Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: Cloud

  • The Morning Cloud is Empty

    The Morning Cloud is Empty

    Captivating, thoughtful and opening the doorway of the heart for reflection, the latest anthology of poetry from multiply award winning author Tolu’ A. Akinyemi (also known as Tolutoludo & the Lion of Newcastle), The Morning Cloud is Empty is a beautiful offering at a time when reflection is required in life, to be able to make sense out of the world in which we live.

    Laying bare his innermost thoughts, Tolu captures the very essence of life in simple clear prose which has a very wide appeal; from the lover of poetry to the lover of words. It will also reach out touch those who enjoy a simple moment of contemplation and encouragement in the course of their day.

    Tolu considers himself as a walking human library and as the pages of the anthology turn, piece by piece, little by little, his immense skill with the use of words underline this truth. In parts reflective, in parts full outrage and in others offering quirky moments of the ridiculousness of life in general, The Morning Cloud is Empty offers a fascinating look at one man’s view of the world.

    Anthologies are not made to sit and read in one period of time, but to be discovered page by page, allowing the words to settle, to create the image of the poet, as in the opening verse of Float where you are invited to ‘’float through the immaculate corridors’. These words need to be supped slowly to enjoy the words, the patterns, the visions created.

    The somewhat ironic The Morning Cloud is Empty is something we have all faced when we ponder, just what are we doing with this life. Further on, we come to the second offering where he soaks in the serenity of the temple of silence, the day has moved along.

    Supreme irony is addressed in the third offering, as Omicron arrives to taunt and destroy, South Africa is once again in the news for no good reason and life, as it always does, continues.

    Dataset is reflective of the modern world where we have, regardless of what is said, become not a lot more than part of an algorithm besieged by ‘incessant notifications’. How very true.

    But the very small but beautiful Autumn, leaves behind a feeling of hope that once again the leaves will fall, the air will become crisp with the heralding of Winter and the Spring is to be looked towards as a fresh beginning.

    So many pieces’ makeup The Morning Cloud is Empty, all delightful, all full of meaning and many laced with a wry sense of the ridiculousness of humanity, which makes for interesting reading, a lot of enjoyment and huge amount to ponder and consider.

  • Nocturnes

    Nocturnes

    Nocturnes is a beautiful dreamy and rich series of journeys into the world of classical concepts created by Michael King via Dream Cloud Orchestra, which is both enriching and delightful, beginning with the evocative A Twilight Walk which establishes the beauty of the various works on the ten track album.

    Immediately transporting both the mind and emotions into a place of magic is A Twilight Walk followed by the intriguing Night Clock Waltz, a deliciously romantic piece that evokes the subtle, sensual emotions encapsulated within the delicate steps of the dance; dancers swirling and swooping through the haunting shadows of the night.

    King, as a teen involved with musical theatre, was fascinated by the almost immediate lift the addition to a musical performance a live orchestra made, realizing that music alone can tell a story and when added to a story, changes the vibrancy of the storytelling immensely.

    The amazing world of Silent Movies with the accompanying live music, also had a profound impression on King, as these movies demonstrated comprehensively the immense power of music and storytelling.

    As a more mature musician he wanted to explore the ability to tell stories though the many nuances of the orchestra, which has resulted in his debut album full of magic and mystique. Summer Night Wonders captures this perfectly.

    Traversing the Darkness changes the ambience as it a little darker, more hesitant; the shadows of the night everywhere to be seen, the eerie nature of the unknown that is hidden within nocturnal obscurity. The chanting of voices adds to the ghostly layers.

    Each of the pieces is considerably lengthy but none the less, well worth becoming immersed in the music, allowing the story you wish to tell to be woven. A dog lying asleep nestled at your feet, the switching on of the stars in the night skies, the slumber of refreshing sleep and the echoes of times past and still to arrive are all there, yours to enjoy as you drift gently through the night.

    To awake wiser than when having first gone to sleep could be wondrous thing and on occasion can indeed occur; the ethereal Slumber’s Wisdom takes you to this place of profound knowledge allowing you to choose, to enjoy, to relax and let the pieces coalesce into a whole.

    Nocturnes created by Dream Cloud Orchestra began as a project for Michael King and has arrived as a beautiful, fully fledged, in his words, “cinematic neoclassical work (with) a touch of ambience’’ which describes the work to perfection.

  • Serenity III: More Peaceful Music on the Chapman Stick

    Serenity III: More Peaceful Music on the Chapman Stick

    The lovely dulcet tones created by Michael Kollwitz on his Chapman Stick have once again, on his latest album Serenity III – More peaceful Music on The Chapman Stick, been selected to enchant and relax the body, mind and soul. The rich velvety tones created on The Chapman Stick (The Stick) played by a Master, are simply beautiful.

    This latest album from Kollwitz continues the serene thread begun with his first album created using only The Stick, Serenity – Peaceful Music on The Chapman Stick, an album made to present to the world the full and immensely rich scope that can be created by this intriguing instrument, when used as a stand-alone instrument, not just as a backing choice for some of the more immense sounds that need to be produced in modern music culture.

    Learning from the creator of this amazing instrument Emmett Chapman more than forty years ago, Michael Kollwitz has become known as a stand-alone musician with his beloved “Stick”, performing at many venues throughout America, opening for the Beach Boys and attracting the attention of Carlos Santana who described the luscious sounds as ‘a gift from the heart’.

    Musicians Keith Emerson, Mick Fleetwood, Steve Morse and Herbie Hancock, along with many others, have been introduced by Kollwitz, to the almost magical sounds and qualities of this unique member of the guitar family. Kollwitz and his Chapman Stick are now recognised worldwide for the immensely soothing and luxurious albums created in the genre of Relaxation and New Age music.

    Opening with Cloud Number Eleven the velvet beauty of the music simply oozes out of the speakers, immediately slowing the pace, offering relaxation and time out, which simply continues on track after beautiful track.

    Half way a through this sixteen-track collection is the delicate and subtle Contemplation, a piece that has a soft backing which enhances the sentiment of the title perfectly. For many the titles may feel like familiar friends, but become so much more, perhaps because the original emotion felt by the composer is unchallenged, presented in a more simplistic format with a delicate sensitivity, which seems to be a trademark of Michael Kollwitz, at least in his albums recorded on The Chapman Stick.

    The final track on this restful album is fittingly Good Night Sleep Tight, which is almost perfection in is serenity, drawing this deliciously sumptuous collection to a restful and delightful finale.