Blue Landscapes heeft de foto van ZoneMusicReporter gedeeld.
Finally we are proud to share a review (and a very thoughtful and descriptive one at that!) of the album Blue Landscapes. Click on the link below or read the text here:
http://www.zonemusicreporter.com/recording/viewreviews.asp?rvwbrd=2&r...vwbrdpstn=1&rvwbrdcmmt=1265
Bluer than Blue
Living close to the Blue Ridge Mountains and being handed an album called Blue Landscapes to me is a gift. Pianist Robert Thies and flutist Damjan Krajacic have put together an extraordinarily contemplative recording that is sure to give pleasure to any listener of the genre. This album has sixteen tracks and runs for over an hour of calming, contemporary music that relaxes the heart and frees the spirit.
The first track is called Acceptance. With no less than nine synonyms for the word, but to me, it comes down to the act of reception, rather acquiescence. It is the process of opening yourself to what ever happens next in your life. In no sense is it a surrender, but a willingness to experience, to keep an open mind and an open heart. The music says we are ready to know, and ready to learn.
Blue Landscapes, the title track is the sound of a jaunt, a journey, and a chronicle to what's right in front of the imagination. After we take that first step, the music says our world and all its mysteries and challenges are within our grasp. The flute in this tune is beckons like a surrealistic finger, inviting us to come and see what is around the corner, whereas the piano is the solid path we are taking. For once, it is lined with smooth stones and mossy places that are easy to negotiate.
There is a dream-like quality to the song Hope. As Robert's placid piano established the melody, Damjan's flute drift's in and out of our reverie like an ethereal fog. The music is positive and is full of untapped strength, almost like a slumbering energy waiting to be awakened and called upon.
The gasping sound of Damjan's flute begins Introspection as he breathes life into the tune. If one has breathing, then one has life. After that, we hear the plinking sound of a heartbeat. We are relaxed and calmed by the ebb and flow of the music. The melody begins to pulse in earnest, like life itself.
Rainy Day on the Seine had the blessing of Erik Satie in it. The tune is soft and flowing, the notes became the only color in our day. With the quiet sound of a gentle rain, we could imagine strolling along (for that is what you do in Paris), arm in arm along the walled banks and stony ramparts. Laughing at nothing and everything as the rain infused our hearts like a liquid form of love. The only time we stop is to contemplate the challenge of a bridge.
Song of the Earth is a primordial anthem, giving praise to the earth from its beginning until the present. There is a barely audible background drone that provides anticipation, but the lead is all flute. From the tentative sound of the earliest reeds to the echo of silver tubes, the sound ascends to the heavens.
Although the music on this album is contemplative and contemporary, it is evident that both Robert Thies and Damjan Krajacic have their feet firmly planted in jazz land. They profess that the album came about by their tendencies to improvise their music, but anyone would be hard pressed to call this music improvisational. The structure is strong and the compositions elaborate at times. Blue is the color of clarity on this recording. They pay just as much attention to the silences as they do to the main melodies, making the album highly satisfying.
Rating: Very Good
- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 6/1/2014 Meer weergeven
http://www.zonemusicreporter.com/recording/viewreviews.asp?rvwbrd=2&r...vwbrdpstn=1&rvwbrdcmmt=1265
Bluer than Blue
Living close to the Blue Ridge Mountains and being handed an album called Blue Landscapes to me is a gift. Pianist Robert Thies and flutist Damjan Krajacic have put together an extraordinarily contemplative recording that is sure to give pleasure to any listener of the genre. This album has sixteen tracks and runs for over an hour of calming, contemporary music that relaxes the heart and frees the spirit.
The first track is called Acceptance. With no less than nine synonyms for the word, but to me, it comes down to the act of reception, rather acquiescence. It is the process of opening yourself to what ever happens next in your life. In no sense is it a surrender, but a willingness to experience, to keep an open mind and an open heart. The music says we are ready to know, and ready to learn.
Blue Landscapes, the title track is the sound of a jaunt, a journey, and a chronicle to what's right in front of the imagination. After we take that first step, the music says our world and all its mysteries and challenges are within our grasp. The flute in this tune is beckons like a surrealistic finger, inviting us to come and see what is around the corner, whereas the piano is the solid path we are taking. For once, it is lined with smooth stones and mossy places that are easy to negotiate.
There is a dream-like quality to the song Hope. As Robert's placid piano established the melody, Damjan's flute drift's in and out of our reverie like an ethereal fog. The music is positive and is full of untapped strength, almost like a slumbering energy waiting to be awakened and called upon.
The gasping sound of Damjan's flute begins Introspection as he breathes life into the tune. If one has breathing, then one has life. After that, we hear the plinking sound of a heartbeat. We are relaxed and calmed by the ebb and flow of the music. The melody begins to pulse in earnest, like life itself.
Rainy Day on the Seine had the blessing of Erik Satie in it. The tune is soft and flowing, the notes became the only color in our day. With the quiet sound of a gentle rain, we could imagine strolling along (for that is what you do in Paris), arm in arm along the walled banks and stony ramparts. Laughing at nothing and everything as the rain infused our hearts like a liquid form of love. The only time we stop is to contemplate the challenge of a bridge.
Song of the Earth is a primordial anthem, giving praise to the earth from its beginning until the present. There is a barely audible background drone that provides anticipation, but the lead is all flute. From the tentative sound of the earliest reeds to the echo of silver tubes, the sound ascends to the heavens.
Although the music on this album is contemplative and contemporary, it is evident that both Robert Thies and Damjan Krajacic have their feet firmly planted in jazz land. They profess that the album came about by their tendencies to improvise their music, but anyone would be hard pressed to call this music improvisational. The structure is strong and the compositions elaborate at times. Blue is the color of clarity on this recording. They pay just as much attention to the silences as they do to the main melodies, making the album highly satisfying.
Rating: Very Good
- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 6/1/2014 Meer weergeven
