Auralscapes: Episode 012

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world fusion & contemporary classical music for winter.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Kerani / Aurora Sky / Arctic Sunrise
0:08:00 / Monica Logani / Dreams of Zagyva / The Depths
0:11:00 / Afro Celt Sound System / Le Paix / Ova
0:17:53 / Kitaro / Requiem / Zen: Live In Katsuyama
0:24:28 / David Darling / The Pilgrimage / Other Worlds
0:31:12 / Gandalf / Al-Andalus / A Light from Afar
0:37:31 / Kristina Bennett / Dragonfly / Shakti
0:42:41 / Rick Sparks / Winter Dream / Winter Dream
0:48:06 / Timothy Wenzel / Ice / Immerse
0:53:07 / Peter Sterling / Golden Leaves of Fall / Heaven Sent
0:58:15 / Jill Haley / Splashes of Silver / Colors Collide
1:02:45 / Neil Tatar / Bella / Bella
1:07:17 / David Lindsay / So Far Away / With You
1:11:07 / Kori Linae Carothers / Joseph, Kind Joseph / On A Cold Frosty Morning
1:14:51 / Kevin Keller / Evensong 7 / Evensong
1:19:05 / Secret Garden / Cathedral / Songs In The Circle of Time
1:23:34 / Potlach / Memories / Memories
1:26:31 / Karavan Sarai / Unshakable Sarai (Palace) / Mystics, Masters, Madman, (Eastern Devotional Music, Vol. 1)
1:30:45 / Christina Tourin & Peter Sprague / Imaginings (Due Version) / Imaginings
1:35:25 / Fiona Joy Hawkins / Flight of the Snowbird / Music For Study And Relaxation
1:39:44 / Masako / Winter Tale / Lost there Found here
1:43:55 / Yuval Ron / Courage of a Leaf in the Wind / Global Piano
1:49:01 / Pangaea Projekt / Snow On Edson Hill / Winter Vol. X
1:53:43 / Michael Whalen / Winter Beach / Watercolor Sky

Auralscapes: Episode 011

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world & contemporary classical music for autumn.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Gandalf / A Light from Afar / A Light from Afar
0:05:20 / John Gregorius / Light / In Awe
0:09:08 / Erwillian / Fantasy & Dance (Live) / Cascadia
0:13:15 / Timothy Wenzel / The Gale / Immerse
0:18:25 / David Arkenstone / Eyes of Skata / Quest for the Runestone
0:23:05 / Secret Garden / Session / Songs in the Circle of Time
0:25:53 / Jill Haley / Sepia Dunes / Colors Collide
0:29:30 / Afro Celt Sound System / AM / OVA
0:34:20 / Kitaro / Silk Road / Zen: Live in Katsuyama
0:41:05 / Holland Phillips / Through the Rabbit Hole / A Sense of Distance
0:44:50 / I-One / Morning in Thailand / Morning in Thailand
0:48:30 / ENILSounds / Hush / Hush
0:52:26 / Igor Lisul / Evening Song / Evening Song
0:56:32 / Eguana / Bird Tearing Out of a Cage / Freedom
0:58:54 / Tommy Guerrero / Holding the Ocean / Amber of Memory
1:02:58 / Rebecca Harrold feat. Will Ackerman, Hannah Woods / He Shall Be Like a Tree / The Tree of Life
1:07:50 / Todd Mosby / Moonrise Samba / Land of Enchantment
1:12:42 / Masako / Walk Together / Lost there Found here
1:17:38 / Gregory Paul Mineeff / Moon Triptych / Restraint
1:20:51 / David Lindsay / In A Forest / Ever So
1:26:36 / Raphael Groten & Rebecca Kodis / Rainbow Tribe / Unity
1:32:09 / Michael Whalen / The Road Not Taken / Watercolor Sky
1:36:52 / Potlach / Beginning / The Moment
1:39:56 / Rick Sparks / Elysian Fields / Angeline
1:45:56 / Kevin Braheny Fortune / Spirit Love Notes / Dreamwalker Meditation Music, Vol. 5

Auralscapes: Episode 010

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world & contemporary classical music for springtime.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP
0:00:00 / Age of Echoes / Spirit of Adventure / Beyond the Farthest Shore
0:06:49 / Guy Sweens / Japanese Ceremony / Universal Language
0:12:13 / Opium Moon with Wouter Kellerman / Of Kiss and Wing / Where We Are Gathered
0:16:36 / Medwyn Goodall / Amulet / Earth Goddess
0:26:05 / AO Music / Into the Trees / Kutumba
0:29:50 / Max Jeschek / Sparkle of Spring / The Awakening
0:35:34 / Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh & Thomas Bartlett / All Good Things / [Self-Titled]
0:39:15 / Timothy Wenzel / Awaken Me / Dusk to Diamonds
0:45:36 / Bridget McMahon / Child of the Moon / Avalon Moon
0:50:00 / Chris Conway / Airmid’s Herbal Clock / Celtic Gold
0:57:45 / Llewellyn / Star Angel / Earth Angel
1:02:56 / Peter Sterling / Night Wind / Mystic Voyager
1:07:27 / Paul Sills / Rainbows End / Awaken And Dreaming
1:13:27 / Deep Forest / It’s All About Light / Burning
1:15:46 / Acoustic Ocean / Spirit Whispers / Divine Grace
1:18:55 / Jon Richards / Song of the Seasons / The Sacred Tree
1:27:27 / Lara Somogyi / Aviary II / ! (Expansion)
1:29:29 / Karl Maddison / Wishing Wheel / On The Road to Tibet
1:34:59 / Michael Borowski / Birds / Unlit Moon
1:38:23 / Tstewart / Elysian Opening / Elysian
1:41:31 / Kirsten Agresta-Copely / I Am Water / Aquamarine
1:56:01 / Fiona Joy Hawkins & Rebecca Daniel / Necessity for the Mundane / To the Wind…
1:50:05 / Bill Leslie / Celtic Peace / Celtic Peace
1:53:21 / Josefine & Trine Opsahl / Lightly Dance into the Morning / The Infinite Between Us

Auralscapes: Episode 009

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world & contemporary classical music for the winter season.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Shunia / Ong Namo / Shunia
0:05:28 / Christopher Caouette / The Fae’s Gift / Tale Of The Oakenwish
0:09:30 / Jill Haley / Glacial Albedo / Alaskan Soundscapes
0:14:50 / Fränder / Rabatud / II
0:21:35 / Ashley Davis / Fuacht / Songs of the Celtic Winter
0:25:32 / David Arkenstone / Kisses from the Falling Snow / Winterlude
0:29:23 / Robin Meloy Goldsby / Echo in Winter / Dearest Things
0:32:10 / Opium Moon / Time and Tide / Where We Are Gathered
0:36:32 / Peter Sterling / The Long Cold Winter / Mystic Voyager
0:41:12 / Mediaeval Baebes / Hail Mary / Prayers of the Rosary
0:44:46 / Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Mother and Child / Shimmer
0:51:04 / Suzanne Herman / Dancing Lights / A Seaside View
0:54:07 / Paul Avgerinos / Angels We Have Heard On High / Shanti Noel
1:04:40 / Kevin Keller / Evensong 4 / Evensong
1:10:06 / East Forest / Flittering / Music for the Deck of the Titanic
1:13:26 / Amethystium / Automne / Isabliss
1:18:20 / Áine Minogue / Womb of the Word / In the Name of Stillness
1:22:53 / Niall / Angels Gather on High / Calling My Angels
1:32:26 / Larkenlyre / Angels Will Eventually Sing / You and I and Every Sky
1:37:10 / Aionigma / Ode an die Freude / Aionigma
1:42:12 / Pangaea Projekt / Winter Time / Winter Vol. IX
1:46:38 / Kori Linae Carothers / First Snow / On A Cold Frosty Morning
1:50:02 / Cantus / Fjellheim: Njoktji / Northern Lights
1:55:28 / Stephen Peppos / Celestial Joy / Celestial

Auralscapes: Episode 008

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world & contemporary classical music.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Opium Moon / Through the Ages / Where We Are Gathered
0:04:16 / Diane Wheeler Dunn / New Beginnings / Elfin Footfalls
0:07:54 / Amethystium / Satori / Evermind
0:12:14 / Peter Sterling / Across the Great Divide / Mystic Voyager
0:17:48 / Andrea Bacci / Magical Forest / Mystic
0:21:34 / Novalima / La Danza / La Danza, Pt. 1
0:25:30 / Acoustic Ocean / A Light In The Darkness / Divine Grace
0:29:27 / Sheila Chandra / Waiting / Moonsung: A Real World Retrospective
0:35:28 / Omar Akram / Promises / Moments of Beauty
0:39:14 / David Lyndon Huff / Rhythm of Life / Worldbeat Africa
0:45:25 / Bodhiheart / Migration / Out of Doors: Meditations for Piano and Nature
0:52:32 / Vicki Logan / Spirit Wolf / Born Out of Chaos
0:56:59 / Album Spotlight: Luminous by Michele McLaughlin
0:58:09 / Michele Mclaughlin / Lanterns in the Sky / Luminous
1:01:40 / Michael Whalen / Morning Bell (ft. Michael Brook, Karsh Kale, Michael Manring & Jeff Oster) / Our April Tigers
1:06:17 / Adiemus / Cantus Iteratus / Songs of Sanctuary
1:12:51 / Kirsten Agresta-Copely / Aquamarine / Aquamarine
1:17:33 / Peter Calandra / The Highlands / The Blue Light
1:22:46 / Vucekovich & Curtin / A Thin Place / A Thin Place [single]
1:25:35 / Stephen Peppos / The Sun Sphere / Celestial
1:31:18 / Jill Haley / Fantastical Formations / The Canyons and Mesas of Bandelier
1:35:23 / White Sun / Soñadora / En Busca
1:38:40 / Lesiëm / Spes / Auracle
1:42:26 / Carlos Dengler / Golden Dawn / Private Earth
1:49:35 / Ann Sweeten / Seirios / Love Walks Through Rain
1:53:38 / Larkenlyre / Follow On / You and I and Every Sky

Auralscapes: Episode 007

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world & contemporary classical music.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Robin Miller / Mystical Moon / Sedona Nights
0:05:50 / Kevin Wood / Strength in Numbers / Kindred
0:11:40 / Sherry Finzer & Mark Holland / Evening Star / Somewhere New
0:16:00 / Scott August / Empty Highways / Beyond Summer
0:21:37 / Kitaro / Mirage / Celestial Scenery: Silk Road, Vol. 1
0:25:50 / Fiona Joy Hawkins & Rebecca Daniel / Celtic Contemplation (Duet) / To The Wind
0:32:15 / Kristin Amarie / Beloved (And I’ll Dream In Blue) / Notes from a Journey
0:38:18 / Ann Licater / Initiation (Awakening) / Whispers from Earth
0:41:13 / Ron Korb / Cordoba / World Café
0:45:00 / Album Spotlight: Luminous by Michele McLaughlin
0:46:09 / Michele McLaughlin / Moonlit Shadows / Luminous
0:49:05 / Ronan Hardiman / Ready for Life / Anthem
0:54:07 / Stephen Peppos / Fields of Stars / Celestial
0:58:43 / Acoustic Ocean / Blue Again Like Morning / Divine Grace
1:01:45 / Llewellyn / Merlyn and the Crossing / Mysts of Avalon
1:07:30 / Deborah Martin & Jill Haley / Hall of Whispers / Into the Quiet
1:13:00 / Max Jeschek / Arrived / The Awakening
1:17:27 / Tron Syversen / Surrender / A New Spring
1:22:53 / Robin Spielberg / Ukraine National Anthem / All the Best Returns, Pt. I
1:26:33 / Album Spotlight: Traveling the Blissful Highway by Darlene Koldenhoven
1:27:47 / Darlene Koldenhoven / Tropical Chill / Traveling the Blissful Highway
1:32:13 / Kenneth Hooper / Respite / As the Crow Flies
1:38:20 / Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Golden Temple / Shimmer
1:42:50 / Rose Moore / Blessed by the Angels / Spirit of Silence
1:46:14 / Michael Martinez / Time Dance / The Stillness Within
1:49:08 / Liquid Mind / Hymn for Peace / Liquid Mind XIV: Simplicity

Album Review: Whispers from Earth by Ann Licater

Review by Marilyn Torres 

With her sixth music album, Whispers from Earth: Flute Passages for Meditation and Inspiration, Ann Licater bestows her listeners with a serene collection of compositions perfectly suited for those who wish to enter into a state of peace and tranquility.

The CD opens with the title tune featuring a wood flute with deep notes to bid the listener a calm entrance. On the next track, “Echoes from a Glass Pond,” Licater’s flute duet demonstrates the echo in perfect harmony as the notes repeat and circle from beginning to end.

For “Peaceful Prayer,” the solo Native American flute calls out like a lone voice whispering into the sky.

We hear the piano first in “Luminous Morning”; Its twinkling keys flow like drops of early day dew. The flute joins in and together, they flutter and chirp as if dancing like birds and butterflies near a lush flowing spring. Licater has set a beautiful scene.

Tracks 5, 7 and 10, “Red Cedar Calling,” “Mirror Lake Reflection,” and “Forest Moon Rising,” respectively, all feature a solo flute throughout. These pieces can serve as grounding points for focusing and clearing the mind.

The synthesizer introduces “Star Stream Dreamer,” and the bass keeps steady tempo while the flute takes the lead in this fanciful piece.

Perhaps my love of trains influenced my perception and fondness of “Initiation (Awakening).” As one solo flute begins and the other follows, and then there is a brief silence, their sound mimics the whistle of a train. One could imagine letting go of something or the arrival of something else…

In the closing track, “Following the Call (Horizons),” the flute is solo for about one minute until the synthesizer enters and flows in and out of the piece in a peaceful partnership and fitting final note.

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information, please visit Ann Licater's Website. Whispers from Earth is also available at Amazon, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and more.

Album Review: Luminous by Michele McLaughlin

Review by Marilyn Torres 

Michele McLaughlin has gifted her fans and admirers another unique grouping of beautiful and thoughtful piano compositions with her latest work, Luminous.

The names of the pieces give us a preview of the general theme; that being, the interplay between darkness and light.

With titles such as "Droplets of Gray," "Shimmer," "Moonlit Shadows" and "Lanterns in the Sky," one can imagine the seasons of life and even the day to day ups and downs moving in and out of dark and light.

In the piece, "When You Hurt, I Hurt," McLaughlin maintains a slow and thoughtful tempo which demonstrates the beauty of being in the moment with a hurting one - no words needed.

"Shimmer" enters with a tip toe effect and soon the notes ascend faster into their climax to then begin cascading, rippling down to their tip toe finale. McLaughlin’s choice of major keys and uptempo infuse "The Golden Hour" with a relaxing vibe, without being sedate. The title piece, "Luminous," is a beautiful homage to the definition of light. A vivid description with effortless dance and fluidity. In "Adrift," McLaughlin departs from the light/dark theme as the piece goes towards a wandering state. But perhaps it could be a transition phase one could say, from light to dark and back again. "Lanterns in the Sky" possesses a soothing and transformative quality, with its careful entrance that takes you by the hand and shows you with increasing intensity the light all around you until you reach the reassuring end. McLaughlin writes her thoughts, dreams and passions using her piano keys and we are delighted to be invited into this personal journey.

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information, please visit Michele McLaughlin's website. Luminous is also available at Amazon, Apple Music, Bandcamp and more.

Album Review: All the Best Returns, Pt. I by Robin Spielberg

Review by Marilyn Torres 

All The Best Returns Part I, is a brief but focused array of her talent as an accomplished piano performer who happens to be a theater actress, author, speaker, professor, and an advocate for the healing power of music.

The strong and powerful start to "In Search of the Forest Fairy," grounds the piece in a safe place before taking off in a venture that is light and delicate, as the piano keys seem to spin more and more before returning to the anchoring, firm notes. On "One Step Closer," Spielberg takes a slow pace with in-step keystrokes to direct the flow in a soothing and contemplative tune.

The next piece, which is the namesake of the album, has an old fashioned carousel feel about it that this listener thoroughly enjoyed! The artist and her vintage piano team up to take us along for a sweet ride into the past.

Perhaps keeping an eye in yesteryear, "The End of Summer" presents a melancholy (but not depressed) structure with soft and slow strokes.

Spielberg culminates her work with "Shche ne Vmerla Ukrainy (The Ukrainian National Anthem)," showing support by featuring her own rendition of the song. She performs it with tenderness and sensitivity while bestowing it with an air of flair that takes it to the strong and self assured finale.

This collection is sure to please Robin’s fans and garner new listeners looking for an inspiring grouping of calming and uplifting music.

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information, please visit Robin Spielberg's website. All The Best Returns is also available at Amazon, Apple Music, Bandcamp and more.

Album Review: Wondering by Stephen Wallack

Review by Marilyn Torres 

For his latest album, titled Wondering, Stephen Wallack embarks on a journey of exploration of single themes and topics as a way of coming to terms with the many questions surrounding the events of the past several months.

The opening "Beyond" starts with a constant key which maintains its form like a frame to hold the fluttering and twinkling keys that follow. Similarly, in "Remember", a single key serves as an anchor for the surrounding notes. 

“Sorry” and “Bridges” give the sense of a conversation; the former, with depth and pauses, brings forth the increased tempo that contributes to the feel and urgency of someone pleading, perhaps apologizing? Meanwhile, the latter “Bridges”, takes soft careful steps like crossing over to meet the other side - reconciliation or new adventure?

“Games” and “Wolves” both embody a direct and determined character as if guided by a predestined goal. I could not help but think of galloping horses on a polo field when I listened to “Royals”. Perhaps the title led me that way but I did not mind; it was a very pleasant ride. 

Wallack concludes his exploration with the delicate and mellow “Goodbye”. It is not a long, drawn out farewell but more of a recognition and validation of the many changes and indeed questions brought up in recent history. Stephen Wallack delivers a sensitive and thoughtful musical collection for us to draw upon as we consider our own questions. 

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information, please visit Stephen Wallack's website. Wondering is also available at Amazon, Apple Music and more.

Album Review: The London Sessions by Ed Bazel

Review by Marilyn Torres 

Pianist Ed Bazel delivers an inspirational and soothing collection of pieces curated to highlight the artist's mementos in life experiences. 

The London Sessions: Reflections from Studio 2 opens with “Morning Glory” which feels silky under Bazel’s expert command of the piano keys. It is a piece full of possibility and joyous expectation. In the following title, “Mountain Serenity” as well as the later piece, “Mountain Joy,” I felt a particular familiarity to the theme of stillness and awe these two pieces presented since I have the blessing of going to the mountains frequently to enjoy the scenery mother nature provides.

Bazel’s sensitive interpretation of the Beatles’ “In My Life” and “Yesterday,” is a nod to the germinating musical interests of his childhood, and a recognition of the impact the “Fab Four” had on his life. It is also fitting for him to take on these songs at the revered Studio 2 in Abbey Road Studios.

I found that “Old Friends” and “After the Rain” have a touch of the Barry Manilow style of reminiscing with a melancholy twist. 

Bazel’s confidence in his piano prowess is ever present in the category of quiet and soothing music especially in pieces like “Soaring” and “Daydream” (perfect background music for calming nerves).

Bazel’s involvement in the music sphere as well as his passion for adventure and discovery, permeates his work and bathes it with a sense of simple joy and gratitude. He is an artist whose style is not flashy or long-winded and yet captures the listener’s interest through the universal quality of affection for the joy of music.

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information, please visit Ed Bazel's website. The London Sessions is also available at Amazon, Apple Music and more.

Auralscapes: Episode 006

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world & contemporary classical music.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning / Raven Dance / Coming, Going
0:02:42 / Christopher Caouette / Forest of Mist / Tale of the Oakenwish
0:06:22 / Kori Linae Carothers / Crystal Fields (Re-Imagined) / On A Cold Frosty Morning
0:11:27 / Yungchen Lhamo / Auspicious Days / Awakening
0:15:45 / Jonathan E. Blake / Autumn / Old Souls
0:22:28 / Peter Kater / My Land, My People, My Soul / Native America
0:27:07 / Peter Sterling / Along the Way / The Winding Way
0:31:45 / Album Spotlight: Traveling the Blissful Highway by Darlene Koldenhoven
0:32:59 / Darlene Koldenhoven / Native Star / Traveling the Blissful Highway
0:37:31 / White Sun / Anik Naad / White Sun III
0:41:49 / Robin Spielberg / One Step Closer / All the Best Return
0:45:30 / Ann Licater / Luminous Morning / Whispers from Earth
0:49:48 / Sharon Fendrich / Sea of Oaks / Sapphire Oak
0:55:18 / 2002 / Jasmine Rain / Hummingbird
0:59:22 / Stephen Wallack / Wolves / Wondering
1:03:50 / Raphael Groten / Invocation / Great Blue
1:05:35 / David Arkenstone / Fangorn Forest / Music Inspired by Middle Earth II
1:10:12 / Mediaeval Baebes / Memorare / Prayers of the Rosary
1:14:37 / Album Spotlight: Life Passage by Shambhu
1:15:59 / Shambhu / Mars Dawn / Life Passage
1:21:30 / Tom Moore & Tim Sadow / An Ancient Path / Life Passage
1:26:43 / Michele McLaughlin / Droplets of Gray / Luminous
1:31:45 / Will Ackerman / Passing Baldo’s Tower / Positano Songs
1:37:16 / Rusty Crutcher / Aegean Reflections / Oracle of Delphi
1:42:55 / Donna De Lory / Where I Find You / Gone Beyond
1:48:20 / Aureliaslight / Sparks of Light / A Mystic’s Autumn
1:51:46 / Liquid Mind / Simplicity / Liquid Mind XIV: Simplicity

Auralscapes: Episode 005

A refreshing 2-hour set of new-age, world, classical & contemporary instrumental music.
(Photo credit: Tim Kuret Photography.)

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Peter Kater / Buffalo Song (feat. Kevin Locke) / Native America
0:04:31 / Joseph L. Young / Windswayed / Into the Unknown
0:10:06 / David Arkenstone / Shadowfax and the White Rider / Music Inspired by Middle Earth Vol. II
0:14:14 / Robin Spielberg / In Search of the Forest Fairy / All the Best Return
0:18:48 / Kerani / Divine Immersion / The Water of Life
0:23:54 / Elizabeth Naccarato / Shrine of the Stations of the Cross / A Southwest Story
0:27:18 / Aureliaslight / A Mystic’s Autumn / A Mystic’s Autumn
0:30:33 / Sharon Fendrich / Call of the Ruins / Sapphire Oak
0:35:44 / Album Spotlight: Traveling the Blissful Highway by Darlene Koldenhoven
0:36:56 / Darlene Koldenhoven / Jade Dreams / Traveling the Blissful Highway
0:41:47 / Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning / On Scatha’s Island / Coming, Going
0:44:53 / Maji / Believe / Flow
0:48:33 / Jill Haley / Bursts of Color / The Forests and Shores of Acadia
0:53:04 / Lynn Tredeau / Nomad / Reflection
0:56:44 / Sherry Finzer & VeeRonna Ragone / Mystic Breezes / Mystic Breezes
1:05:21 / Genevieve Walker / Saints / Home Songs
1:10:17 / Dan Chadburn / Uncertainty / Always
1:14:24 / Album Spotlight: Life Passage by Shambhu
1:15:46 / Shambhu / Shambhu / Life Passage
1:21:33 / Will Ackerman / The Tyrrhenian Sea / Positano Songs
1:27:24 / Brooks & Day / Oneness / Awakening
1:33:20 / Orchestra Indigo / Mysteries / Farewell to Memories
1:37:37 / Lis Addison / Rhythm of the Earth / Elements
1:43:28 / Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Shimmer / Shimmer
1:49:11 / Julie Hanney / Taking Flight / Taking Flight
1:52:14 / Paul Adams & Elizabeth Geyer / Forest Light / Sanctuary

Auralscapes: Episode 004

A refreshing 2-hour episode of contemporary instrumental, world, classical & new age music from across the globe.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Lis Addison / Horizon Line / Elements
0:05:44 / Roman Nagel / Mireya / Late Bloomers
0:08:29 / Elizabeth Naccarato / Sacred Land / A Southwest Story
0:13:22 / David Arkenstone / Daughter of the River / Music Inspired by Middle Earth, Vol. II
0:17:51 / Kevin Keller / Shimmer / Shimmer
0:27:31 / Carl Lord / Heaven’s Shores / Tranquil Horizon
0:31:28 / Darlene Koldenhoven / Cheerful Mohana / Traveling the Blissful Highway
0:35:35 / Victor Towle / Days Gone By / Days Gone By
0:40:51 / Vicente Avella / Where Light and Shadow Meet / Physics of Light
0:44:32 / Trine Opsahl / Return of the Light / The Moon Stays Bright
0:47:52 / Randal Meek / Mo’ollo Place / Longings
0:53:08 / Dan Chadburn / Uncharted Waters / Always
0:56:17 / Peter Phippen, Rahbi Crawford & Ivar Lunde Jr. / Triangulum (radio edit) / Galaxies
01:01:34 / Jacquelyn G. Kleine / Vesica Piscis / Glass Timeline
01:05:55 / Chad Lawson / To Hold the Stars in the Palm of Your Hand / Breathe
01:09:48 / Tim Sadow & Mike Kopp / As the River Runs / Out of the Mist
01:13:38 / Brooks & Day / Transcendence / Awakening
01:17:26 / Shambhu / Because of You / Life Passage
01:23:44 / Christopher Boscole / Romance Sans Paroles Op. 17 No. 3 - Gabriel Faure / Isle of Shadows
01:26:59 / Jill Haley / Fog On Blueberry Hill / The Forests and Shores of Acadia
01:30:58 / Peter Kater / The Path is Clear / Soul Story
01:34:38 / David De Michele / Ripples in Time / Beyond
01:41:36 / Orchestra Indigo / Twilight Falls / Farewell to Memories
01:45:25 / Fiona Joy Hawkins / Falling (Twin Peaks Theme) / Falling (Twin Peaks Theme)
01:48:41 / Paul Adams & Elizabeth Geyer / Through the Tree Tops / Sanctuary

Album Review: Life Passage by Shambhu

Review by Abdul Yamani 

The music of acclaimed jazz guitarist and composer Shambhu seems to transport me to a quieter world, where perception and intuition seem clearer. The guitar in his hands always seems to turn into a soothing elixir. Shambhu’s latest EP titled Life Passage is no exception and in my opinion is one of the most inspiring albums that he has released to date.

Comprised of five songs all written, arranged, and produced by Shambhu, with exception of the last track “Shambhu,” co-written with his guru, Sri Chinmoy, the album offers expressive tunes of beauty, serenity and nature canvassed in new age, jazz/fusion and Indian styles. The compositions are accented by an impressive ensemble of accomplished new age, jazz, and world musicians such as bassist Michael Manring, pianist Frank Martin, flutist Premik Russell Tubbs, violinist Nathaniel Wolkstein, and percussionist Nelson Myers-Daly.

The songs on the album are a mélange of contemplation as in the first track “Because of You,” and the beautiful slow waltz “Gentle Flower” in which the guitar talks with the piano; melancholia as in the title track, “Life Passage” featuring Shambhu on acoustic guitar reflecting on the passing of the late jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea who Shambhu studied with online during the pandemic and who passed quite unexpectedly, as well as imaginative and mysterious with “Mars Dawn” taking the listener on a musical journey to the ever intriguing red planet in a backdrop of lush, orchestral strings set by Nathaniel Wolkstein, and a haunting French horn played by the multi-talented Premik Russell Tubbs.

The song titled “Shambhu” changes the pace a little and concludes the album. It is an Indian temple-beat fusion based on a melody by Sri Chinmoy. Shambhu masterfully merges the contemporary with the sacred and traditional in this joy-exuding and centering melody. He plays guitar, e-sitar and e-pads, accompanied by New Zealand world percussionist Nelson Myers-Daly, a member of the meditative music duo, Monk Party, as Premik Russell Tubbs contributes bansuri flute.

Life Passage is a blissful aural retreat you will want to return to time and time again.

Shambhu recorded Life Passage at his Hamptons Sanctuary Studios in Westhampton, NY. The EP was mixed and mastered by Todd Boston at Spatial Sound Studios in Portland, OR.

~Abdul Yamani for Auralscapes 

For more information, please visit Shambhu's website. Life Passage is also available at Amazon, Apple Music and more.

Album Review: Traveling the Blissful Highway by Darlene Koldenhoven

Review by Lissette Cascante

Acclaimed soprano soloist and classically-trained pianist Darlene Koldenhoven boasts one of the most diverse portfolios a musician could ask for. Hailing from Chicago’s south side, and raised in a musical family, the GRAMMY® Winner and three-time GRAMMY® Nominee, with her radiant smile and her powerful 5-octave range voice, has traveled the world performing solo as well as with top industry names such as Yanni and many others in concerts and events, conducting workshops, teaching music, even appearing in blockbuster movies (both Sister Act films with Whoopi Goldberg.) Additionally, Darlene gives of her time and talents not just as an entertainer but as an advocate contributing her efforts to charities and worthy causes dear to her heart, such as her Music Matrix Foundation, to help make the world a better place.

Having already produced and recorded twelve albums on her label TimeArt® Recordings, one of which I had the pleasure of reviewing in 2021, an exquisite production for solo piano titled The Grand Piano Spa, Darlene returns with yet another masterful creation to add to our collection, this time in the New Age category with an all instrumental album of twelve tracks titled Traveling the Blissful Highway.

Darlene’s experience and exposure to varied cultures, countries and traditions have contributed positively to her broad and diverse vision of humanity and our world which comes through in her musical compositions, and especially shines on this album. She performs on keyboard synths, background vocals, singing bowls, Australian rainstick, Native drum and shaker. Four of the tracks are accented with Darlene’s vocalese which adds a subtle ambience to the pieces. She also surpasses herself in this project as producer, engineer, composer, and arranger. Collaborating on the album is an impressive ensemble of accomplished and award-winning musicians, detailed on the liner notes – such as GRAMMY® Nominated multi-flautist Ron Korb and GRAMMY® Winning violinist Charlie Bisharat, among others – incorporating a fantastic variety of instrumentation throughout the album.

A lover of travel myself, I was excitedly drawn to the theme of the album. As a long, expansive highway stretches before our musical horizon, we can sit back, relax, and embark on a scenic “auralscape” allowing our imagination to take us to our desired escapade. An uplifting melody, “Cheerful Mohana” opens the album, inviting us to leave our cares behind and embrace a more spontaneous, bohemian side of life. The album offers a nice combination of lively and soft, meditative songs which keep the listener actively engaged in the process but also promotes a carefree and calm state of being. As we glide alongside the musical notes, sounds of birds and nature, native flutes and drums, and a vast array of exotic instruments add to the wonder of our sensory cruise.

“Jade Dreams” the third track for example, transported me to balmy beaches and tucked-away coves in remote places, Bali comes to mind; while “Tropical Chill” with its ocean wave sounds, flugelhorn and breezy rhythm presented for me a relaxing beach sunset view somewhere in the Caribbean enjoying a favorite tropical beverage. “Dot Calm” took me to the rainforests of Costa Rica, reminding me of my late father’s beautiful birth country. Along the way there are ancient stars to gaze at as in “Native Star” the tenth track with its haunting flute melody, and Irish green misty mornings to savor as in “Highland Mist.” My favorite track on the album, “Osmium Glow,” is as rare and precious a melody as the precious metal it’s named after. There is indeed a glowing quality and mystique to this lovely tune. “Blissful Highway,” another favorite with its transitory feel, ends the album, but the blissful sensation endures as we return from our musical excursion refreshed and renewed, ready for the next adventure. It’s only another listen away.

Traveling the Blissful Highway is an album you will want as your musical companion, to help make your life journey a more enjoyable and beautiful discovery.  

~Lissette Cascante for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Traveling the Blissful Highway is also available at Amazon, Apple Music and more.

Album Review: Physics of Light by Vicente Avella

Review by Marilyn Torres

Vicente Avella has crafted a deep and sensitive musical homage to light in his latest CD Physics of Light. The compilation, which Avella recorded himself at his home, features pieces to highlight the variables found in light as interpreted from his personal view and experiences. Even so, each piece offers something to the listener that goes beyond the limits of our experiences or perceptions of light.

As I listened to the first two pieces, “Light Particles” and “Radiance,” I imagined black space and suddenly the appearance of dots of light one by one until the light fills the dark. I felt it was a reassuring start to the journey. 

“Where Light and Shadow Meet” is a more subdued and measured piece, as if one were examining the appearance of dark upon the light. In contrast, “Ultraviolet” brings us to a dance-like state with airy keys surrounding the field. Later in the lineup, “Reflection,” gave a similar dance aspect but ending with a surprise, as if the dancer i.e. the reflection, was abruptly stopped.

The minor chords and slightly off key element in “Oscuro,” infused it with an ominous dark (which is the translation for the Spanish title “oscuro”) character and a feeling of impending doom. Such a feeling is also present further down in “Umbra,” as well as another sudden but expectant ending.

A more hopeful and airy quality emerges from “Claro” as each key takes its spot to shine on its own, giving a forward movement and decisive tone to the piece. “Color Spectrum” and “Intermezzo” both have a calm and serene presence with layers of wishful thinking. 

Towards the end of the CD, “Infrared” has a more urgent feel with Avella playing fast and furious towards the climax. “Antumbra” and “Visible Light” complete the collection with respective soft flow and march-like chords indicating change and growth

Avella has beautifully merged his masterful piano skills and genuine affection for his craft with his curiosity about the properties of light and how it behaves, in a way that enriches not only our listening experience but also invites us to follow our inquisitive nature and see where the light leads.    

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Physics of Light is also available at Amazon, Apple Music and more.

Album Review: Sapphire Oak by Sharon Fendrich

Review by Marilyn Torres

In her newest CD, Sapphire Oak, Sharon Fendrich utilizes her love of the natural world and her gift of composition, and invites us to explore the diverse nature and function of the oak and its landscape. 

In the first minute and a half of Sea of Oaks, we hear the cascading piano followed by the Irish whistle and then the fiddle and again the piano, giving the piece a circular motion as a soothing choir emerges and we again make our way to the individual instruments one by one as the circle closes in a dance like the falling leaves of an oak tree.

Leaves of Glory and The Grove at Dodona both begin with a similar morning dawn feel which rises into a full orchestral stretch before coming to rest on solid ground. Runic Roots and Call of the Ruins incorporate windswept sound, however while the former felt playful, with its picking of the string instruments like tiptoeing through a valley, Fendrich’s vocals in the latter, Call of the Ruins, lend it a celestial and emotional grasp.  

Fendrich’s creative composition produces another lively dance between the harp, the flute and the fiddle in The Oaken Door, while in Dryad’s Rejoice the harp sets the stage for the contemplative piano and Irish whistle.

The somewhat ominous opening in Of Badges and Crowns frames the piece as a call for reverence and honor. In contrast, Under Her Canopy gives the listener a fairy garden aura as Fendrich and her daughter Talia Valdes join in harmonious vocals taking us deep into the forest. 

To further showcase the artistic and intellectual virtuosity of Sharon Fendrich, the title piece, Sapphire Oak, features Fendrich singing her lyrics in the language of Ta’ek which Fendrich herself developed! 

In the final piece, Carry the Oak, the Irish whistle, the fiddle, and the piano collaborate once more to direct the flow of the piece as it gently carries the listener towards the powerful yet tender finale.

With grace and intelligence, Sharon Fendrich has produced a work encompassing the qualities of the beloved oak tree; strong, warm, expansive and serene.   

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Sapphire Oak is also available at Amazon, Apple Music and more.

Album Review: Into the Unknown by Joseph L Young

Review by Lissette Cascante

Composer and multi-instrumentalist, Joseph L Young has enjoyed a proliferous career as a musician unafraid to go beyond boundaries of genre, style, or sound. Joseph is an established chart-topping, award-winning musician whose music has enjoyed broad radio and internet airplay, spanning such genres as New Age, Ambient, Relaxation/Meditation, Native Fusion, Jazz Fusion, and Contemporary Instrumental. But not to be limited, he has also played with a variety of bands ranging from rock, blues, folk, jazz and even Celtic.

In his sixth full-length album, Into the Unknown, Young delves deeper into musical expanses, with compositions that explore the mystical dimensions of time, space, psyche, and spirit, normally related to the unexplained, mysterious, or concealed. The album features three songs previously released as singles: “Secrets of Stone” released in 2021, “Remembrance of Time” in 2020 featuring pianist Lynn Tredeau, and a remix of his 2019 single “Between Worlds.”

The album also showcases more of his talent as a composer and arranger as well as his mastery of the flute. “Every note I play comes from my heart and is how I share my love of music with others, it's how I express my passion for the flute”, explains Joseph. He interlaces ancient sounds with modern synth arrangements which prevail in world fusion authenticity.

Joseph holds a second degree black-belt in Chinese Shao-Lin Kung Fu and Tai Chi which evidently contribute to his unique approach to music. “I want my music to take listeners on a journey of discovery”, he expounds, “to help them work through their emotions, releasing the negative, as they grow and change, and serving as a catalyst to help with their transformation."

The title track “Into the Unknown” is my favorite piece as it abounds with mystique and features a myriad of exotic instruments, voices, and rhythms bathed in a Middle Eastern style melody. In tracks like “Remembrance of Time”, “Enchanted”, “Secrets of Stone”, “Eclipsed”, and “Windswayed”, the alluring flute and creative musical arrangements transport the listener to ancient times, distant lands, sacred ceremonies, and mysterious places.

On other tracks like “Beyond the Horizon”, “Between Worlds”, “Transcendence”, “The Forgotten”, and “Ancestral Crossings”, Joseph seems to venture into other spheres such as space exploration, and perhaps even the afterlife. Into the Unknown is a treasure chest of musical jewels you’ll delight in listening time and time again. The unknown calls us to live consciously. Joseph composes music that speaks to the human soul, and which infuses the silence with the sounds of life.  

~Lissette Cascante for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Into the Unknown is also available at Bandcamp, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Auralscapes: Episode 003

A refreshing 2-hour episode of contemporary instrumental, contemporary world & contemporary classical music from across the globe.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
0:00:00 / Nicholas Gunn / Entering (Twin Falls) [Acoustic] / Entering (Twin Falls)
0:04:07 / Brooks & Day / Rising Sun / Awakening
0:07:44 / Joseph L. Young / Enchanted / Into the Unknown
0:12:12 / Elizabeth Naccarato / Wild Horses / A Southwest Story
0:15:06 / Lis Addison / Sister Wind / Elements
0:19:50 / Kerani / The Blue Wonder / The Water of Life
0:24:32 / Tron Syverson / Blossom of the Heart / A New Spring
0:31:48 / Lynn Tredeau / Deep in the Forest / Reflection
0:36:13 / James Asher & Arthur Hall / The Visionary / Energised by Stars
0:40:03 / Genevieve Walker / Constellations / Home Songs
0:45:39 / David Arkenstone / Caras Galadhon / Music Inspired by Middle Earth Vol. II
0:50:00 / Richard Souther / Far Away the Other Shore / Arc of Visibility
0:56:53 / Will Ackerman / Nighttime in the Chapel / Positano Songs
1:00:03 / Paris Combo / Axe Imaginaire / Quesaco?
1:03:20 / Juan Sanchez / Ataraxia / Touch and Sound
1:07:30 / David Franklin & Michael Manring / Ghost Tree / Passings
1:11:10 / Larkenlyre / The Sea We Cross / Quiet Like Snow
1:12:55 / Frolin / After the Battle / After the Battle
1:16:59 / Trine Opsahl / Moonscapes I / The Moon Stays Bright
1:26:14 / Sharon Fendrich / Sapphire Oak / Sapphire Oak
1:30:05 / David Nevue / Stargazing / Wanderings: The Best of David Nevue 2011-2020
1:33:22 / Rick Sparks / Harvest Moon / Speak Peace
1:38:24 / Donna De Lory / Forgiveness Prayer / Gone Beyond
1:46:29 / Cloud Runner / Touching the Face of God / Cloud Watch With Me
1:50:46 / Sherry Finzer & VeeRonna Ragone / Stepping Stones / Mystic Breezes