New Reviews: August 1, 2004
Reviews by Matthew J. Forss
Niladri Kumar
If: Magical Sounds Of Sitar
Sona Rupa
Niladri Kumar is a contemporary Indian musician. Niladri’s instrument of
choice is the sitar. If . . . represents contemporary stylings of atmospheric
washes, delicate and precisefingerings and thousands of years of classical
Indian performance as a sturdy foundation. A well thought-out balance is
achieved between tabla, flute, khanjira, keyboards and mridangam. Each track
awakens peaceful and melancholic emotions. Purists may cringe, but both
classical and contemporary progressive audiences have applauded Niladris’
style. Fans of Indian sitar, New Age and experimental music will thoroughly
relish If: Magical Sounds Of Sitar.
Various Artists
Divinity - Divine Music For Meditation
Sona Rupa
Divinity is part of the Mind/Body/Soul collection in the instrumental
series from Sona Rupa. Various Indian musicians lend their talents
on flute, sitar, santoor, shehnai, tabla, guitar, bass, keyboards, pakhawaj,
harp, sarod and assorted percussion instruments. One track features a vocal
chorus. Each track features relaxing, Indian instrumentation and
Westernized melodies. Great music for meditation/yoga instructors
interested in dynamic music for the ‘divine’ listener!
Xiao Ying
The Art Of The Chinese Harp: Guzheng
Arc Music
China’s Xiao Ying, brings us several compositions of solo guzheng. The guzheng
is essentially a horizontally played harp common to most parts of China. Xiao’s
25 years of experience are appropriately displayed on this fine recording.
Traditional, classical and ancient folk tunes showcase Xiao’s playing prowess,
as well as additional instruments from other musicians including the erhu, yehu,
sheng and dixi flute. Overall, a pleasant, releaxing, warm and atmospheric quality
emanates from each track. Interestingly, the latest release from Arc Music
features one of the oldest musical instruments in the world! A detailed booklet
in German, English, French and Spanish translations is conveniently included.
Michalis Terzis
The Road To Olympia Greece
Arc Music
Greek musician, composer, arranger and conductor, Michalis Terzis, is a
highly renowned fixture in contemporary Greek music. Michalis plays
the piano, while other musicians included play the bouzouki, baglama,
classical guitar, bass and assorted percussion. Each track is reminiscent
of the ‘contemporary laika’ musical style of Greek music. Consequently, the
music possesses a contemporary folk ensemble sound, rather than the
typical classical sounding repertoire. Let Michalis Terzis take us down
‘the road to Olympia Greece’! The road is definitely looking bright! A superb
instrumental album with informative booklet in English, Spanish, French and German
translations is included.
Matthew J. Forss is currently a full-time student at
Lakeland College-Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He is majoring
in Biology and German Language/Culture. Since 1998, he
has collected numerous musical instruments and CDs from
around the world. Also in 1998, he wrote a paper on
Mongolian Ethnomusicology, entitled: How Does Music
Play An Important Role In The Life And Culture Of
Mongolia? Currently, he has collected over 100 CDs that
represent dozens of different countries. His general
interests include ethnomusicology journalism and
researching the traditional/contemporary ethnic music
of various cultures from around the world. His specific,
geographic areas of study include the traditional and
popular music from Central Eurasia (especially Mongolia,
Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.) In November of
2000, he accepted the position of writing world music CD
reviews for this site.
