Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: moods

  • Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs

    Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs

    Pam Asberry’s journey from concert pianist to composer commenced in 2017 with the release of her first album Seashells in My Pocket, a beautiful, lyrical album that was received with great acclaim. Since her debut as a composer she has released another four albums, the latest being what she considers her best work to date, the classically inspired Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs.

    Prague, located at the centre of the Czech Republic features several times with the beautiful Praha Fantasy a measured, almost careful piece reflecting on the many aspects of a major city, the light and dark, the hidden wonders, majestic architecture, the raw beauty to be discovered around every corner, commences a mellifluous journey of reflection and joy.

    Homage is also being paid to the almost forgotten Czech composer Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900) who created a collection of more than 400 pieces he called Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs, which provided the inspiration for this captivating album.

    A little further into the album is the intriguing piece The Astronomical Clock, which captures the awe-inspiring brilliance of the world’s third astronomical clock and oldest working clock. This intricate composition represents the many facets of time passing.

    Continuing on the journey through Prague is the delightful A Walk Across the Charles Bridge. Up tempo, catchy and delightful the imagination immediately moves to a sun filled day, time of little consequence in the richness of the moment spent strolling across the gloriously beautiful medieval Charles Bridge, a bridge considered as possibly the most beautiful in Europe, but certainly the most famous.

    Another delightfully light piece Swimming with Stingrays reimages the memory of a magical time spent swimming amongst the Stingrays to be found around the many sandbars of the North Sound of Grand Caymans. There is once again a measured rhythm, mystery, hesitancy, then confidence before the pure joy of being in the water with such incredible creatures of the sea, as they accept you into their watery world, showing their skills for your enjoyment; or so it seems.

    Floating is a lovely, light song, simple, elegant, drifting and enjoyable asking for nothing more than to be enjoyed. Reverie is another such piece, perfectly placed to continue the ambient mood created by A Walk Across the Charles Bridge. October in Paris is charming, continuing a moment of relation, but full of the joie de vivre that is simply Paris in the Autumn, or any time, as there is something captivating about this charming, complex and beautiful City to be discovered in all seasons.

    A sombre ending to a joy filled journey is the lamentation White Poppy in remembrance of victims of war; solemn, respectful and in today’s world, timely.

    Is Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs perhaps the best from Pam Asberry: I would say it is her finest work to date; far more introspective than her previous albums in many ways, but also allowing the full depth of her talent to become very apparent in each of the compositions.

     

  • Grey-glasses-itis

    Grey-glasses-itis

    The wonderfully colourful and hugely popular Loppy the LAC is back in his very distinctive red and white stripes, to bring another perspective to those terribly grey days we all have from time to time.

    In this wonderful new story Lynne Jenkins and Kirrili Lonergan, with the help of Loppy, teach little ones the difference which can be made in their lives by simply doing something very small to change the way they feel, and how that feeling is bound up in how they think.

     Loppy the LAC is having a wonderful day. He is painting a lovely, actually a wonderful picture, full of colours. He is thinking about how the colours all around him and the ones he is using in his picture, are making him feel.  Blue makes him feel peaceful and red makes him excited. Yellow makes him cheerful.

    That is until his friend Curley Calmster comes along with a bag full of glasses, which he gets Loppy to try on. Loppy and Curly are having such fun until Loppy tries on the grey glasses. All of a sudden, his fun day is grey, gloomy; he feels miserable, sad and not wanting to go out to the concert that night, at all.

    The big, bold illustrations are wonderful to show the effect colours of the day have on how people feel with the change in emotion felt and seen with the grey glasses; the rapid rise in the emotions are duly recorded when the grey is removed from Loppy’s world. Almost immediately he feels so much better, so much so he will go to the concert, after all.

    Once again Lynne Jenkins and Kirrili Lonergan have combined their talent to create a wonderful medium to enchant, entertain and teach about emotions and resilience, with two characters who are beginning to became rather famous in the world of children’s literature; that of Loopy the LAC and his great friend Curley Calmster in the Lessons of a LAC series.

    Great reading and sharing fun are to be had while teaching children to identify how they are feeling and how they can choose to change those grey feelings, as well as thoughts, into good feelings, simply by changing their glasses!

  • Celtique

    Celtique

    In this his twelfth album, Doug Hammer does not disappoint with the beautiful and intriguing Celtique, a solo piano juxtaposition of Celtic influenced pieces, where the piano is used to create the wonderful richness that is Celtic music.

    Delightful and dreamy in parts, vibrant and full of life, powerful, strong and peaceful in others, the album is a wonderful composition of mood and movement which will enchant from beginning to end. Based about the life of a fisherman the album begins and ends with Celtique, completing the circle of a day on the seas.

    Celtique (Daybreak) introduces the work with a delightful, gentle, melody immediately bringing to mind the grey white softness of misty morning as the fishermen get ready to head out for the mornings work, which slowly builds to a faster, more frenetic pace as the boats reach the open waters of the sea.

    As with all Doug Hammers albums they contain the unexpected as is shown in Wandering Path, a complete change creating the mood of a gentle stroll along the cliffs edge or across the vastness of the moors: wandering along at times as if enjoying the moment, brisker as the pace increases, perhaps to lead towards an interesting object on the pathway. Or perhaps a cold drink at journey’s end.

    Ancient Stones is a favourite track as it has been created in tribute to the majestic and wonderful rows of the standing stones of Carnac. The three fields – Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan – contain around 3,000 aligned megaliths, which date from 4000BC and were dug out and erected where they stand in timeless witness to the world passing them bye. She Beckons is once again introduced with a gentle soft melody that quickly moves into a vibrant and playful dance rhythm which fits well with the previous track.

    Each of the song titles chosen introduces the moments of the day with the glorious Wind And Waves, a perfect piece to create the vision of the sea beginning to rise, become choppy as the wind begins to stir the water, the day beginning to draw in, the fishermen beginning to point their boats towards a Safe Harbor, a piece with a refreshing, bright and energetic melody which perfectly completes the safe coming home.

    A change of pace is created with Voices of the Past a hauntingly beautiful piece whereas Moss and Earth introduces a deep and sombre melody, before moving into a jaunty little rhythm that intrigues, as it once again changes to a full bodied melody and then changes back, yet again.

    Celtique (Twilight) draws to close a day in the life of a fisherman, the evening drawing in, the mood gentle, slow and peaceful; a fitting and relaxed final piece.

    Delightful, full of joy and peace, this work from Doug Hammer is unashamedly, beautifully Celtic!