MARA PURL and MARILYN HARRIS

A Koto Keys Christmas

Wrightwood Records (2003)

no album art available at this time

review by Bill Binkelman

As on their previous collaboration (Koto Keys), pianist Marilyn Harris and koto (Japanese harp) player, Mara Purl, exhibit grace, beauty, and an amazing sense of symmetry when they combine their considerable talents on this delightful and soothing holiday music album that, in all honesty, is already one of my all-time favorites. A Koto Keys Christmas can easily sit beside other Yuletide new age music classics, such as George Winston's December, Tingstad and Rumbel's The Gift, and many others. In addition, because of the unusual instrumental duo (assisted, as previously, by producer Mark Wolfram's excellent sampled instrument keyboard accompaniment) the album is also a fresh and unique take on the well-worn, but still welcome, classic carols that everyone knows (and most of us love, except for the Scrooges of the world).

There are only nine tracks on the album, and most of the cuts clock in at between six and eight minutes in length. If you've heard Koto Keys (the duo's first album), you know that one of the things Harris and Purl excel at is allowing their songs to evolve slowly, with almost Zen-like patience and a deep sense of serenity. This same musical motif is in ample evidence here, which is why "Joy to the World," is seven minutes long and "What Child Is This?" (a.k.a. Greensleeves) stretches out for over ten. You might think that this would get boring or tiring. Far from it. Somehow, Harris and Purl have found a way of playing the carols in an obviously improvisational manner, yet without a trace of "jazziness," instead almost creating an ambient "feel" to the songs. This is yet another similarity to Koto Keys. Of course, here, a carol's recognizable refrain emerges from within the improvisation, then re-submerges underneath a soothing blend of piano, gently plucked koto, and Wolframs' skillful keyboards (encompassing instruments such as strings, bells, flutes, woodwinds and percussion).

And make no mistake about it, you will certainly be able to tell that you are listening to classics such as "O Come Emmanuel," "Silent Night," and "Angels We Have Heard on High," as well as some carols that, while known, are refreshingly less omnipresent during the season ("Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella" and "Good King Wenceslas"). However, as you sit in the front of the fire, with this CD playing in the background (as I certainly intend to do many times) expect to be charmed by the unadorned simplicity of a recording that flows so soothingly out of your stereo system, layering the room's atmosphere with gentle refrains, delightful improvisation, and a deep sense of peace. I don't think there is a more serene yet "positive" album of holiday music out there. Winston's December can sound overly somber at times, and other holiday new age music classics always contain some uptempo numbers. A Koto Keys Christmas unfolds slowly and invitingly, moving at a leisurely pace, yet never purposeless in its improvisatory explorations. Harris and Purl (along with Wolfram) expertly guide the listener down paths that are both familiar and refreshingly new. So, take some time over the holidays to pause, reflect, and bask in the beautiful music from this wonderful album. I cannot recommend it highly enough to those who are looking for new treatments of old carols, but who also desire a peaceful ambiance, as opposed to the frenetic (and, in my opinion, misguided) energy of something like Mannheim Steamroller. A Koto Keys Christmas is soft as gently falling snow, and every bit as lovely.