Mehdi's Instrumental Paradise
924022
With this offering, Mehdi manages to invoke the paradox of simultaneously sounding both ancient and modern. Actually, much of what he produces is like that, but maybe a bit more so with this album. It is entrancing, and if you follow along, your stress level is sure to be bumped down several notches. I have two other Mehdi titles which I can recommend, and I think these three are the best of the bunch. Be sure to check out Volumes 4 and 7 in addition to 8. They are quite possibly the best of Mehdi's work.
2483541
I am a huge fan of Brad Mehldau, and at first I admit I was shocked at this new electric group.  Now listening to track 4 and I am totally engaged in this work, fascinated by the interplay and digging the grooves.  The "PCH" prose on track 1 grabbed me too, but hey I am also a fan of Lord Buckley.  The fact that other customers are comparing this work with Bitches Brew is a compliment, yes?  Categories: jazz / fusion / urban / beyond.  Dream on, Brad!!
2232722
I bought this CD from the Sivananda Yoga Centre in London.  It is a beautiful and serene collection of instrumental music played using well-known tunes of Hindu Bhajans.  The artists are all very good and you can expect to hear a lot of their creations in the future.  The flute player is the nephew of the well-known maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia and he takes us on a journey to explore the depths and nuances of the Bhajan tunes with unbelievable dexterity.  It touches the soul.  I use it while practicing Yogasanas & Pranayama, or when just relaxing.  The total running time is over an hour and the CD comes in a nice case with an informative brochure.  I'm planning to get the whole series of CDs.  Thank you Sona Rupa!
2105912
Unlike some of the other reviewers, although I acquired this album several years ago, I am not familiar with any of Reich's other works, or other releases of Tehillim, which may or may not be better than the one at hand. What I can say, however, is that over the several years since acquiring this album, I have come to enjoy the latter half, consisting of "Three Movements", to a greater extent, and during a wider variety of moods, than "Tehillim", although I was originally interested in this album for the first half due to the ancient Hebrew for Psalms 18, 19, 34, and 150. "Tehillim" is still the reason I hold on to this album, but in my opinion one has to be in the right mood to listen to it. For example, this is not the type of work to listen to when needing mental concentration. A more cheerful, uplifting recording of the Psalms, although in Latin rather than Hebrew, is "Utopia Triumphans" (Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel). Refer to my review for that work.
570896
Finally we have a great interpretation of these early minimalist masterpieces.  The Keyboard Studies are the groundwork for much of Terry Riley's subsequent improvisatory pieces such as 'Rainbow in Curved Air' and 'Persian Surgery Dervishes'.  But here are excellent realizations of these groundbreaking works in their rawest original form and in performances heartily endorsed by the composerhimself.  This is the sound world of the likes of Steve Reich's 'Piano Phase' and the inspiration for the famous electronic hook of the Who's 'Baba O'Riley' (actually named in honor of Meher Baba and Terry Riley).  The recording like the performances is crisp and lucid.
For fans of Terry Riley and minimalist music this is simply a must have album.
4307474
When I first encountered "no-input mixing board" as a musical instrument (on a compilation CD of Japanese improv music) I was puzzled; how could a mixing board with no input make any sounds?  Well, after investigating it I discovered that what happens is the outputs are fed into the inputs of the board, creating an endless feedback loop of the miniscule sounds a board makes in normal operation.  The wealth of sounds that can then be drawn out of the mixing board is virtually endless, colorful, and very beautiful.  This is certainly the case with a mixing board in the hands of this superb artist.  Toshimaru Nakamura is a true master of this instrument, bringing forth impassioned and startlingly beautiful soundscapes.  His sensitivity for the nuances of the no-input mixing board is the finest and most carefully controlled of any "mixers" I've heard so far.  This album is a must-have for enthusiasts of electronic music, and for all those willing to explore soundscapes of rare and incomparable beauty.
2673946
Having reviewed his first release, I anxiously awaited getting my hands on his 2nd compilation, "Rebirth".  I highly recommend it as it shows just what an accomplished musician can do with intricate arrangements and stunning technique on the bass guitar.  Alberto Rigoni is truly inspired and in turn inspiring using his unique "voice".  I eagerly await his upcoming third release based on the track record of his prior offerings!
3489361
Where has this been all my life? If it had been released after it was recorded in 1978, I could have enjoyed 30 years of aesthetic bliss. But better late than never. Similar to the music on his "Shri Camel" album (1980), this is a single, 54-minute improvisation. It's a beguiling mixture of Middle Eastern and Western modes, as though an Indian sitarist somehow mastered a Renaissance organ (with just intonation) and let a raga unfurl. I pictured snow falling outside my window, and can't wait to listen to it in winter. And please, if there are any more old tapes like this floating around, release them!
3802993
I met the group Taneen while completing a Master's degree at Dominican University, where they perform regularly.  Sure this is an early, less sophisticated album (1997) but I like its simplicity and easily enjoyable melodies for my Western ear.  Some of the later albums require you to appreciate a more complex, Middle-Eastern style of music but I always go back to this one for my dose of "International Calm" when the religious fanatics around the world get too extreme.
  I want to love and appreciate all types of spiritual music from around the world, as part of my greater understanding of the entire human experience.  This is an easy introduction into this area and the group itself is composed of very high quality individuals with big hearts and passion for what they do.  Chase Clow is one of my favorites!
  We all have "Divine Breath" - and Taneen knows how to make it public in their special way...
  Michael Eggert, Palm Springs, CA -  August, 2012
1900433
I first heard the Gundecha Brothers live on a recent trip to India. It was at the annual music festival for Swami Vivakanada's birthday in Kolkata jan 2007. I was amazed at their amazing technique, beautiful tone and incredible sound. This recording recreates the spirit of that concert. Although recorded at a  live festival in 2001, the sound quality is excellent as is the performance of this wonderful jugalbandi or duet performance. Dhrupad is one of the most ancient vocal forms of India and has it's roots in Vedic chanting, a 2000 year old tradition. Given the time needed for appreciation, this music will captivate and reward the listener with it's deeply meditative quality.
4915695
Originally composed by Mussorgsky for solo piano the piece challenged both the performer and the instrument -- requiring the use of the sostenuto pedal (the last performance controller added to the piano).  Each note of the organ sounds was performed and recorded one at a time, using patches created on the Moog III with up to 96 oscillators, with some configured to produce frequency modulation combined with standard subtractive synthesis.
The realizations acheived by Tomita are quite simply stunning.  The limited timbral range and fixed stereo location of the piano are replaced by powerful organ sounds and rich choral textures which seem to move, sometimes slowly and sometimes very quickly, through the three physical dimensions and the unfathonable dimensions of the human psyche.
If you can listen to this album and not be emotionally stirred, you are probably dead. Also note: I have enjoyed this album since Junior High School on vinyl, cassette tape, and CD.
672645
I'd hear the same soothing track of music played every week during our guided meditation with my spirituality group.  I had to know what it was!  I learned it was by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  I have many of his books, apps, and CD programs, but had never seen this CD.  I enjoy the first track, where Dr. Dyer explains how to incorporate the words "I AM" into your meditation practice.  But my favorite track is the "Moses Code Meditation."  There are two versions, one with added guitar music and one without.  I prefer the more relaxing version without the guitar, but it's nice to have the choice.  My current favorite music for meditation and relaxation!
4632938
The sprawling Piano Sonata No. 2 by Sorabji is, despite it's continuous length of over 52 minutes, one of Sorabji's more graspable, accessable works.  The work unfolds in continuous invention, veering from straightforwardly tonal to nearly atonal in harmonic idiom.  If there is motivic development it is shrouded in the ongoing motion of harmonic and rhythmic expression.  But the work is still actually quite engaging and not as demanding upon the ears and mind as is, say, much of "Opus Clavicembalisticum".  This is a much earlier work, and shows Sorabji just as he was beginning to develop his idiom of continuous inventiveness and intricacy.  Pianist Tellef Johnson does the work proud with his unflagging and very finely wrought pianism.  This recording is the US premiere in a live performance, and the quality of the recording is just a shade less than ideal, with the piano sounding a bit less than full-bodied in timbre (hence the 4 stars rather than 5). But don't let that dissuade you from buying this recording, as it is one of Sorabji's best works and a very worthy addition to any piano music library.
1973975
Kim Water's voice is very pretty.  Hans Christian's instrumentals are wonderfully subtle and create the real East-West fusion here. Though I can feel their devotion, I am much less enthusiastic than many of the other reviewers.
Bengali Vaishnava songs, the inspiration for these songs, are known for ecstatic devotion, intense longing, and/or deep pathos.  You won't find that here.  Instead, a meditative exotic atmosphere replaces the soul's passionate call to the divine.  Very spiritual, but not capturing the "rasa" I would have expected.
Most of these melodies in this album are based on the melodies and interpretations of that the Radha Krishna Temple(s) and George Harrison produced around 1970.  These are all really great.  I am a little surprised that none of the editors' comments acknowledge the source material and inspiration for these songs.
4164515
This live recording of classical Arabic music by a chamber ensemble, called takht, features the vocalist Aicha Redouane accompanied by qanun zither, ud lute, kaman violin, and riqq drum. This is essentially art music. The variety of instrumental timbre plus the very fine vocal phrasing and ornamentation have the objective to produce tarab, a high emotional state in both performer and listener. You need not be a connoisseur of the maqam scale or various rhythms in these suites to appreciate the beauty of the sound and Redouane's pure, clear voice and her vocal improvisations. The Institut du Monde Arabe in France had issued a large number of recordings in their survey of Arabic music, many of them superb, and perhaps someday the institute will again make them available. Meanwhile, you may search for it among Amazon's sellers and be rewarded with this perfect example of the art of Arabic music that developed in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century.
620469
This is an excellent CD, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone and beginners especially as it contains a range of different styles of music with tracks from ten of Hossam's albums, all lovingly recorded by Hossam and his ensemble. It has some of the most tracks by the great legends of Arabic music such as "Khusara Khusara" by Abdul Halim Hafiz and "Gamil Gamal" by Farid El Atrash; both great for beginners or intermediates with very clear distinctions between the orchestra and soloing instruments;  "Enta Omri - Part III" by Oum Kalthoum which makes a lovely introduction to the Arab world's most legendary and popular singer's music and is of course one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever to perform to; the ever popular and highly addictive "Aziza" by Mohammed Abdul Wahab; as well as the famous Saaidi folklore tune "Sallam Allay" - again a superb practice or performance piece for beginners to get to know the SAAIDI rhythm ; "Eshta" - a really great drum solo; and some of Hossam and his ensemble's own compositions; "Bamoot Feeki" and  the soulful "Sehr Oyunik" again really beautiful performance pieces for beginners and intermediates; "Mawwal El-Oshaa" a interesting jazzy piece of Rai style music played by the late great trumpeter Samy El-Babli which will give intermediates and more advanced dancers a different style of music to try; and "Night Foal" - learn to recognise the sounds of traditional instruments such as the rebaba (one bowed violin) and the mizmar (member of the clarinet family that has an immediately recognisable sound).  This is the first CD I ever bought, and it is one of my favourites.  This is an essential CD for those looking for an introduction to Arabic music and performers and teachers alike. I guarantee you won't be able to resist dancing to this album!
2502135
As mentioned in other reviews, Cheb I Sabbah released a sophomore album of equal (perhaps better) quality to that of Shri Durga.
Every song off this album creates an ethereal sensation; as if listening to authentic Hindu raga's - experiencing that which a Hindu would.
Specifically, Raja Vedalu, is my personal favourite from the album.  Eerie, that mesmerizing singing.....a GREAT song.  But, then again, each song is laid out with such passion and skill- Cheb I Sabbah has given his listeners a worthy album indeed.