didj music for people suffering from autism.   In fact, Didj Heart culminates McMahon’s role as a support worker for ASPECT, a non-government agency that specializes in helping people with autism.   McMahon and keyboardist, Pasko Schravemade, also a NGO support worker, discovered how music helps autistic people with communication. While I wouldn’t lump Didj Heart into new age music, it shares qualities in common.   Besides offering music therapy for people with autism, I recommend massage therapists picking up this CD for their clients.   The music itself sounds unus...

As I continue this new tradition of including 5 YouTube videos that portray music consciousness, I hope that you will watch the videos for inspiration. 1. Evelyn Glennie, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3V6zNER4g The deaf drummer gives a discussion about our entire bodies resonating sounds.  She shows us how to truly listen to music.  I wonder if Beethoven also had this philosophy. 2. Jose Antonio Abreu, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uintr2QX-TU This Venezeulan humanitarian helped to solve juvanile deliquency in his country through founding a youth orchestra.  The project was so successful that some of the orchestra's former members now enjoy international music careers, including Gustavo Dudemal, who now acts as a conductor and music director for the Los Angeles Symphony. 3. Gustavo Dudemal, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_El7qwib0dc&feature=fvwrel Well, watch the video to experience the excitement of this Latin American audience witnessing a top yo...

Javier Perianes (Piano) Beethoven Moto perpetuo (perpetual motion) Harmonia Mundi When I desire to hear the softer side of Beethoven, I listen to his piano sonatas.   Think Moonlight Sonata which these days, ends up on new age and relaxation CDs.   Spanish pianist Javier Perianes performs four of Beethoven’s sonatas and the musician focuses on the perpetual motion implied in these compositions.   Yet, the opener Sonata no. 12 (Marcia Funebre), first movement, pauses and reflects or at least it sounds that way coming through my laptop speakers.   The liner notes cite that the compositions all end with moto perpetuo (a rapid succession of notes).   If you want to hear an example, listen to the fourth movement, Allegro of Sonata no. 12 . However, my concern revolves around the relaxing qualities of the sonatas, and even with the rapid succession of notes that end each composition, calmness envelopes, even with the most rapid passages. ...

Isabelle Faust J.S. Bach Sonatas & Partitas Harmonia Mundi Isabelle Faust’s new recording of J.S. Bach’s Partitas & Sonatas reveals a different side of Bach’s repertoire for a solo instrument.   Not the first time I have heard these sonatas and partitas performed on a violin, this time I hear the lush polyphony sung by this single instrument.   As one passage lingers in the air resonating, a new one superimposes over it creating a rich sonic environment.   At times, it feels like Faust’s instrument has split into two musical personalities conversing with each other.   Listening to this recording on headphones offers a musical retreat that alternates between relaxing the mind and invigorating the body. Faust is easily one of the best violinists working today interpreting German and Austrian composers.   The violinist’s sensitivity melded with her technical brilliance wrings emotions out of every note she plays.   From slow melancholic...

Gato Libre Forever Libra Records The Japanese jazz quartet Gato Libre weds clear trumpet tones with global arty sounds on Forever.   On the opener, Moor , Natsuki Tamura’s horn recalls Fellini’s La Strada (the circus horn scenes), while Satoko Fujii’s accordion travels from distorted art jazz to lyrical Italian.   Kazuhiko Tsumura’s guitar and the late Norikatsu Koreyasu’s bass waver on the fringes, tentatively, sliding in words between the trumpet and accordion’s conversation.   The descriptor of global jazz certainly hits the mark, showing off the talents of these well-traveled players.   However, this is not a CD I would pull out when I feel tense.   The music here works best when the listener is already in a relaxed state of mind. Court opens with shy accordion chords playing hide and seek.   Then the guitar and trumpet sneak in creating a situation of tense anticipation.   The musicians tease us with minimalistic playing in...

Whether you're trying to heal a nation, a child, or an animal, or yourself, music offers many avenues of healing.  Visit YouTube, type in your healing music topic and watch what appears on your screen.  I will get you started with 5 videos that range from healing communities and the planet to healing dogs with behavioral problems and children with disabilities.  I hope these videos inspire you like they inspire me.  We have the power, it's available to all of us, and it's called music consciousness. 1. Christina Stevens, short documentary drum circle in Iraq http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyOhJREauDw 2. Joshua Leeds, Through a Dog’s Ear Project http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTILg0V-r8Q&playnext=1&list=PLCD4DF3DE5E1FF127&feature=results_main AND http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zytCL33Mf2Q&feature=related 3. Music Therapy for Children with Special Needs, BBC http://www.you...

Hossam Ramzy Rhythms of the Nile Introduction to Egyptian Dane Rhythms Arc Music Hossam Ramzy Presents Egyptian Sufi Sheikh Mohamed Al Helbawy Arc Music Hossam Ramzy’s Rhythms of the Nile goes back to 1997, but this double-CD set provides a primer for drummers wishing to check out Egyptian drums and rhythms.   The recording features two workshops that Ramzy taught for an Egyptian Dance school in London, England.   Ramzy gives clear demonstration of various rhythms, their context, and explains the different beats.   The list of rhythms include, Masmoudi, a broad rhythm used in Egypt, Fallahi used by Egyptian farmers, Zaar, which is used to drive evil spirits away complete with a ceremony, and the classical rhythm Samaai for starters. The CD might seem out of context for a non-drummer or for someone just wanting to hear Egyptian drums.   However, I would recommend Rhythms of the Nile for anyone researching Egyptian...

Music of the Nile Field Recordings by David Fanshawe Arc Music We need to travel back to 2003 for Music of the Nile when Arc Music released the field recordings of David Fanshawe (ethnomusicologist and composer) and even further for the actual field recordings which were produced from 1969 to 1975.   Then in the 1990s, Fanshawe composed the African Diaspora-European fusion chorale African Sanctus (which you can watch on YouTube).   The composer borrowed heavily from the field recordings produced along the Nile River as it snaked its way through Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya.   And yes, Music of the Nile offers both a geography lesson and exploration of music traditions that went the way of the dinosaur. With nearly 80 minutes of diverse tracks ranging from wedding feasts music to lullabies, to fishing songs, as well as, affectionate songs praising camels in Sudan and cows in Kenya, it’s best to listen to this recording in two or more sittings. ...

Blackfoot Confederacy Elders’ Vision Canyon Records Indigenous music falls under “purposeful music” so listening to the CD out of context (in my home), doesn't work for me.   For instance, I enjoy attending pow-wows, watching the dancers in their regalia dancing to the beat of pow-wow drums and passionate vocals, but listening to the music without the dancing and visuals doesn't work for me.   In addition, I'm a high-strung person who needs to relax so I prefer the Native American flute and softer recordings that closely fit my lifestyle.  (Note, I don't listen to rock music for the same reason). Having said all of that, I do support pow-wows.   I encourage the pride that Native Americans have for their traditions, culture, languages, and communities.   I admit as a non-Native I don’t get the nuances of tribal drumming and singing.  I wish that I did.   However, I feel moved by the beautiful sentiments to Native Ame...

Dream Time The Didgeridoo of the Australian Aborigines Arc Music (2010) Want to get your root and sacral chakras open?   Listen to didgeridoo, a percussive-wind instrument made from eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites.   More than likely, if you listen to global indigenous, new age, or world music, you have come across didgeridoos.   The players mastered circular breathing as they blow into the tubular instrument, often decorated with Australian Aborigines symbols (Dream Time).   Face it, this is an instrument with indigenous mysticism attached to it, but it is an almost rare occasion that you hear Aborigines music played on the didgeridoo in context and by performed by Aborigines musicians.   Dream Time opens a window to music of the Australian bush.   And listeners also get exposed to traditional vocals, percussion, and dance rhythms. So what does this music sound like?   The stickman-vocalist pounds out quick rhythms on ...

Ahmed Mukhtar & Sattar Al-Saadi Music from Iraq (Rhythms of Baghdad) Arc Music (2010) I have listened and watched oud players (an Arabic lute) from Lebanon, Turkey, and other countries, but Rhythms of Baghdad marks the first oud album by Iraqi musicians.   Here we have a duo of Ahmed Mukhtar (oud) and Sattar Al-Saadi on percussion (riqq, tar, dombak and other drums) performing sensuous modes and rhythms.   The robust opener, Souq Baghdadi features “a very old Iraqi rhythm called Gorgena,” but even listeners unfamiliar with the scales, and other architecture of traditional Iraqi music, will find this piece uplifting and full of light. The second piece Mantasf-al-lil carries a darker message.   “It describes a scene of Iraqi refugees on the ocean in the middle of the night looking for land to seek refuge in.”   The slow tempo and melancholic melody played on the lower end of the spectrum wed to tense percussion, convey the sadness and longin...

Daniil Trifonov, Valery Gergiev Mariinsky Orchestra Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Mariinsky label Distributor--Harmonia Mundi While I returned to college in 2007, I relied on classical music for memory retention and for stress-reduction.   I recall listening to the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto, No. 1, along with pieces by Mozart.   The famous concerto seemed as familiar to my ears as melodies from the composer’s Nutcracker Suite .   Now, I’m listening to a new recording by a young Russian virtuoso Daniil Trifonov, who also performs songs by Schubert, Schumann, and Chopin’s Barcarolle .   Certainly, I feel impressed with Trifonov’s wide emotional palette and great dexterity as he interprets Romantic era music representing several countries.   Joining with the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev (no stranger to me), the program’s focus on the recording, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 , lands on the piano...

Orchestra Popolare Campana Directed by Emilio Di Donato CM (Caserta Musica) Records According to the liner notes for Orchestra Popolare Campana, “Few places are more musical than Campania” of southern Italy (Amalfi Coast, Naples, Capri).   I’ll have to take writer Augusto Ferraiuolo’s word because I know little about regional music of Italy.   Certainly, I have heard traditional tarantata (tarantula) songs, in which a rousing one, Tarantella Tosta opens this album.   However, my experience with Italian orchestra music is relegated to movie soundtracks, such as the circus-like Fellini soundtracks composed by the late Nino Rota.   And of course, I have listened to Italian renaissance and baroque music.   Orchestra Popolare Campana threads sacred Christian chants with a carnival lament and primal tarantata into wondrous musical tapestry--the past and the present intermingling. Lead by the early music reed pipe, Ciaramella (which you’ll also...

Narasirato Pan Pipers Solomon Islands Cry of the Ancestors Arc Music If you follow traditional/folkloric music of the world, you have most likely come across panpipe players from the Andes and from Eastern European countries such as Hungary.   I have heard those pipes, but pan pipers from the Solomon Islands have only recently caught my attention on the CD Cry of the Ancestors .   Narasirato represent the Are’are people of Malaita Island and these musicians who sing, play panpipes, and traditional percussion perform music that oddly sounds like a deep forest circus rolling into town or resembles the panpipes of Andes musicians. When vocals appear, (such as on the track Prophetic Word ), they are delivered in raspy voices that soar to the heights of Native American pow-wow vocals.   Call & response voices compete with the jagged panpipes and drums that sound like a heartbeat slapping against one’s chest. Side Step with the Toes (an odd tit...

Best of Greece (The Athenians, Michalis Terzis, Kriteos... Arc Music Listening to Greek music reminds me of eating in Greek restaurants, Zorba the Greek and the movie My Big Greek Wedding .   I know as a music reviewer who has covered the Mediterranean I should know more about Greek music than bouzoukis and brief encounters with Greek blues known as rembetika.   I actually taste spanikopita while I listen to Best of Greece.   The acoustic instruments bouzouki, baglama (a Mediterranean lute), drums, and vocals set an exotic backdrop for winding up a summer’s day.   The music of several bands, The Athenians, Michalis Terzis, Kriteos, and Talking to Charos uplift and we visualize dancers working themselves into frenzies. This 2-CD set creates a dining or dancing atmosphere.   L isten to it alone or preferably in good company of friends and family.   Ugandan musician Samite once told concert attendees that in Uganda it’s not music unless ...

photo: Patricia Herlevi Whether or not the experts have interpreted the Mayan Prophesies correctly, or that we truly understand quantum physics, many of us feel that we live in multiple dimensions.  In this belief system, we believe that lower vibrations or frequencies are the equivalent of hell on earth and the higher frequencies, heaven. Lower frequencies include anger, fear, mistrust, outrage, sadness, grief, and frustration, to name a few emotions.  I'm certainly not saying that we should not allow ourselves to feel darker emotions, only to acknowledge those heavy densities and find a modality to clear them from our mind-body-souls.  If watching the news causes you to feel helpless and hopeless, then stop watching or reading the news.  Chances are the media, corporations, and even governments choose to pass along this helplessness and hopelessness like a contagious virus.  And low frequencies are contagious, along with heavy and disruptive. Some...

Silvia Nakkach and Valerie Carpenter Free Your Voice Awaken to Life Through Singing Sounds True Cross-cultural sound healer and vocalist Silvia Nakkach provides a handbook for healing yourself and others through voice with Free Your Voice .   Only the first 64 pages of the book give an overview of the physiology of voice, a description of vocal techniques from around the globe, as well as a list of benefits that come from working with your voice. The second half of the book acts as a virtual workshop with exercises with online music samples.   The exercises range from simple mind-body meditations to singing raga scales.   (Note: I wasn’t able to do the exercises because I did not have access to the online music). However, I’m impressed with the breadth and scope of Nakkach’s vocal wisdom, her musical expertise, and her engaging writing style.   Personally, I would enjoy going deeper with this book and the exercises in it.   The powe...

Picoso (Mad Latin Flavor) Mas Picao Independent release (Seattle) Any band that gets a park full of picnickers and music fans dancing during the opening of their first song deserves a shout out.   Seattle-based Afro-Latin band Picoso, which translates to “mad Latin flavor”, brought their punchy horns, Afro-poly rhythms, and rousing vocals to Boulevard Park in Bellingham, Washington, and the dancers went mad with their own Latin flavor.   Described as “urban” and “very street,” ( Seattle Sound Magazine ) Picoso mixes salsa, son, reggaeton and other Caribbean genres on their CD Mas Picao .   This recording features Samantha Boshnack on trumpet, but live, a woman trombone player joined her, filling out the band’s horn section.   I only mention this because I’ve never seen women horn players in an Afro-Cuban band prior to this event.   Puerto Rican bandleader/percussionist/vocalist Alfonso Gonzalez sings with gusto so I could see why...

Christine Stevens Music Medicine The Science and Spirit of Healing Yourself with Sound Sounds True (publishing date: August 1, 2012) I joined my first drum circle at a Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle during the 1990s.   A master Brazilian percussionist handed out exotic percussion and drums, gave us a quick lesson, then off we went.   The drum circle took place in a large tent that vibrated with polyrhythms of the 20+ drummers and percussionist that gathered. While I felt self-conscious, I still enjoyed myself and all the drummers participating in the circle.   You didn’t even need to know the others’ names and still feel bonded to them. Flash forward to 2009, when I interviewed master percussionist Will Clipman, mainly known for his musical contributions to Canyon Records artists, especially R. Carlos Nakai.   Will opened up the world of drumming to me with his masterful global percussion practice and his debut solo album, Pathfinder....