The Music CD Shelf
Mzansi
Wouter Kellerman
www.wouterkellerman.com
Kellerman Music
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
South African flutist Wouter Kellerman (winner of the 2011 South African Mu
sic Award, the nation's highest musical honor) presents Mzansi, a cross-cul
tural album that draws upon influences worldwide - from Sengalese tradition
s to Celtic and South African music. The result is an enlivening, mind-expa
nding fusion, enhanced with singing in several different African languages
and occasional wordless vocals. Uniquely expressive and adventurous, Mzansi
is a treasure worthy of public library and internationally themed music co
llections. The tracks are "African Hornpipes", "Malaika", "Khokho", "Mama T
embu", "Cape Flats", "After Hours", "N'jarinu Garab", "Fire Drill", "Samami
", "Mzansi", "Sylvia", "In The Moment", and "Miniamba".
Hawai'i '13
The Green
Easy Star Records
PO Box 1069, Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276
c/o Press Junkie PR
9901 Brodie Lane, Suite 160, PMB 221
Austin, TX 78748
www.easystar.com
$12.00 CD / $9.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
The Green has created their third studio album, Hawai'i '13, which draws up
on the essence of reggae, soul, and R&B to give a lively, musical glimpse i
nto Hawaiian daily life. As part of Hawaii's thriving and closely interconn
ected music scene, The Green share a pure-hearted love of their homeland, w
hich shines through these unforgettable and emotionally moving songs. Highl
y recommended, especially as a souvenir of Hawaiian visits - or as a taste
of home for Hawaiians living abroad. The tracks are "He Mele No Ku'u Hawai'
i" (1:21), "Even Before" (5:02), "Good One" (3:24), "Something About It" (3
:56), "Power in the Words" (4:38), "Good Vibe Killah" (4:26), "Chocolates &
Roses" (5:03), "Hold Me Tight" (3:34), "Striking Up a Love" (4:01), "Take
Me On" (3:22), "Forgive Me" (3:45), "Count to 3" (4:05), "Stand & Rise" (4:
26), "Always & Forever" (4:33), and "Hawai'i Aloha" (1:53).
Three-Mountain Pass
Van-Anh Vanessa Vo
Innova
www.innova.mu
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
www.rockpaperscissors.biz
$15.00 www.vananhvo.com
Vietnamese instrumentalist and composer Van-Anh Vanessa Vo reveals her prod
igious talent in Three-Mountain Pass, an extraordinarily beautiful album in
which she plays the 16-string danTranh (a type of zither with moveable bri
dges and the ability to produce pitch-bending tones). Some songs have lyric
s in Vietnamese; other draw upon history, such as the title track "Three-Mo
untain Pass" that incorporates an arrangement of a classic poem by 18th cen
tury female poet Ho XuanHuong. Three-Mountain Pass speaks especially to wom
en, in songs with a message of empowerment. A striking and wondrous showcas
e, Three-Mountain Pass is highly recommended especially for international a
nd public library music collections. The tracks are "Vong Co" (8:27), "Gnos
sienne No. 3" (4:49), "Three-Mountain Pass" (9:28), "Green River Delta" (4:
41), "Mourning" (4:43), "The Legend" (6:41), and "Go Hunting" (6:24).
Brasslands: A Motion Picutre Soundtrack
www.brasslands.com
Evergreene Music
450 West 31st Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001-4608
$12.00 CD / $10.00 digital www.evergreenemusic.com
Available both as a digital album with an iTunes booklet and as a Digipak C
D with a 16-page booklet, Brasslands: A Motion Picutre Soundtrack collects
the music from the acclaimed film Brasslands, showcasing the best of Balkan
brass music. The lively, energetic songs have a binding quality that trans
cend the horrendous ethnic strife that has plagued the region, offering a c
all to unity, joy, and solidarity. Among the many contributors are some of
Serbia's most famous trumpet performers: Roma musician Dejan Avdic, three-t
ime Guca champion Demiran Cerimovic, and "trumpet master" Dejan Petrovic. A
nyone who has ever enjoyed a rousing brass band performance will find Brass
lands a "must-have" for their personal music collections! The tracks are "B
rasslands", "Demiranov Cocek", "Boki", "Gradinom Cvece Cvetalo", "Riffcloud
", "Sheherzada", "Mouser", "Dom Fantom", "Reger Cocek", "Squirrels, Squirre
ls, Squirrels", "Alo Mange Liloro", and "Sukrjin".
Travel in the Shadows
Marla Fibish & Bruce Victor
Noctambule Music
www.noctambulemusic.com
c/o Zach Hudson PR
$16.50 CD / $9.99 MP3 www.marlafibish.com
Travel in the Shadows is a soul-stirring blend of original music and classi
c poetry by Service (author of "Ballads of a Bohemian"), Theodore Roethke,
Pablo Neruda, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Performed
by San Francisco talents Marla Fibish and Bruce Victor, who go by the team
name "Noctambule", Travel in Shadows brings time-tested lyrics to fresh new
life through the stirrings of guitars, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, button
accordion, and much more. An extraordinary new way to relive transcendent
moments of time, poetry, and human history, Travel in the Shadows is highly
recommended especially for connoisseurs of musical storytelling. A beautif
ul lyric booklet is included. The tracks are "Insomnia" (5:46), "Noctambule
" (4:54), "Madam I'm a Darlin'" (6:12), "Travel in the Shadows" (6:35), "Wa
ltz for Danae" (5:26), "The Bohemian Dreams" (5:02), "A Suddenness of Trees
" (4:46), "Lost" (6:54), "Captain Chalupa" (2:35), "The Sisters" (6:20), "T
he Bohemian Dreams (Les Reves Continuent)" (4:36), and "Recuerdo" (3:36).
Transformation
Sherry Finzer & Darin Mahoney
www.sherryfinzer.com
www.darinmahoney.com
Heart Dance Records
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$13.99 CD / $9.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
Flute and acoustic guitar duo Sherry Finzer and Darin Mahoney present Trans
formation, a vibrant music album with an uplifting message of personal grow
th and change for the better. A smattering of synthesizer embellishes the s
ongs, which highlight the haunting beauty of the flute in tandem with the r
olling flow of the guitar. A treasury that brings comfort even as it inspir
es the listener to reach for greater personal heights, Transformation is an
exceptional pick for new age connoisseurs. The tracks are "Alger St." (5:0
8), "Confused" (7:16), "Reflection" (5:20), "Early Spring" (6:54), "Joplin"
(5:20), "White Sky In November" (4:40), "Jane's Song" (7:00), and "The Doo
r" (5:54). 47 min., 32 sec.
Skycatcher
10 Ft. Ganja Plant
Reachout International Records, Inc.
540 President St. Ste 2H
Brooklyn, NY 11215
c/o Press Junkie PR
9901 Brodie Lane, Suite 160, PMB 221
Austin, TX 78748
www.roir-usa.com
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
Reggae sensation band 10 Ft. Ganja Plant presents Skycatcher, their latest
album of old school rhythm infusion, rooted in the late 70's Jamaican music
al tradition. Evocative and pure in its celebration of reggae's joyous esse
nce, Skycatcher is a "must-have" for fans of the genre, highly recommended.
The tracks are "In the Garden", "It's True", "Collect the Trophy", "Soundi
ng Zone", "State of Man", "Skycatcher", "Where Do You Want To Be", "Hypocri
tes in Town", "Sometimes We Play", and "Sing and Dance".
Sonic Mandala
Go: Organic Orchestra
Composed & conducted by Adam Rudolph
Meta Records
metarecords.com
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
www.rockpaperscissors.biz
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
Composer and percussionist Adam Rudolph presents Sonic Mandala, a master sc
ulpture of sound and harmony, performed by thirty-three musicians of Go: Or
ganic Orchestra. An instrumental symphony that flows naturally through each
of its twelve parts, Sonic Mandala evokes the spiritual and universal prop
erties of its title. An extraordinary soundscape, incorporating traditions
from East Indian music to jazz to the Japanese noh-kan flute to Mali hunter
's harp and bamboo trumpet and much more, Sonic Mandala is a transcendental
listening experience, highly recommended.
Nashaz
Composed by Brian Prunka
Ziryab Records
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
$TBA www.rockpaperscissors.biz
Nashaz is the eponymous debut CD of songs performed by the New York group N
ashaz, and composed by Brian Prunka. A vibrant fusion of Arabic music and j
azz, Nashaz is at times mysterious, at times racing, always fresh and adven
turous. Fans of jazz and Arabic music alike will appreciate the ever-changi
ng depths of Nashaz. Highly recommended, especially for international and m
ulticultural music collections. The tracks are "Hijaz Nashaz" (9:33), "Khar
toum" (7;44), "Andalus" (8:54), "Qassabiji's Nightmare" (7:13), "City of Sa
nd" (6:36), "Jurjinah" (9:32), "Al-Ghayb" (8:17), and "'Ajam" (5:45).
Deep Theta 2.0
Steven Halpern
www.StevenHalpern.com
Inner Peace Music
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
Part of the "Brainwave Entertainment" series by Grammy-nominated composer a
nd recording artist Steven Halpern, Deep Theta 2.0 is an instrumental album
combining Rhodes electric piano, synthesizers, Japanese shakuhachi and Ind
ian bansuri bamboo flutes into a smoothly enriching experience conducive to
meditation. Composed and created to at the optimal frequency (4 Hertz) of
the brain state connected to deeper meditation, improved healing, and creat
ivity, Deep Theta 2.0 is an excellent choice to accompany the practices of
yoga, Zen, or simple relaxation. Also highly recommended for mindful listen
ing are Halpern's other holistic albums, "Deep Alpha 2.0" and "Chakra Suite
".
Canyon Records Productions
3131 West Clarendon Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85017
www.canyonrecords.com
Canyon Records continues its laudable tradition of bringing authentic Nativ
e American music to the public with three new albums on CD. "Save Me a Lead
" (65 min. 20 sec.) by Young Spirit gathers Cree Round Dance songs directly
from the 2013 gathering of Alberta Cree peoples, featuring the very best N
orthern Drum and Hand Drum singers. "Charity" (58 min. 5 sec.) by Kevin Yaz
zie is the final gathering of recordings created to honor the guiding princ
iples of the Native American Church: Faith, Hope, Love, and Charity. "Loyal
ty to the Drum" (47 min. 44 sec.) by Grammy-nominees Northern Cree is an an
thology of songs recorded live in the annual Rocky Boy Pow-Wow. All are cho
ice picks for multicultural music collections, and highly recommended for a
nyone interested in listening Native American music traditions cherished th
rough the centuries, right up to the modern day.
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