This is the blog site dedicated to the new age music under what was formerlly the Windham Hill Record label.
Chiaroscuro (1985)
Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
In 1985, Darol Anger and Mike Marshall temporarily left the band Montreux to work on a separate project, focusing on their bluegrass roots. The result was "Chiaroscuro", which was named for their love of the Italian culture.
The album cover.
Here are two reviews from Amazon.com about this album:
"It's a bit of an embarrassment to admit that the thing that has gotten in the way of reviewing this album is that I keep forgetting to review and wind up just listening. All of the musicians at the heart of this album are remarkable. Darol Anger on violin, Mike Marshall on guitar, Michael Manring and Todd Phillips on Bass, Andy Narell on Steel Drums, Barbara Higbie on synth, and even George Marsh on triangle. Some of the best light jazz players of their time (1985), it is immediately apparent that they respect what each has to add to the mix and have a strong commitment to be something else besides 'yet another new age group.'
Darol Anger needs no introduction. 'Dolphins' and 'Spring Gesture' are hallmark tunes, that get a lot of airtime and inclusion in other collections. Mike Marshall is no slouch either, comfortable trading lines with Anger or stepping out for a short moment of Bach just to show off. These to are regular playing partners and have the entire Windham Hill stable of artists to draw one. This makes the player lists on their albums a catalog of wizardry. As I've already demonstrated, Chiaroscuro is no exception to that rule.
So the next time you are feeling that New Age music is a little to spacey, and that light jazz has vaporized, grab this album and give a listen. This is fun, showing off, and everything from Bach to blues in the blinking of an eye. And not by rote, but with every bit of imagination that they can muster. Anger and Marshall playing 'Piacenza' is something that needs to be experience at least once in every life. Trust me, this album is one of the reasons you have a shelf right next to your CD Player."
"If you enjoy contemporary (non- classical) violin music and acoustic guitar instrumentals, then the combination of the two here is without question a masterpiece. This is a must for any one who enjoys music. An easy to listen to, very impressive array of instrumentals that is relaxing and envigorating at the same time. Marshall and Anger have created a piece of music that trancends time and will always be a current favorite for a Sunday morning breakfast, romantic dinner, or (my favorite)..a ride in the country during foliage season. A great contemporary alternative to classical."
Check out Dolphins! This song is beautiful on so many levels.
Here is this week's track listing:
1. Dolphins
2. Saurian's Farewell
3. Beneath the Surface
4. Spring Gesture
5. Bach Prelude
6. Piacenza
7. Coming Back
8. Dardanelles
9. Bach Bouree (From the French Suite)
10. Beloved Infidel
To purchase your own copy of the album, click here:
For their second LP, Darol Anger invited Mike Marshall, Todd Philips and Andy Narell to join he and Higbie, as mention two weeks ago, and they soon became the Darol Anger and Barbara Higbie Quintet, later changing it to Montreux. Balakrishnan left the band to study composition and Anger took his position in playing the violin (full time). The band, minus Balakrishnan, performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1984, and their performances were recorded there for the release of their second album. Here is the album cover. Here are two reviews on the CD copy of the album from Amazon.com: 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Major Windham Hill release from the 1980s April 27, 2003 By Paul A. Scofield Format: Audio CD "This is, according to the liner notes, the entire concert played on July 19th, 1984 at the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland. Musicians are: Darol Anger, violins; Barbara Higbie, piano; Mike M
Happy Christmas Eve everyone! For this year's post, it will be a late one due to the fact that the holidays came by too quickly for me to prepare myself. Tonight I will be reviewing George Winston's 1982 album, December . To learn more about George Winston, click the link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Winston Now to begin, December is George Winston's fourth solo piano album, released in 1982 as a holiday album, follow up to the album Autumn , and as a tribute to the winter season. In 2001, a 20th Anniversary Edition of the album was released, including two bonus tracks not included on the original release. As of last year (2013), the album was again reissued by Valley Entertainment with Dancing Cat Records, since the original Windham Hill label is now defunct. This most recent reissue has been packaged in a Digipak and features a revised cover art, making the image wider and blending the text onto the art cover rather than above it. For comparison&#
Shutting down this site...APRIL FOOLS! But seriously, I really haven't been very active with this blog lately. However I have been coming up with ideas on how to re-organize the blog as well as going album shopping online and at thrift stores. I will continue to keep you updated on my official return.
Comments
Post a Comment