|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Review by Bill Binkelman Assisted by a small and capable group of accompanists (on acoustic guitar, tamboura, tablas, cello, harp, oboe, English horn, and flutes) as well as The Angels Choir of Maui, keyboard and percussion player Mark Ciaburri has recorded one of the better "long-form" new age music recordings of recent years. While long-form (i.e. the album consists of a single piece of music with no time cues) ambient music is somewhat commonplace, in new age music, it is less the norm. As to the whys and wherefores of this situation, who knows? For whatever reason, Ciaburri decided to record One as a single sixty-six minute work, and in my opinion, it works very well in that regard. The music itself has a strong East Indian feel to it, owing to the presence of tablas and tambouras. However, the tablas are never played at anything faster than a slow tempo so that the resulting rhythms are in keeping with the other instruments and evoke a gently relaxing and flowing sense of peace and contentment. You might consider One as the ying to the yang of Al Gromer Khan's 24-minute long "Taj" (on his amazing Mahogany Nights release). Where "Taj" is mysterious, sensual and haunting, One is delicate, romantic and comforting. The assorted wind instruments, in particular, impart a gentler emotional resonance, while also lending beauty and grace to the underlying rhythms and drones (tablas and tamboura). When acoustic guitar is layered in with the other instruments, the music picks up a bit in spirit, yet never to the point that the reflective state of mind is disturbed. Keyboards seldom stand out, instead serving as the foundation on which the other elements are supported (which is another difference between One and "Taj," the latter which owed much of its power to Gromer Khan's synthesizers). I would think the ideal setting for listening to this CD would be either during meditation (provided it was played softly enough, because the music is not that minimal, although it is unobtrusive at low levels) or during evening meals (especially East Indian cuisine, which I think would be the perfect culinary accompaniment to the soothing music). If one were to listen to this directly, as just "music," you might get a little impatient with the slow pace and the relative lack of contrast throughout the album's length (although I could be wrong about that, obviously). However, as "sonic wallpaper," One excels at creating a sense of calm and a feeling of spaciousness (somehow, the CD has an airy quality to it, probably because no one instrument ever dominates over the others; kudos to Ciaburri, Carl Lang and Tim Nelson for their adroit mixing). One is a gem of a recording and I highly recommend it to fans of world-influenced (East Indian) new age music or simply those individuals who are looking for relaxing and peaceful music that relies as much on acoustic instruments as it does on electronics (if not moreso). |
|
