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by Genevieve Williams
Welcome to my first edition of "Earth Tones." I'm your host, Genevieve Williams, and for the next 1500 words or so I'll be guiding you through a selection of CDs for your player. Some, including composer Michael Kamen's latest work and New Age musician Kitaro's new CD, make excellent ritual music as well as good listening; others, such as those by local singer-songwriter Willow and mystical chanteuse Stevie Nicks, just have great songs I think pagans will like. From classical to world music to goth-and-roll, there's something here to appeal to every taste, so sit back, put on your headphones and enjoy.
Michael Kamen is known primarily as a composer of film soundtracks -- The X-Men was his most recent project -- and as the guy who put Metallica in front of the San Francisco Orchestra. It's interesting, therefore, to hear what he does with a nonfilm piece, in this case a symphonic poem titled "The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms," on the CD of the same name. Although the title is Iroquois in origin (according to the liner notes), Kamen cites the Anasazi culture of the American Southwest as his principal inspiration for the piece, specifically the spirit and ideal embodied in the form of the deity Kokopelli. With evocative movement titles such as "The Eagle Soars," "The Rise Above the Canyon" and "From the Mists of Time," Kamen musically connects a culture of 1000 years ago with today. Although this music isn't for film, it is full of the broad gestures, dramatic sweeps and sudden changes of tempo and mood that are characteristic of Kamen's style. Calling it a symphony also isn't quite accurate, since it lacks the characteristic structure formally associated with such pieces, but that doesn't make it a less worthwhile listen. Less evocative, although interesting in its own way, is an arrangement of Kamen's music for Mr. Holland's Opus for concert performance, though if, like me, you found the film somewhat irritating, you may want to skip this part.
Speaking of evocative, composer Kitaro's latest CD is titled Ancient (Domo), and images from Egypt, China and other locales included in the CD booklet give some hint as to his most recent sources of inspiration. Although most of the music is performed by the composer, one of the most creative to be ranked under the New Age label, the framing tracks include contributions from the London Philharmonic that add complexity and texture. Some of the tracks on Ancient make for excellent ritual music, as well. There's a variety of moods from which to choose, ranging from contemplative ("Unicorn") to energetic ("Tumba Dance").
If it's energetic that's more to your taste, swing an ear along Tataku: Best of Kodo II 1994-1999 (Red Ink). My former drumming instructor once saw Kodo in concert in Boston, where they played for three hours immediately after running the Boston Marathon. The members of the most well-known troupe of Japanese taiko drummers in the world spend about two-thirds of every year on tour, and the rest of the time playing, teaching and presumably running on Sado Island. You wonder if these guys ever sleep. They also appeared in the film The Hunted, starring Christopher Lambert's forehead, and one of the tracks from this compilation is from that film. There's also the synth-focused "Song of the Universe," which melds traditional and modern in a way that may not appeal to all tastes. In addition, an interesting remix of "Nanafushi" wouldn't sound out of place in most dance clubs. For the most part, though, this is Kodo doing what they do best, namely proving the intense expressive and energetic power of percussion. Seeing them in concert is an experience not to be missed; you'll want to take off and join their school on Sado. But in the meantime, Tataku is as excellent an introduction to their music as you're likely to find anywhere, and although they stint a little on the liner notes, you can always visit their Web site at http://www.kodo.or.jp for more information.
Speaking of intense and energetic experiences, the late master singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan remains the best-known performer of Qawwali devotional music, which is primarily performed by the Sufis of the Indian subcontinent, and the title of his CD Ecstasy (Music Club) is no misnomer. Though most audiences hear his music in a secular context, either on record or in a concert setting, even these can be an intense experience; in a sacred context, Qawwali is reportedly entrancing -- literally. Khan came from a long line of Qawwali singers and almost single-handedly popularized the genre in the West, probably largely due to the fact that he was a master at his craft. The selections on this CD come from concert recordings, and the production is excellent, making this a worthy addition to Music Club's line of budget-priced CDs.
On the local front, I'd like to present singer-songwriter Willow, who along with such women as Mary Lydia Ryan, Jill Cohn and Aiko Shimada has established a beachhead of sorts in determinedly punky Seattle recently (they've formed a sort of loose association which they call Persephone's Circle -- whoo!). Thematically, Willow's music serves up a blend of introspection, observation and indeterminate spirituality -- her father is a pastor, and she cites questioning of faith as a formative influence behind her music -- similar to many others in the broadly defined singer-songwriter genre. But, like the best ones always do, she stands out. This is chiefly due to her voice, which on Sweet Dark Demon (AEM) mostly whispers and sighs, rarely rising above midlevel, but which hints at considerable power lurking somewhere behind it. You suspect that, if called upon to do so, she could belt out a soul classic or two without missing a beat. Actually, she sounds a lot like Natalie Merchant, come to think of it, and whatever you might think of Merchant's music there's no denying that the woman can sing. Sweet Dark Demon is Willow's second release and showcases a mature artist -- while most musicians spend at least some time exploring life's major questions through music, very few of them do it well. Willow is one of the few. Her CD can be found at Tower in the local music section, or visit http://www.willowsmusic.com to order online.
On the subject of introspective women singing about introspective things, Stevie Nicks' Trouble in Shangri-La (Reprise) is a treat, not in the least for being her first studio recording since 1994. This one's more stripped-down and personal than Nicks has been for a long time, and she settles comfortably into pop and countryish tropes as if returning to visit old friends. Less mystical in her approach than she's been in the past, Nicks still has plenty of evocative imagery and inner-looking themes on hand, as well as a plethora of guest stars: Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Maines (of the Dixie Chicks) and Macy Gray.
On a less sober front, the all-goth-all-the-time Cleopatra label continues to produce compilations at a rate that leaves all their competitors in the dust. The thing about Cleopatra compilations in particular is that you know to always expect a certain degree of cheesiness, and Witchcraft: A Gothic Compilation is no exception. The cover features a wide-eyed woman staring out of a purple background, and inside you have the famous image of The Devil from the Rider-Waite deck, plus a little statement concerning the compilation's inspiration. The nice thing is that Cleopatra gave the contributing artists free range concerning what they'd write, so there's a nice variety here, both in terms of the music and in terms of the artists' approach to the subject. Some names, like Gene Loves Jezebel, Kommunity FK and Trance to the Sun, will be familiar to fans of this genre. It's actually not a bad collection, as these things go, but it ain't the best collection to come around in years, either. If you decide to pick it up, file it with your party CDs. And if you don't like it, you can use the CD as an altar pentacle, thanks to the nifty purple-on-purple design.
In the classical realm, we have a new recording of symphonic music by Dutch composer Cornelis Dopper (1870-1939). If you're a fan of classical music, you know that the Netherlands do not exactly come to mind when thinking of the great composers of the past millennium. Germany? Yes. Austria? Of course. France, Italy, Spain, England? Naturally. Yours truly wasn't familiar with Dopper either, until I happened to walk into Tower one recent afternoon and heard the third movement of his Second Symphony (Chandos) being played over the PA. I confess that it was its thematic resemblance to the main theme of the Shakespeare in Love soundtrack that first made me sit up and take notice, but upon listening to the entire CD I found a highly accessible yet finely textured composition that's still a pleasure upon repeated hearings. According to the liner notes, an unfortunate comparison to Sousa first consigned Dopper to obscurity as a composer, and though he doesn't rival the greats by any means, the comparison is surely undeserved. Chances are, he would have garnered more notice if he'd been born earlier, since the Second Symphony sounds like it was composed about 30 years earlier than it actually was. Still, it's a highly enjoyable piece and worth picking up if you're looking to expand your classical collection.
Genevieve Williams is a Seattle freelance writer and the drummer for Murder of Crows. She can be reached at rimrun@drizzle.com with feedback, suggestions or recommendations. Local musicians are encouraged to submit material for review.