Windham Hill Memories

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.

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.

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...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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!