1. Glastenbury, VT 2. Taoist Winds 3. Bread Of Angels 4. Mountain Laurel 5. The Prophet 6. Feeling Sunshine 7. Serengeti 8. Intimacy (Into Me See) 9. Porch With A View 10. The Brightest Night 11. Kim's Song 12. Hide And Seek 13. Carpe Diem 14. Anthem 15. Livia's Song 16. Thyn Ayre 17. The Color Of Sunshine 18. Shalom 19. Dawn On Red Mountain 20. Forever 21. Shades Of You 22. The Wheel
Various Artists The Gathering
The Gathering is an instrumental compilation produced by Will Ackerman of Imaginary Road Records, who also has an extensive solo career.
Twenty-two artists came together to make this project a reality, each bringing one work of theirs to the table. And what a table it is; there’s solo piano, guitar, songs that have a full band and electronics to minimalist music in every sense of the word.
“Feeling Sunshine” sounds like it has a didgeridoo in it. “Taoist Winds” sounds pretty eastern without using the pentatonic scale very much, if at all. “Serengeti” has some funky bass lines, with some horns synthed in along with some weirder sounds. Each track has at least something about it, whether it be its minimalism, its multi–tracking, or something else. The album’s production is very good as well; all the instruments have been recorded to a high standard and they sound great.
If you gave this to me five years ago, I would have loved it, worshipped it, studied and analyzed it, and done everything I could to emulate it. I’ve always appreciated instrumental music; to me it’s an outlet for the artist to focus on the sounds alone, and not have lyrics to worry about. But as I listen now, I can appreciate all the work that’s gone into this record, and I respect all the composers’ styles and tastes, but I personally prefer music that is written differently. Music like this doesn’t do anything for me anymore.
Let me explain, using “Intimacy (Into Me See)” as an example. Each melody on the piano and Soprano Sax (I think it’s a Sax) is very pretty, but also very simple. “Porch With A View” is very similar in that regard, as are “Bread Of Angels,” “Mountain Laurel,” and just about every single other track. Now there’s nothing wrong with writing music this way, its jut not for everyone. After having studied music in college, taking composition classes along the way, I realized how complex and simple music differ, and I felt studying and composing complex music was far more gratifying. But not everyone will see it that way, and that’s fine. If you’re into melody–driven instrumental music for relaxation and meditation, this will be a great album for you. It’s just not right for me anymore.
Key Tracks: Glastenbury, VT, Feeling Sunshine, Hide And Seek
