January 2009 Music Reviews
Scheherazade; Afterplay
Scheherazade
In One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, the fine art of story telling is said to have saved the life of the beautiful and talented Scheherazade. Seduced by the magic of her stories, the spiteful ruler who had sworn to take a new lover every night and have each one killed in the morning found himself utterly captivated, unable to resist the urge to bring her back for more. Finally his heart softened and he took her as his new queen.It is those stories she is said to have spun, night after night– tales that originated throughout Persia, Arabia and India more than 1,100 years ago–– that served as the inspiration for the ten musical adventures featured on this disc bearing her name.
Scheherazade 's distinctively Middle Eastern flavor comes across via the sounds of the exotic hurdy gurdy, udu, sitar, tables and tribal drums. At the same time, the artist has blended in piano, violin, cello and acoustic guitar to appeal to the Western ear. The mix is nothing less than astonishing, moving quickly from east to west and back again in a richly textured musical fabric woven of highly contrastive threads.
Al Conti is a composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He plays piano, acoustic guitar, violin, electronic keyboards and percussion. Born in Argentina of a family known for its artistic talent, he is also an actor with TV, stage and film credits. Scheherazade , his third musical album, made a quick leap to #1 position on the international New Age Reporter airplay charts when it was released. I can see why.
—Chiwah
Afterplay
If your musical preferences tend toward the staid and conservative, be prepared to give it all up … or don't bother listening to Afterplay . If, on the other hand, you're into joy… if you can't wait to get your feet wet in heretofore undiscovered waters… if you appreciate that the best new discoveries flow out of experimentation … get ready for a real treat!
Afterplay 's eleven richly detailed melodies bring us not only the ear-pleasing piano, keyboards and percussion of composer/arranger/producer Brian Kelley, but a wealth of other world-class talents as well: Eric Crystal (Boz Scaggs, Omar Sosa) on sax, David Rokeach on drums (he played with Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin), delightful Chilean flutist Viviana Guzman, bay area native James Robinson and his innovative guitar styling, and other fine musicians.
Unfurled. Wild. Exciting. If you enjoy the best of jazz and are into exploration at the hands of the masters, you are sure to love this album as much as I do.
—Chiwah
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