Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: reflection

  • Journey of Tears

    Journey of Tears

    In an album hard to define, flautist Monica Williams combines her life experience with immense skill on flute to present her first solo album, Journey of Tears.

    The work is in entirety a complex and yet emotionally refreshing collection of compositions, ranging from melancholic through to vibrant, thoughtful, reflective and joyful, as she reaches out with her music to create soundscapes that transport, refresh and offer solace in difficult times.

    Sherry Finzer, Darin Mahoney, Michael Selig and Alexa Nodromia join her on this work, bringing with them immense talent and skill in the New Age genre, adding a lovely tonal variety to four of the songs, which adds yet another dimension, another layer, to the melodies.

    The inside cover of the album contains the emotions behind each of the pieces allowing a snap shot of what is encapsulated within each piece. Beginning with a lovely little offering of Reflecting on Life’s Challenges Monica Williams shares her philosophy on life and living in words, before the songs commence.

    Raining Tears, the introductory song was written after a major loss and reflects this in the melancholy created by the flute as she works through the sadness. Shery Finzer on bass flute and Darin Mahoney on guitar join her on New Horizons, created after attending her first Zone Music Reporter Awards, an event that offered her a raft of new beginnings, new collaborations and inspiration.

    Conversations Within is a piece easily able to connect to as each person has conversations with themselves to help sort out conflict, become comfortable with change and accept the so many things which simply can not be changed in life.  Michael Selig on guitar adds a lovely balance to this intriguing composition

    Reflecting on change saw the birth of Constant Change as Williams pondered on the continuous changes in life and the art of letting go. Using a range of Native American Flutes to create the many layers of change ever present has allowed this piece evolved into an intricate and beautiful song of moving forward.

    The Great Beyond draws this emotional and very beautiful journey to a fitting conclusion as it is a hauntingly delicate piece. The evocative vocals of Alex Nodromia carry the melody with the flutes weaving throughout the vocalisation. Mahoney once again adds a subtle contribution on guitar.

    Journey of Tears is essentially a narrative told in music and one that is filled with acceptance, renewal and hope.

  • Fellowship of Solitude

    Fellowship of Solitude

    In a rather pensive mood, celebrated pianist Lynn Tredeau presents her latest offering Fellowship of Solitude, a singularly alluring series of compositions which are evocative and wonderfully peaceful; a trademark of her music to date.

    Beginning with the title track Fellowship of Solitude she creates a fitting entrance to an album of peace and beauty, which flows over the spirit in a gentle and unobtrusive manner offering solace and time to be spent in reflection.

    Moving down the songs is the delicate, poignant Love Leaves A Memory, a gentle reminder of that first love, so fresh, sparkling and overwhelming, to eventually be replaced by another love, maybe a richer more lasting love to remain in the memory for all time.

    Each of the track titles will evokes memories of many things often best forgotten, or forgiven, lessons learned; with others remaining always as special and meaningful events to be remembered with love and laughter, joy and happiness but always with a salient reminder of a life to be well lived and enjoyed.

    The slightly more sombre Time Machine is an enticing little soliloquy which requires no words spoken, as time, slowly and majestically moves steadily forward leading onto new fields to be explored while the introspective piece Left Behind requests a pause to be taken; a review of things left behind, perhaps unfinished, lessons to be garnered and learned from past experience.

    The penultimate piece Life is in the Journey is a personal refection on the life of Lynn Trudeau and her journey thus far, offering the salient point that all of life is truthfully a journey; of places been and yet to go, that each day brings with it fresh, new beginnings, new experiences and always, perhaps inevitably, something to be gained on a more personal level.

    Purple Fog commences with the deep bass note of the piano overlayed with the higher registers, offering a final peaceful moment of solitude to be enjoyed, which is a delightful ending to an album created to offer a time of peace, relaxation and reflection, which pays tribute to the immense skill of Lynn Tredeau and her heartfelt compositions for solo piano.

     

  • Yesterday Passing

    Yesterday Passing

    Award winning musician Jim Ottaway released his latest album Yesterday Passing in May to great acclaim. This work presents a more relaxed and gentle aspect of electronic music ranging across the e-music spectrum featuring a little chill, some orchestral compositions, one in particular Distant Friends which introduces the album.  Tucked away are a variety of refreshing sounds and mixes, sombre, reflective, joyful and celebratory.

    Created between the years of 2004 and 2018 the music spans a lifetime of memories, experiences and family gatherings: happy times and the sad, joyful occasions and the challenging, all of which when looking back comes to the mind as times less complex, more relaxed, almost simplistic, far more structured and enjoyable.

    Each of the tracks on the 14 track album, with Another Christmas Eve being the bonus track to complete the 14 pieces, showcases a very different aspect of Ottaway’s talent, as well as the ability of electronic music to present a wide range of not just ambient and relaxing music, but music that has a far wider appeal.

    A Moment in Time (Song for Joseph) is reflective of fond memories as it has a delicate beat, a dainty rhythm and could be considered as filled with happiness and sunshine.  A contemporary piece is New Suns Are Rising which comes in with a spacy, measured rhythm that is catchy, intriguing and definitely different.

    A captivating little song is What Darkness Hides; it teases the ear, almost bouncing along to its own rhythm, with shades and shapes hidden within the depths, just as the many shades of the night are there to be discovered, unfolded and accepted.

    The final track, Fun Times is a catchy little number reminiscent of the disco beat with a rather intriguing vibe as once again, it appears to have been created of its own violation and is out to do its very own ‘thing’; something very easily able to be related too as one looks back in reflection.

    Rounding out a very perceptive album is the  final, final track Another Christmas Eve, which once again is an enchanting piece with a fine thread of tantalising ‘Christmas’ familiarity woven throughout.

    Ottaway considers with this album that he is ‘out of his comfort zone’ but whatever has created the drive to give birth to this more reflective style, the change is as delightful as it is refreshing. Yesterday Passing is an album which each time it is enjoyed a  fresh aspect of this intriguing style becomes apparent, creating another layer to the music which keeps it endlessly enjoyable.

    At the recently held 14th annual Zone Music Reporter Awards in New Orleans, Ottaway was awarded “Best Ambient Album of 2017” for Deep Space Blue (which was also nominated for “2017 Album of the Year”) and “Best Electronic Album of 2017” for Timeless e-Motion by ZMR; Deep Space Blue also received the silver medal in the Ambient category from Global Music Awards.

  • Seashells in My Pocket

    Seashells in My Pocket

    The title of this solo piano album is reminiscent of picking up little bits and pieces as one wanders down that pathway, or along a stretch of beach, then placing them in a holder of some sort or other upon return; there to be taken out and memories of that time, place and space enjoyed once again.

    Measured and peaceful, this debut album from classically trained pianist Pam Asberry has been inspired by some of the many places she has travelled and enjoyed throughout her life. Heartfelt and poignant, simple melody is used to present minutes in time, such as in the piece Wishing Stones, where one of the local traditions in Aruba is to build a small cairn of stones on the beach and make a wish. Of course hoping it will come true.

    As a classical pianist, Asberry was more than familiar with following a set score; branching out was not a consideration until one early morning during a walk, a melody arrived refusing to leave until it was written down. That melody is Monterey Morning and became the first of the many compositions to follow.

    Each of the pieces is melodic and graceful, lending themselves to an easy listening style that encourages reflection of the many simple pleasures stored away, reminding one of  some of those many little items, treasures of special of times enjoyed, delicate moments never to be repeated, the beauty of nature there for enjoyment by all.

    Dunn’s River Falls changes the tempo completely with a dramatic introduction, then showcases Asberry’s talent more so than any of the other pieces, as it encourages visions of water pounding over the waterfall, rushing steadily to the bottom to crash in a turbulent manner before flowing into a peaceful stream.

    Wrapping up a delightful album is Sailing Home, a gentle, melodic and absolutely peaceful composition, reminiscent of sailing into harbour after a tiring, but enjoyable day on the water, a peaceful walk along the beach at sunset, the joy of looking over hills and mountains at the end of a day when all is done and peace begins to descend in a timeless and beautiful manner.

    Pam Asberry in her debut album has created music that will be enjoyed for a long time to come.

  • Songs for Smiler McGee

    Songs for Smiler McGee

    After an on again, off again, presence in the music scene spaning more than 17 years, Jon Dahlander has returned with is stunningly beautiful solo piano album, Songs for Smiler McGee written and composed as a tribute to the son he and his wife a loved and lost.

    In the 14 years of Jared’s fragile life, he earned the nickname of Smiler McGee amongst several, and in this delicate collection of songs without words, his father pays tribute to a life that bought joy, love, pain and happiness. Each of the pieces is uncomplicated but intricate, cathartic in a reflective style and appealing in their pure nature.

    Characteristic of the years of caring for a medically delicate child, where the days are filled with challenges, the album is reflective; not in a sad way, but in one of acceptance and joy.

    Titles to the tracks give an indication of the gentle nature of the works, with pieces such as Angel Daydream which has a nice little up-tempo aspect and Origami’s Dream, reflective of creating a thing of beauty from a something as simple piece of paper or fabric.  Odd Job increases the tempo to a sense of refreshing busyness, such as is found when in hurry to complete that ‘odd job’., right now.

    Be Thou My Vision, is a traditional Irish Hymn thought to have been created in the sixth century by Irish Christian poet Saint Dallan, eventually being set to the folk tune commonly referred to as Slane, a piece in which Dahlander has managed to introduce the very essence of the Irish people and countryside.

    With a medically fragile child there is far too much time for tears but in between there is joy, laughter, happiness and peace which has been capture in the exquisite piece Time Between Tears.

    Beyond the Moon segues delightfully into the final piece Until Then, which while measured and thoughtful, holds a gracious sense of release and acceptance, an understanding that life gives and takes and yet continues to flow ever onward.

    The music of Jon Dahlander has changed over the many years since, as a youngster playing trombone, would practice the piano in solitude of the music room after band practice. He would create songs without words, never giving consideration to the aspect of one day becoming a musician of note for his solo piano works.

    Inside the album cover is a joyful picture of a little boy with his father. Overlaid are the words which are at the very heart of delicately created album

    ‘Every day is another gift from God

    Love those around you unconditionally

    Smile as much as you can

    Keep all things in perspective

    Listen’