Contemporary Instrumental - Jazz-New Age Review: Todd Mosby-Aerial Views

Release Date: November 4, 2020

Label: Mosby Music

Website

Aerial Views is the third in a series of concept albums from Todd Mosby. Todd’s father was a pilot and this music is a look back to when he served as dad’s co-pilot as a child. This music is about our natural elements and the most important one, air.

Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton produced Aerial Views. They are the dynamic duo based in Will’s Vermont Imaginary Road Studios. The all-star cast that assembles to record amazing albums has been going strong for many years now. This is yet one more recording to add to their incredible legacy of new age-based recordings.

This is contemporary instrumental jazz with new age as a stepping stone or motivation if you will. It is an amazing combination that never fails to impress. There are twelve instrumental gems for a listener to allow their body and soul to melt right into. It is seamless as one track syncs right into the next. It is comparative to the flow of air and how a plane adjusts to the different types of atmospheres that can be experienced as it goes higher and higher. I think that could be the concept of this music. It is the way I am experiencing it.

“Earth and Sky” is one of my favorites and how the title becomes a reality. Imagine leaving mother earth on a fantastic voyage into the blues skies, what a great experience to have growing up. I can see Todd and his dad lifting off now. The variances in the music from the solid ground to the unknown of the sky are exciting and literally elevating and spiritual. I found this track to be one of the best examples of how new age and jazz can create the perfect marriage of sound. That flexibility allows the composer and performer on guitar, Todd Mosby, to envision each track that is filled with all the emotion and experience of his youth. I added the track to my New Age Music Reviews Spotify Playlist to make sure I have a reminder of the beauty that was captured in the track, and actually, the entire recording holds the same for each listener.

Todd Mosby’s acoustic and electric guitar playing is exquisite throughout. Most notable as well is the bass players, Tony Levin and Michael Mannring. I do not think you could have asked for any better than those two players. I thought Manring’s distinctive sound on “Into Starlight” is a tribute to his legacy and he accentuates any track he contributes to as does Tony. Jerry Marrota and Jeff Haynes were also two important contributors. It is all about the partnership of musicians, becoming one with the music, and being able to convey that oneness to a listening audience.

I had interviewed Todd several months back (which I have included with this review) and we did not have a chance to talk about this part of his childhood. Now I feel that I have had the opportunity to know him better. I can see how inspirational this must have been for him. Being able to view his world from the sky certainly must have changed what he felt about the earth and the importance of being able to enjoy the miracle of flight.

Todd Mosby’s Aerial Views is presented in the most organic and heartfelt way possible. The music was the vehicle of complete expression from the artist via the concept of seeing everything above the earth instead of the line of sight on the ground. If you think about the track titles then listen, hopefully, it will allow you the look through the music to see what the artist is conveying. Have a nice flight and a smooth touchdown once Aerial Views is done playing!

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews
November 7, 2020
 

Track List:
01. Gliding
02. Across America
03. Aether
04. Earth & Sky
05. Into Starlight
06. Sylphs
07. Between the Clouds
08. Blue Horizons
09. To the Sky
10. Aerial Views
11. Solo Flight
 

Instrumental New Age Review: Laurence Furr-Deep Peace

Release Date: October 9, 2020

Label: Real Music

Website

It is the night after the Presidential election and I need a cup of soothing musical tea to calm the storm brewing in my heart and soul. There is so much going on right now, so much unrest and uncertainty about so many things all at once. Today was the day it hit me like a tidal wave. Before that, I was dealing with it just fine, kind of like wading on the shoreline watching the coming storm. It still is not over but music is the ultimate elixir for me to leave that space of thought.

I found the perfect Deep Peace with Laurence Furr. His recent release of new age instrumental excellence has fifteen tracks and over an hour of music to absorb. You can take it all in through what I call the triangle of life - mind, body, and spirit. Like an essential healing oil, this music can melt away the day's stress. It is up to you whether or not you decide to go back to get it. Laurence Furr’s Celtic Harp is so influential he has the title of Therapeutic Musician.

And indeed, he is with Deep Peace. That term is so prolific and it remains quite elusive in today's world. There is a way out of that corner though and Laurence is offering that through the music on this recording. Dr. Furr is Cantor (Director of Music) at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ft. Worth, Texas. So that gives you an indication of where he is coming from and how deeply rooted his commitment is to people in his community. If you explore his website you will see a picture of him in a hospital surrounded by smiling nurses. He contributes his soothing harp music at the hospital. It is like bringing in a friendly dog for the patients to pet, it is disarming, brings the blood pressure down and all you can focus on is that one experience. Come to think of it, that is what music always does for me that is why I find it so easy to disconnect and let go of the day because of the meditative focus that music like this provides.

There is no doubt that this music is a part of heaven, its beauty will be obvious to any listener regardless of what they are seeking to find within it. I like to talk about music as a tool and the different aspects of what it can be used for. Focusing on the instrumentation is very important however in the end it is what the music does for you when you listen to it and how it makes you feel once it stops playing.

I always like to pick one track to add to my New Age Music Reviews Spotify Playlist and this time I found it difficult to make that decision because each track is excellent. I decided to choose “Healing Light.” First for the track name and what it can mean. This can be the light of a new day, the blazing sun on a beautiful summer day, the smile from a stranger walking by you on the street, or the way to your higher power or chosen path of religion or studies. The term light has many meanings and implications and I think Laurence personifies that in his music. The harp as a stand-alone instrument is most impressive if played properly. He not only plays it properly; it becomes an extension of his physical body and personality. This is a gorgeous track worthy of going on any new age music playlist.

Laurence also plays keyboards and the Native American Flute which makes few appearances on this album, notably on “Brown of the Soil.” The title of the track is a nice tribute to our Native American brother and sisters and a nod to the importance and reverence they have always had for mother earth. Lord knows if we had followed their ways all along, we would not be seeing environmental disasters on the scale we are seeing currently.

Deep Peace brings about a lot of thoughts and at the same time a lovely feeling of bliss and becoming one with the music. I took it all in and looked at the titles and their meanings from my viewpoint. It all made perfect sense and was a great listen where I found healing sounds that I greatly appreciated at the right time. I hope all of you listeners out there will find the same. We all need it so give it a listen and feel better and more hopeful than you were yesterday.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

November 4, 2020

Track List:
01. Quiet Earth
02. Red Wind of the East
03. Silver of the Dew
04. Grey Wind of the West
05. Gold of the Sun
06. Green of the Grass
07. Running Wave
08. Flowing Air
09. Sleeping Stones
10. Quiet Rain
11. Healing Light
12. Brown of the Soil
13. Shining Stars    
14. White of the Moon   
15. Gentle Night

Contemporary Instrumental-Ambient Review: Jon Durant-Soul Of A River

Release Date: October 9, 2020

Label: Real  Music

Website

Jon Durant has an immersive catalog of recorded music dating back to 1994. I had the pleasure of covering two releases prior to the latest effort Soul Of A River. In 2018 my introduction  was  Parting Is and in 2019 Alternate Landscapes.  So, with each passing year I get another slice or aural ear candy from Jon to absorb.

Jon explained the recording like this: “With Soul of a River I wanted to capture the feeling of peace and stillness that I experience living right on the Willamette River. There’s a meditative quality to the experience of watching the river flow past that I hope is reflected in this music—both through the sounds and the melodies.”

Jon’s unique fretless cloud guitar sounds could pass for other ambient textures and sounds. In actuality that is what he is creating with an exceptional degree of excellence. There is a lot to take in within each track and not one is under six minutes and the longest “Current,” clocks in at nearly eleven minutes.
 
The cloud reference is quite fitting actually because the music does give one the feeling of floating above our earthly confines. I do understand where he is coming from with the relation to a flowing river. Life does have a flow to it and it signifies our activities within each of our lives. Some rivers are slow moving because there is not enough water pushing through and others flow with tremendous purpose non-stop. We can look at our lives that way, everyone flows differently with an entirely dissimilar objective in mind. Music also has a definitive flow to it, with varying degrees of force and purpose. It brings one to the conclusion that life itself is all connected  -  humans, the animal kingdom, and nature as a living entity unto itself. As the animals have instinctual behavior we humans run more on emotion and act on that. Thus the immediate reaction to the sounds around us, which is more cerebral than instinctual, and in particular strongly to the music we listen.

In the case of Soul Of A River, which is an interpretation of nature in more broader sense, this music conceptualizes that thought pattern and brings it to life. This is relaxing, contemplative, and very meditative music. This brings me to the conclusion that yes, it is instrumental but there is a lot to more to it than that. The foundation of this album draws from an ambient space experimental approach to a broadened appreciation of the tenets of new age.

The congealing into one musical unit in every track is most significant and on the longest and most poignant piece “Currents.” It is filled with many layers and all the spaces are filled in with sounds that take you away to the stars beyond our earthly existence. If that is the primary purpose of this music, and I am not the one to say it is, for me it most certainly had the effect.

While the Soul Of A River is spiritual and one of our many earthly delights, a touch of heaven and the stars beyond is what this music can project very strongly at times. Again, it all ties into life itself and how important music can be interconnected to everything for our enjoyment and times for healing. And finally, what it means for each individuals interpretation.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder
October 31, 2020

Track List:
1. Tributaries 05:58
2. Current 10:37
3. Estuary 09:11   
4. Glistening 06:16
5. Watercourse 08:27
6. Flow 06:08

Ambient Electronic World Review: Christel Veraart - Pleiades

Release Date: November 17, 2020

Label: Independent

Website

Christel Veraart's music is described as ambient, meditative, avant-garde classical. When I looked into her bio on her website, I saw that quote. Now it was time to see if her latest release, and her tenth proper recording, Pleiades, would live up to that description.

 

Not knowing what to expect that observation of her sound gave me a good head start. Listening right from the beginning I heard a beautiful, impassioned, and talented vocalist. With the title being the Pleiades, you would think all the track titles were referenced to other entities outside of our world. That would be true in regards to space and otherworldly gods from Greek Mythology. I am not well educated in that realm so I had to do my research to see what the tracks meant beyond what I had already gleaned from the information I was provided.

 

The Pleiades is the title and it is the celestial musings of the seven sisters. The whisperings of the sisters into the spheres are the ancient legends she vocalizes. Is this mythology or did seven otherworldly beings emerge from the stars to visit us one day? Mythology, legend, grand stories? It all comes to mind all at once while listening and wondering how it all came to be in the first place.

 

This being my first exposure to this artist, and even though I do not understand the language she was singing, I found it all to be very expressive with a hint of mystery about the mythological foundation from which this wellspring of music and vocalizations found inspiration.

 

This music provides a nice background for Christel’s smooth and inviting vocal style. Christel is a world traveler and has gained a lot of exposure and ideas for her music from a multitude of residencies. She is also a talented multi-linguist. This is her second release that has gone into the realm of ambient space music rather compositional. I would call it ambient electronic world music. I think that is a fair assessment but it is my perception and I leave it up to each listener to decide. Also, many listeners do not need to know what genre it is to listen and enjoy the music. That is our option as listeners, however, in my case, I must take a deeper dive.

 

A few of these tracks are exceptionally long, “Celaeno” clocks in at 12:11 and the closer “Electra” comes in at 10:44. That is a very progressive attitude to adopt considering many listeners are not understanding what you are singing about. Regardless of the length, this woman breaks all barriers and creates something so unique and refreshing that you just have to keep listening. That is the goal of any recording artists so mission accomplished Christel Veraart.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

October 12, 2020

Track List:
1. Taygete
2. Maia
3. Asterope
4. Merope
5. Celaeno
6. Alcyone
7. Electra

Holiday Instrumental-New Age Review: Rick Sparks-Christmas Night

Release Date: September 17, 2020

Label: Independents

Website

Rick Spark’s desire to recreate traditional Christmas in the most spiritually renewing way is achieved on his most recent release Christmas Night.

This is most definitely Holiday music done with taste and with a touch of angelic beauty. Usually around this time of year or well before it actually, advertising is already pushing the purchase of goods, etc. This is much too early and it normally succeeds in turning me into Mr. Ba Humbug until that blessed day with loved ones finally arrives and all of that disappears.
Rick said: Christmas Night is “the perfect companion for fireside dreams in December.” I have to agree and it is more than that to me. This music made me feel the true meaning of this hallowed holiday that we celebrate every year around the world.

It is warm and inviting and very soothing. So much so, it acts as a meditative and aural experience. All of the walls come down as you let the music into your heart. It will turn your grumpy ba humbug to insignificant mush.

“The First Noel” was one of my favorites as it remained recognizable yet Rick was able to make it his special interpretation. “What Child Is This” will penetrate your being and fill your heart with light and joy. It gives you a feeling that there indeed was a baby Jesus and his mother was blessed to bring him to us here on earth. We sure could use his help right now. I found “Silent Night” as moving as it ever was and loved this version. Those are three examples of many that you will find in this collection.

All the flutes, bells, keyboards, and gorgeous non-verbal singing gave me back memories of when I was a boy going the Christmas mass with my family. It is the time of year I feel most vulnerable to my emotions and memories that I hold so dear to my heart. Christmas Night allowed me to let that love in and feel it for what it is and be grateful for it rather than sad. We all grow up and are introduced to our new families through marriage and partnerships. That can be a beautiful thing as well.

Christmas is for the kids they say, I do not subscribe to that. I think it is for everyone willing to embrace it and enjoy the celebration of the birth of one of our saviors on this planet we inhabit.

Christmas Night inspired me to write these words you read, to feel what I felt, and most important come to the realization that music like this can give me an entirely different perspective on what I normally go through each year. So, folks let all of the pre-holiday advertisements and shelves full of ornaments and decorations coming out before Halloween roll right off your back. Think about the true meaning of the day and hang on to that conviction and everything else will just fade into the background. If you happen to need some help along the way listen to Christmas Night and may you all have a “Silent Night” and sleep in heavenly peace.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder
October 26, 2020

Track List:
01. Christmas Night
02. Christ Is Born
03. The First Noel
04. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
05. In the Bleak Midwinter
06. What Child Is This
07. Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
08. Once in Royal David's City
09. Silent Night
10. Nativity

Contemporary Instrumental Review: Andrew Colyer-Mists of Time

Release Date: November 20, 2020

Label: Inner Nova Music

Website

It is a good feeling when you have a relationship with an artist and their music. It feels like the same thing to me, they fit together quite nicely from my perspective. My feelings, emotions, thoughts, and spirituality are all tied into the music I listen to. I think many people find relief and joy in music and have their own special relationship with it as I mentioned.

Andrew Colyer’s music is familiar to me, I covered his 2018 releases Christmas Time-Piano Improvisations and his progressive rock band Circuline on a Circulive::Majestik DVD/CD set. Now two years later he is back off a tour with Robert Berry, busy in the studio creating more keyboard magic on the upcoming Mists of Time.

There are 12 creative and entertaining tracks on the recording, ranging from contemporary classical with hints of new age to ambient soundscapes with many interesting textures and sounds.

“Strings of the Ocean” comes to mind right away with the sound of waves rolling in at the end of the track. And the interesting and sometimes spooky “Rain Notes: Forest.”  The tides of the music changes color and atmospheres from track to track, always keeping you interested and focused in on all the sounds.

“A Thoughtful Moment” takes on the title literally as the music becomes more serious, defined, and fixed on a tasteful classical foundation. This is a place Andrew can go to show his audience how precise and on point he can be if he so chooses. It is a step away from any ambient atmospheres or sound effects.

“Ghosts of Aberfan” befits its title, filled with beauty, mystery, and moving in the shadows of the past as all ghosts do whether imagined within one’s mind or something caught out of the corner of your eye. Andrew tells the story with the keys giving the subject matter life and it sounds like it is stepping right into your room to say hello. If you happened to be wondering…The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in Wales on 21 October 1966. This may give the track a lot more meaning and better understanding of how the music flows. It is the longest track on the album clocking in at 8:28. That is Andrew’s pinnacle of creativity and to do it prog rock style in regards to length was perfect with all the different moods and parts that tell the entire story from start to finish.

As with many releases this year with instrumental works, you are seeing song titles with references to space and the outer reaches that are beyond our earth-bound comprehension. You have “In Alex’s Orbit” and “Moons of Jupiter.”  To end the album with “Serenity” was purposeful, it is something we all desperately are in need of in 2020 at times.

Andrew Colyer has released a jewel with Mists of Time. He makes it easy to get caught up in the music on offer and time then becomes irrelevant, just a mist passing through and one that you most assuredly with return to then relive. For my ears that is just perfect.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder
October 20, 2020

Track List:
01. Rain Notes: Storm
02. Oliver’s Journey
03. In Alex’s Orbit
04. Climb
05. Strings of the Ocean
06. One Thing (Remastered 2020)
07. Rain Notes: Forest
08. A Thoughtful Moment
09. Ghosts of Aberfan
10. Moons of Jupiter
11. Overcoming
12. Serenity

 

New Age Vocals Review: Marya Stark-Sapphire

Release Date: September 17, 2020

Label: Independent

Website

This is my maiden voyage into the world of Marya Stark’s musical world of wonder. Sapphire is ten tracks of sometimes undefinable music. Marya looks like the goddess that she is on the cover of this masterful group of tracks.

Right at the onset of seeing the cover, you are thinking spiritual, mystical, otherworldly, and new age. I think all of the above applies here. I opted to call it new age vocals. It is the content lyrically and at times strongly, but it is new age in different phases on the tracks. It can cover you like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.

The sounds on Sapphire are very inviting and Marya’s voice is angelic, simply gorgeous throughout the entire recording. She is in essence the main instrument everything else follows to where the light lives inside her.

The first track grabbed me with a force I could not resist. “Echo” sets the standard for everything else and reinforces the importance of that first track. I immediately added it to my New Age Music Reviews Spotify Playlist. It runs for nearly six minutes making sure you get the full effect of this woman’s incredible vocal talent. The music is very good as well, I have to make sure that is a known fact. Beautiful vocals need the right support from the music for everything to fall into place like it was meant to be. And trust me on this, the way this album unfolds is magical.

Another amazing track is “Blood of the Stone.” It is prolific lyrically and musically. It is a strong message to us all how important mother earth is. New age music is tied strongly to this subject matter and I am grateful for that. We need a constant reminder that our survival depends on the health of our planet and right now it is not acting like it is very happy. When a message like that is transmitted with such passion and grace you stand up and take notice.

Five tracks in and I am completely sold on this artist and her music. I cannot wait to hear what the next track will bring. It makes you feel like a kid on Christmas morning waiting to unwrap the next present. Marya is eclectic and so talented that she can deliver something different with each track. It is a wonder how one artist can offer so much variety in one recording.

So, all of you who appreciate music, great vocals, a meaningful message, and pure talent, then you need to listen to Marya Stark’s latest release Sapphire. Even though the title is a particular gemstone this one is a perfect shining diamond that should not be missed. There is a lot to hear and enjoy in this engaging recording.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
October 14, 2020

Track List:
01. Echo        
02. Stargazer        
03. In Between
04.Sapphire        
05.Blood of the Stone        
06.Celestial Butterflies   
07. Negra Luz        
08. Baptism     
09. Crystal Chambers        
10. Rose Lineage