Esbe- Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian- more
Esbe - La Serenissima
For her ninth studio album Esbe was inspired by a visit to Venice, Italy; in fact album title
La Serenissima is a nod to the nickname that Venice had back in the 17th century, indicative of the serenity that could be found there. The effort begins with Giulio Caccini's 17th century love song "Amarilli Mia Bella," a hauntingly beautiful song where Esbe sings in hushed operatic tones while title cut "La Serenissima" is a sublime vocalization where Esbe imagines the rising sea endangering her beloved Venice as seen through the eyes of Venetian painter Canaletto. There are such references to history throughout the album; it is fun to know this but you don't need to be aware of the connections to enjoy the very relaxing music with generally light orchestration that's found here. Somewhat of a departure is "Little Echo," a cut that sounds very much like something you'd hear in a Broadway musical. "Victory Pageant," despite its name, has a foreboding air about it; so too does the somber "Death in Venice" with its included sound effect of labored breathing, representing a final inhalation. "Shadow" too has an effect as instrumentation conjures the sound of being submersed in water, an eternal concern in Venice. Great for listening at any time,
La Serenissima also provides the perfect ambiance for the armchair traveler to let their mind wander and imagine the delights of the always enticing Venice.
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian - From China to Appalachia
This wonderful album features 13 cuts that blur the lines between traditional Appalachian music and traditional Chinese music; put another way it explores the similarities that the two seemingly disparate genres offer. Album opening track "August Flower" is a perfect example as the instrumental begins with delicate notes from Chao Tian's yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer); the song ultimately turns into a hoedown as Fink & Marxer join in with joyous banjo fills. "High on a Mountain" is pure hill country with banjos, guitar and mandolin floating through the trees as Fink sings a tale about the speed at which life moves. Tian's contribution to the song is subtle but she takes the spotlight on one of the album's Chinese numbers, "The White Snake Song," which by the way is more whimsical than threatening. Fancy picking from all is on display in the instrumental "Pig Ankle Rag," east meets west seamlessly on "Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention" where a spoken portion informs that the Chinese Red Army once taught soldiers "the rules for humanity" through the song's lyrics, which are delivered here in both English and Chinese dialect. "Yongjun Yangko" is another nice meeting of two disparate worlds as the instrumental is old timey bluegrass with a Chinese accent. And so it goes for the rest of this intriguing set that's filled with consummate playing and starkly beautiful vocals sure to appeal to Global Music fans and fans of Americana alike.
Les Arrivants - Towards the Light
Even if you don't know French you could probably guess that "les arrivants" translates to mean "arrivals." Les Arrivants is the trio of Amichai Ben Shalev, a native Canadian who studied music in Argentina, the Beirut-born Abdul-Wahab Kayyali who plays oud and Iranian Hamin Honari who plays traditional instruments tombak, daf and percussion. Now all settled in Montreal, their music draws inspiration from the traditional sounds of Argentine tango, classical Arabic music and classical Persian music all done as instrumentals. And this makes for a delightful melange where "City of Ashes" dances on the line between Continental and Middle Eastern sounds, "Phoenix Landing" whips up a mysterious, almost psychedelic groove, and "Hayrah (Confusion)," although understated, perhaps with the inclusion of "confusion" in its title best sums up the mindset of someone who has newly arrived in a different culture. Title cut "Towards the Light" has an arrangement that makes it clear that a move towards the light is not an easy thing but it ends on a sublime note, as if the sought for enlightenment has been reached. The most Latin-inspired cut is "Bagelissimo (Mile End Tango)," a jaunty piece with plenty of Middle Eastern flavoring mixed in; the effort ends with "Mohajer (Migrant)," a suitably majestic finish for this journey towards the light. Yes there are cuts here suitable for dancing but mostly
Towards the Light is a great soundtrack for a contemplative evening.
Tasha Smith Godinez - A New Day
This is the sixth album from harp player Tasha Smith Godinez, an expert with both electro-acoustic and electric harp, and here she offers a set of nine tunes, all of which she composed and that were inspired by her personal experiences and her faith. Aided by side men Domenico Hueso on viola and bass, Christopher Garcia on percussion and Leonard Patton on vocals on select cuts, Tasha charms with a bucolic melody on opening cut "Passion Flower." Inspired by her first encounter with passion flower vines in France, the listener can easily imagine how beautiful that sight must have been as the song wafts through the mind. "Synergy" is sedate but indeed finds the instruments working nicely together as percussion and bass ebb and swell behind the harp while title cut "A New Day" is as delicate as the first rays of sunlight, at least until Garcia's percussion kicks in and combines with Hueso's viola and Tasha's harp, occasionally forceful, to simulate the busy awakening of a new chapter of life. Hueso also lays down a jazzy bassline for "The Least of These" and "When the Word Began His Work," at nearly eight and a half minutes the album's longest cut, is rife with, if you use your imagination (that's the idea!) the sounds of creation. Patton's vocals are found on "Look Up," a soulful spiritual advisement that, considering Patton is a successful musical theater performer (MIXTAPE) has a Broadway-esque feel to it. For the album's other vocal number, "Love Is...," Tasha and Patton both improvise the entire tune, which, like the whole of the album provides a comforting and gentle musical embrace.
