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AMAZING SOUNDS
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No. 81
September 30, 1999
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CONTENTS:

NEWS

REVIEWS:
FRANK VAN BOGAERT: "GEOGRAPHIC" Groove
ALAYA: "PLAY OF OPPOSITES" Magic Music Corp.
BILL DOUGLAS & ARS NOVA SINGERS: "EARTH PRAYER" Hearts of Space
ULRICH KRIEGER: "WALLS OF SOUND" OO Discs
MISTER POTTS: "DREAMING FOR REAL" Nuove Music
LORRAINE ROUSSEAU & ROBERT CARLTON: "IT'S A MYSTERY" Arrow Records
LORRAINE ROUSSEAU & ROBERT CARLTON: "A CHRISTMAS WISH" Arrow
Records
COYOTE OLDMAN: "HOUSE MADE OF DAWN" Hearts of Space
GINKGO GARDEN: "LETTERS FROM EARTH" Prudence/BSC
Sampler: "AMDUSCIAS" Zenflesh
GARRY JUDD: "GAIA. EARTH SPIRIT" Autumn Records
BACHUE: "A CERTAIN SMILE" Culburnie Records

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NEWS

NEW RELEASES / RE-RELEASES / DISTRIBUTIONS
(For more information and sound clips, use the links)

"Summer Solstice 2: A Windham Hill Collection" (Various artists)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007Q6R/thesciencebookbo

"Sound Healing" (Dean Evenson) (This CD combines material
previously recorded by Evenson with several new tracks)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007OBA/thesciencebookbo

"Songs from an English Garden" (David Lanz)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007TG1/thesciencebookbo

"Vol. 4--A Celtic Christmas" (Liam O'Flynn)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007O8B/thesciencebookbo

"Winter Solstice Reunion"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007O8F/thesciencebookbo

"Celtic Aire" (Dordán)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JLJA/thesciencebookbo

"One Guitar, No Vocals" (Leo Kottke)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JG4I/thesciencebookbo

"Northern Nights" (Various Artists)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JLJB/thesciencebookbo

"Citizen of the World" (David Arkenstone)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JG2Q/thesciencebookbo

"Alienikon", the long time expected new album by Neuronium, has
reached a big succes among the fans of electronic music. Although
the basic style is the same as that in previous albums such as
"Astralia" or "Psykya", now strong sequencers appear.
"Ultracosmos" is 70 minutes of non-stop ultra cosmic music. This
album contains historical material from the whole Michel Huygen's
career. In "Ultracosmos", he offers us new versions of many
legendary pieces. A special CD has been released in Brazil. This
CD contains a selection of romantic compositions from the albums
by Huygen.

You can find more information about Michel Huygen / Neuronium at:

http://www.neuronium.com

Ken Field, the sax player with the group Birdsongs of the
Mesozoic, releases "Pictures of Motion" on the sFz Recordings
label.

====================

REVIEWS:

FRANK VAN BOGAERT:
"GEOGRAPHIC"
Groove
As Frank says, his music can be often described as a fusion of
electronics and world-instruments. He is right, and you probably
will also note that he is influenced by artists like Vangelis,
Enigma or Deep Forest. However, after “Colours” (his previous
album), his style has became more personal. The music is
beautiful, the sounds are really spectacular. He is creating a
unique sonic path for others to follow. As a sound-engineer and
also as a composer he has had the opportunity to work with folk
and ethnic bands. This knowledge has been perfectly incorporated
into his music, giving strength and emotion to the melodies. To
know more about his creative approach and his style, simply listen
to tracks 1, 9 or 10. They are superb. Now distributed by Groove
Unlimited, I’m sure his work will be much better known. He
deserves it.
MANUEL MONTES

ALAYA:
"PLAY OF OPPOSITES"
Magic Music Corp.
Alaya is Alexander Lesnykh. The word means “the Soul of the
Universe”, in Sanskrit. The artist now lives in the United States,
but he was born in Russia, where he studied music and played
keyboard, sang, and wrote lyrics and music for the rock groups
Slidie and Chain Reaction. This rock epoch is almost forgotten:
now, Alaya writes spiritual music, teaches Yoga and studies
Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and Hinduism. “Play of Opposites” is about
the duality of all things. The music is electronic, and can be
described as modern new age/new instrumental. This is an
interesting album. It contains 12 themes, each of them with its
own story. The pieces are bright, with percussive sound textures,
colorful sound palettes and very intense moments.
MANUEL MONTES

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/musicglance/B00000I6UV/thesci
encebookbo

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artistglance/175326/thescienc
ebookbo

BILL DOUGLAS & ARS NOVA SINGERS:
"EARTH PRAYER"
Hearts of Space
Listen to any album by Bill Douglas and you will immediately
experience the serenity and pace his music transpires. In “Earth
Prayer” you will not find an exception to this rule. The artist is
a bassoonist-pianist-composer who has recorded for 30 years with
clarinetist Richard Stolzman. In this CD he offers us an excellent
choral work where the beautiful and ethereal voices of the Ars
Nova Singers are the main trait. Here, Douglas has drawn lyrical
inspiration from classical poets like Shakespeare, Tennyson and
Shelley. This exquisite album also has a few innovations (the horn
section, etc.). If you liked “Jewel Lake” or “Cantilena”, this
work is also for you.
MANUEL MONTES

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JWC8/thesciencebookbo

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artistglance/49137/thescience
bookbo

ULRICH KRIEGER:
"WALLS OF SOUND"
OO Discs
Ulrich Krieger, practically with all the available varieties of
saxophones (sopranino, soprano, tenor, baritone...) performs in
this "Walls of Sound" the experimental pieces Saxony, Four5, Video
Sax and Didjeridoos and Dont's, by James Tenney, John Cage, Joseph
Celli and Phill Niblock, respectively. These mean a journey
through lineal and continuous sounds which, according to the
foreword of the author in the booklet are not casual, but rather
respond to several complex laws, in many cases quite near to the
purest philosophical dialectics. Anyhow, the slightest exception
appears to be shown in the theme by Celli, Video Sax, somehow more
likeable for little accustomed ears, where some harmony turns out,
and the saxos give the impression, in some moments, of becoming
live, autonomous swarms.
LAURA S. GARCIA

MISTER POTTS:
"DREAMING FOR REAL"
Nuove Music
Although this is his debut album, the music of Mister Potts is
already known on both sides of the Atlantic. He has composed
several ballets, film and TV music and also for multimedia
projects. “Dreaming for Real” is an electronic instrumental work
where Mister Potts shows his abilities with keyboards. The music
is relaxing. He says it is based on music he first dreamt. The CD
contains 14 tracks: great and sweet melodies, orchestral sounds
and classical influences are the main traits. The album has been
composed, arranged and performed by the artist, and recorded at
his studio in Los Angeles, with engineering by Larry Mah from
Chick Corea’s Madhatter studios.
VICTOR ARENAS

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IJEA/thesciencebookbo

LORRAINE ROUSSEAU & ROBERT CARLTON:
"IT'S A MYSTERY"
Arrow Records
The first two themes in this work, as well as some others, gather
the most characteristic aspects of Rousseau Carlton: a flute that
takes the reins of a melody whose consistence is greatly due to
the guitar accompanying it. Nevertheless, we also find ourselves
with several incursions in different musical styles. This is the
case, in the first place, of Forever You, where bossa-nova gets
mixed with the almost omnipresent flutes and the piano. In From
Now On, on the other hand, the electric bass, keyboards, saxo and
piano, pore out the purest of jazz. Spanish airs are also
breathable in Los Arreboles, whereas Blues and a slight breeze of
Caribbean rhythms are reflected in Into the Night. As the topping
of the cake , or as a present to the supporting task provided by
the guitar during most of the album, a solo for this noble
instrument in Her Favourite Song.
LAURA S. GARCIA

LORRAINE ROUSSEAU & ROBERT CARLTON:
"A CHRISTMAS WISH"
Arrow Records
The adaptation of Christmas themes carried out by Lorraine
Rousseau and Robert Carlton, gives us an album that can well be
taken in three blocks. In the first one, evoking wintertime
atmospheres through light piano touches, attracts the attention
with the dialogue or symbiosis of the flute and guitars. As the
themes go by, whose warmth is progressively increased by the
electric bass and the use of some electronic pads, the
relationship flute-guitar gives way to a new collaboration, now
between saxo-flute. In this sense, the jazz touches are most
remarkable in theme eight, What Child is this? After this theme
precisely the third block starts, where the flute gets the only
leading role in some melodies that nevertheless, possess a great
density thanks to the background accompaniment of the electronic
bass, guitars, drums...
LAURA S. GARCIA

COYOTE OLDMAN:
"HOUSE MADE OF DAWN"
Hearts of Space
"House Made of Dawn" was recorded by Michael Graham Allen & Barry
Stramp (Coyote Oldman) over a two year period spanning 1997 to
1999. It contains 16 pieces where Native American flutes, combined
with intelligent sound processing techniques, create a very
special and floating environment. Coyote Oldman is probably the
best duo in this type of music. The style is slow, meditative,
sometimes emotional and hypnotic. Allen is the main composer and
flutist, Stramp also plays flute and is the man who produces the
incredible soundscapes using a sound processing system, the main
characteristic of this evocative music. With a creative chemistry
that has evolved from 1985, Coyote Oldman has inspired many
imitators. Here you have the original, so listen to them.
VICTOR ARENAS

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JWC9/thesciencebookbo

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artistglance/49145/thescience
bookbo

GINKGO GARDEN:
"LETTERS FROM EARTH"
Prudence/BSC
After a relatively long absence, Ginkgo Garden (alias Eddy F.
Mueller) returns with more energy than ever. His “Secret Call”
album was a hit and “Letters from Earth” probably will follow the
same path. The style is more or less the same: great arrangements,
very good sound and fabulous melodies. The CD contains 13 tracks
(musical letters, in fact), all instrumental except a couple of
them. Mueller has composed, performed, arranged and produced all
the material, showing us his abilities as an artist who loves the
studio. Anja Bitzhenner (vocals), Atsuko Kato (voices), Christian
Tolle (guitars), Hans Wegerhoff (guitars) and Peter Shulte
(saxophones) also appear in the album. Kato, an excellent painter,
has provided several oil paintings, all of them in one way or
another related to the old ginkgo tree. As always, the music of
Mueller is a relaxing journey in search of harmony.
MANUEL MONTES

GINKGO GARDEN
Eddy F. Mueller got his musical experience in the city of Hagen,
Germany. In those days Eddy was a guitarist and keyboarder in
different rockbands and developed from a live rock musician to a
songwriter whose main instrument became the recording studio. He
produced several CDs under the pseudonym Birdy. Library music was
the subject Eddy had completely committed himself to for many
years. Inspired by a German TV documentary called “Ginkgo, Leaves
of Hope”, he created his project Ginkgo Garden.
Essential recordings:
LEAVES OF HOPE
SECRET CALL
LETTERS FROM EARTH

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artistglance/160152/thescienc
ebookbo

Sampler:
"AMDUSCIAS"
Zenflesh
Amduscias is the name of the fifth CD released by the experimental
label Zenflesh and that, once again means a walk through the
riskiest of proposals in sonic research. In the album, with 21
themes, a great amount of saturated sounds is reflected, even with
melodies, capable of creating disturbing environments. Likewise,
the themes with ringing metal in the background are common,
inspiring huge abandoned industrial factories where beings of an
unknown origin run free. Occasionally, some distorted guitar play
appears, and even some unconventional melodies, yet they provide
some light to the entire album. Also, two of the themes that
could be taken as non-experimental ones turn out to be really
impressive: Drowing and Antichton, whose presence in the equator
of the work breaks in some instants with its experimental
homogeneity.
LAURA S. GARCIA

GARRY JUDD:
"GAIA. EARTH SPIRIT"
Autumn Records
Garry Judd is a very prolific composer. His music has been used in
films, television and radio programs. “Gaïa” is a remarkable work
where you will find that Judd is on the cutting edge of the new
technology. However, the music doesn’t have technological
connotations. This is instrumental, almost orchestral music, where
other instruments like Uilleann pipes and guitars have a very
important place. There are lead and backing vocals, too. The
artist’s compositional skills shine with their own light across
the album. He tries to capture the earth spirit with melodies and
sounds, successfully extending the boundaries of modern/old music.
The CD is a pleasing and highly listenable product for all of you
who like the new instrumental music.
MANUEL MONTES

BACHUE:
"A CERTAIN SMILE"
Culburnie Records
Bachué (Corrina Hewat & David Milligan) was formed in 1995 and now
is one of the most important duos on the Scottish music scene.
Milligan plays piano and guitar, Hewat plays Harp and also sings.
Their music is a splendid combination of jazz, traditional
Scottish/Irish music and folk. The fusion of folk and jazz, in
fact, gives an inimitable entity to the group. “A Certain Smile”
has also several guest musicians: Phil Bancroft (sax), Horse
McDonald (harmony vocals), Brian Shields (bass) and Davy Cattanach
(percussion). The album contains 15 tracks, including traditional
songs and also new compositions.
VICTOR ARENAS

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JFYO/thesciencebookbo

====================

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