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Chasm
Panorhythmica
Label: Sticks and Stones
CD
review written for Spa Magazine Jan/Feb 2002
Don't let "Serengeti Sunrise" fool you. The slow, haunting flute
that opens this excellent CD is about as New Age-y as Panorhythmica gets.
After that, the CD lives up to its title, blending rhythms from all over
the map with jazzy guitar melodies to produce 13 uniquely satisfying instrumentals.
Like the "panorama" suggested in the album's title, this music
creates aural landscapes that can ebb and flow with your mood and your
speaker volume. Keep things romantic and low-key, and the music fades
into the background, uplifting but never intrusive. Turn things up a bit,
though, and you've got the perfect musical accompaniment for a sophisticated
party.
While the rich, full sound of this CD suggests a much larger ensemble,
there are, in fact, only two primary musicians making all this wonderful
noise: Michael Whipple (flutes, recorders and percussion) and Mark Esakoff
(guitars). These two native Californians have taken their influences--jazz,
classical, baroque, world music, even rock and roll--and fused them into
an inspired collection of tracks that are as evocative as they are danceable.
Esakoff has an incredibly fluid, percussive guitar style that lends itself
perfectly to these songs, most evident on tracks such as "Agua Del
Fuego," which brims with Latin salsa inflections, and "Road
to Panorhythmica," which could claim influence from the Beatles as
much as Tito Puente. Whipple's flute weaves its way subtly throughout
this CD, dancing coyly with guitar chords and bossa nova beats on tracks
such as the buoyant "Monkey in the Middle."
In less competent hands, the many influences and styles that waft through
this album could have produced an unfocused jumble. However, Esakoff and
Whipple have the skill and dexterity to keep the real star—the rhythm—in
the foreground, with everything falling into place around it. Even after
you've listened to this CD many times, its musical depth will keep it
fresh and engaging, as new melodies and beats continue to emerge—and
amaze!
[This
article was reprinted
on NetMusic's site.]
Copyright
Lisa M. Moore
May not be reproduced in whole or part without my written
permission.
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