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Showing posts from 2013

Merry Christmas Eve!

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Sorry for the delay of posts. Normally I don't post anything on here on a Tuesday but since my computer crash dumped a day before I could make my "Winter Solstice Album" post, I had to go to Plan B. Besides tomorrow is Christmas Day and I don't want to waste my holiday working. So if you enjoyed last year's post of  "A Windham Hill Christmas" Vol. I and Vol. II, then here is repost of "A Windham Hill Christmas Vol. 2 from 2003. According to a review, This compilation gathers more relaxing, sophisticated holiday music as performed by the Windham Hill's artists. The collection finds the right balance between the traditional and contemporary style, both in terms of its sound and its choice of songs. Artists' Performances This was taken from a review from Allmusic.com: "Will Ackerman and David Cullen's "I Wonder as I Wander" sounds gently modern, while Paul McCandless' "In Dulci Jubilo" has a slightly

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

Just a quick note, I will not continue my Michael Manring posts until after the holidays. The reason being is that it would be too overwhelming for me, with preparing for Christmas and all. I will, however, repost the album, "A Windham Hill Christmas Vol 2." within two weeks from now. This January, I will be discussing about Manring's collaboration albums. Stay tuned! Happy Thanksgiving!

Soliloquy (2005, Manthing Records)

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Now it is time to cover Michael Manring's 2005 release, " Soliloquy ". Yes, the time has come to conclude the Michael Manring solo albums as I will be reviewing the collaboration albums he put out with other artists, starting January. My brief descriptions of the tracks:  Track 1: Fast paced bass, Track 2: Slow, funky bass, a hint of early Manring Track 3: Psychedelic, experimental, Track 4: sad, acoustic, tells a story Track 5: Similar to track 2, Track 6: Weird, oddball, experimental, has nothing to do with the title Track 7: Dark, deep bass, Track 8: Somewhat uplifting Track 9: Slow, steady, depressing, Track 10: Light, tuneful, a bit cheerful Track 11: Fast, bassy, experimental 12. Fast, bassy, Track 13. Same as Track 12, only darker, with more bass 14. Slow, relaxing bass On to the Amazon reviews  5.0 out of 5 stars   Great CD, easy to listen to   February 25, 2013 By   Thedeadbeat86 Format: MP3 Music | Amazon Verified Purchase &quo

The Book of Flame (1998, Alchemy Records)

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The time has come for me to jump to 1998 as we explore Manring's next solo album, The Book of Flame, from. As for last week's post, it didn't contain much information due to the fact the internet gave me a very difficult time doing research on it. My brief descriptions of the tracks:  After listening to clips from the album via Amazon.com, I can tell you, briefly what I personally think of all 11 tracks. This is a new feature so expect to see this in future posts as well. For starters, I thought Track 1 was beautiful and acoustic, though dark. Track 2 sounded like an experimental jazzy track and Track 3 was very trippy, with a touch of jungle. Track 4 had massive bass, Track 5 was funky and full of bass, and Track 6 was ear candy bass, catchy, though tripped out. Track 7 was eerie, but groovy, Track 8 was very progressive, and Track 9 was a lot like Track 7, expect it also had a bit of an experimental sound to it. Finally, Track 10 is heavy rock with bass and

Up Close 21 (1995, Windham Hill/High Street Records/Boston Acoustic)

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Today, I will be reviewing Manring's 1995 album, " Up Close 21 " from the three-record labels, Windham Hill, High Street Records and Boston Acoustic. This is Michael Manring's fifth studio album, and to be honest, I haven't found anything about this album in terms of reviews. As a matter of fact, I can't even find any of the songs from the album on YouTube. All I can say is that, based on the track listings, it's a collection of previously recorded or re-recorded material. That's all I know. If anybody has any other information on this album and/or has a copy of it, please let me know in a comment so I can update my post. In the meantime, here's the track listings:  1. Life in the Trees  2. Cruel and Unusual  3. Oyasumi Nasai  4. Hopeful  5. Red Right Returning 6. Blue Orleans 7. Welcoming 8. Monkey Businessman 9. On a Day of Many Angels 10. Snales Got Legs And here's the link to download the limited edition

Happy Halloween!

Just a quick post this week. I want to wish everyone a happy Mischief Night tonight and a happy Halloween tomorrow. Halloween is also my birthday so I'll be enjoying a nice holiday off. I will be back with the usual posts next week.

Last Week's Post Edited

I finally improved last week's blog post, however I don't have time for a new one this week. Next week will be a Halloween post so my coverage of Michael Manring won't continue until November. Thanks for understanding.

Thonk (1994, Highstreet)

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This week's "Manthing" post is from 1994 and it's the first solo album by him that is NOT from the Windham Hill label, but by the Highstreet label. My friends, this is the album Thonk ! This is his fourth album, which shifts from soft jazz to what was described as "New Age Death Metal Fusion", with a bit of bass playing. After listening to tracks, such as "Bad Hair Day" and "Disturbed", I can say that Manring took a risky move, changing genres a bit, just to get listeners to be wowed by his works. For me, it's not my favorite album, but it IS a pretty epic one if you like or love instrumental rock. I will not explain any more. Just listen to "Disturbed" for yourself. Here are the reviews from Amazon: 5.0 out of 5 stars   AMAZING!   March 19, 2004 By   "dyldo" Format: Audio CD "This album is truly amazing! If you thought the extremes of bass could not be pushed much further than

Drastic Measures (1991, Windham Hill)

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Today I will be posting information about Michael Manring's third album, Drastic Measures from 1991. Like his second album, this one is a soft jazz album with some ear candy tunes and similar use of bass guitar and soprano sax. My personal favorite tracks are "Hopeful" (not to be confused with the song "Hopeful" he composed/recorded for a Christmas album) and "Wide Asleep". These are the two that stand out for me. "Hopeful" is the type of song that makes you feel sad and lonely, but at the same time, assures you that things will be okay. It's like a comforting friend. "Wide Asleep", on the other hand, is a musical sunrise or sunset. It's enough to check out the rest of the album. Check out "Wide Asleep" and come up with your own opinions. ;) Here are the reviews from Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars   Mostly Magic   April 25, 2004 By   Marc Ruby™   Format: Audio CD "This album is

Toward the Center of the Night (1989, Windham Hill)

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This week I will talk about Michael Manring's second album, Toward the Center of the Night, released in 1989-1990. Basically there's a bit of guitar playing, but it's also relaxing for a soft jazz album. One person said "" which I don't entirely agree. I think "Life in the Trees" is very relaxing, especially the bit with the vocals. It makes me feel like I'm watching the sun set in Africa. "A Way With Birds" is a very catchy tune, despite being short and fast, for something boring, "The Precise Moment of Dusk" has a hauntingly good melody to it, making the rest of the album worth checking out at least once. In other words, I recommend this Michael Manring album to those who aren't too crazy about Manring's bass playing. Here is another rewiew: 5.0 out of 5 stars   "There is no guitar on this recording�"   April 15, 2004 By   Marc Ruby™   HALL OF FAME VINE VOICE Format: Audio CD There is

Unusual Weather (1986, Windham Hill)

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This week I will be reviewing the Michael Manring debut solo album, Unusual Weather, released in 1986 (or 1985/89 as posted by WindhamHillLovers). Image: Basically this was his first release. There are 13 tracks on the album, making it 46 minutes and 32 seconds long. Since I can't find much other info on this album or these songs, I will explain, from my own personal listening experience that the songs "Welcoming" and "Homeward" are the two that stand out for me. They are beautiful recordings, containing the soprano saxophone, except that "Welcoming" has an evening vibe, creating an atmosphere of darkness and looking up at the night sky where "Homeward" is brighter and has an autumn feel to it. These songs are what make Unusual Weather one of my top favorite Michael Manring albums. Click to listen to "Welcoming": The rest of the album is beautiful as well, but hey I'm sure you think differently about

Updating Links in Windham Hill Posts

I just wanted everyone viewing this blog to know that when it comes to posting links to hear the music, I will now add a link to hear the playlist of the full album via WindhamHillLover's YouTube channel. This way you can hear the entire album for free before you decide to buy it. Also I'm changing the look of the text for when I make posts. This makes it easier to read the information on the artists. More updates coming soon!

About Manring's Albums

Introduction Welcome to Season 2 of Windham Hill Memories! This year, I will continue coverage of the albums by Michael Manring and other artists under the Windham Hill Label. First off, I want to say that some of his later albums from the 1990s and 2000s that I will be posting about are NOT under the Windham Hill Label, but of other record labels. This must've been due to the label's downfall period and/or when Will Ackerman sold that label to his wife (of that time), Anne Robinson-Ackerman (Robinson being her maiden name). Any information on what really happened, please let me know. Anyway, I will start by covering his original albums, then his collaboration ones later on down the road. Next week will be on his 1986 Windham Hill album, Unusual Weather . Stay tuned! - Erica

Upgrading Information

When I said "no posts until September", I meant no more posts about Michael Manring until then. Tonight, however, I discovered that WindhamHillLovers on YouTube is currently up and running his/her channel again after a year or more of hiatus. This means I have a better chance of upgrading my blog, making it so every body can hear and enjoy the music that I post here. Also, information on the artists and groups will be improved as well, at least for upcoming posts. (Previous posts may get a facelift or remade to be reposted in the future.) This means I will not only use Wikipedia but other sources and edit them into my own words as accurately as possible. If a post doesn't make it to a Wednesday, it will be posted four days later, being a Sunday. One more detail: I may make .zip files of the music that I post, of the full album too. If not, I will be re-launching the Windham Hill Spotify playlist. Either way, get ready for a change here at Windham Hill Memories. See you wi

No Posts Until September

I've been avoiding making posts because it is summer time. I will be back in the autumn to update my blog so get ready for more music. Also, I plan to delete my other blog, Underground Alley, due to lack of interest in making posts. The only reason I started that one since the Depeche Mode album, "Delta Machine" was released. The Windham Hill blog will return soon.

About Michael Manring

American bass guitarist Michael "Manthing" Manring, later member of Montreux, was born on June 27, 1960 in the San Francisco Bay Area - Annapolis to be exact. Early Life: He was youngest of four children. His family originally lived in Norfolk, Virginia, then moved to the suburbs of Washington D.C. in 1969. The Manrings were very active musically, which is why Michael became very musically gifted. He and his brother Doug were a guitarist and drummer, and they later formed a rhythm group during their high school years. Their style of music making was a mix of jazz rock and fusion, playing rock classics at beer parties or pop hits in formal places, such as restaurants and weddings. Manring was also a student of bassist Peter Princiotto from Spring Hill, Virginia. He began studying a  Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachussetts in the late 1970s, had to cancel them in 1979 due to being overwhelmed with too much school work, not to mention touring with several differen

List of Windham Hill Artists Updated!

The list of Windham Hill artists has been updated: Acoustic   Jazz  group  Montreux Bassist  Michael Manring Group Angels Of Venice  Carol Tatum Celtic Harpist and Composer  Lisa Lynne Celtic jazz group  Nightnoise Composer  Mark Isham Composer  Ray Lynch Composer  David Arkenstone Composer  Wim Mertens Folk Musician  John Gorka Folk/Celtic trio  Metamora Fusion Classical group  Turtle Island String Quartet Guitarist (and founder)  William Ackerman Guitarist  Robbie Basho Guitarist  Alex de Grassi Guitarist  David Cullen Guitarist  Michael Hedges Guitarist Daniel Hecht Guitarist  Sean Harkness Guitarist  David Qualey Guitarist  David Torn Hammered dulcimer player  Malcolm Dalglish Harp Guitarist  John Doan Indie Rock Group  Dots Will Echo Jazz Duo  Tuck & Patti   [2] Jazz Guitarist  Ray Obiedo Jazz Keyboardist and Composer  Philip Aaberg Jazz Keyboardist and Composer  Philippe Saisse Jazz Pianist  Fred Simon Jazz Woodwind player and Composer  Paul

Montreux: A Windham Hill Retrospective (1993)

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It may be sudden, but this is the last post about Montreux. Do not fret, though, because there will be posts about the band members as soloists, coming soon. This week I'll be covering the album,  Montreux: A Windham Hill Retrospective (1993). Here is the album cover. Three years after the band broke apart and the band members either went to form other bands or become soloists, like William Ackerman, a "Windham Hill Retrospective" album of Montreux's work was released, containing their greatest hits. Here are some reviews of the album from Amazon.mp3: 5  of 5 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars   Montreux... a great band... maybe too good   December 30, 1999 By   Mark A. Wellman Format: Audio CD "I first heard this album one evening on public radio while driving home. I was blown away! Great tunes that defied classification. I called the station to find out who it was and bought the CD as soon as I c