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Binkelman's Corner by Bill Binkelman |
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Bill Binkelman is a long-time icon in the industry. |
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| Sleep: The Dreaming Flute |
| By Paul Adams |
| Label: Lakefront |
| Released 2/9/2012 |
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| Sleep: The Dreaming Flute tracks |
1. Nightbird
2. The Hollow Wood
3. Solace
4. The Deep Valley
5. Midnight
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6. Rain And Wood
7. Natures Embrace
8. Soft Wind
9. Within The Deep Night
10. Sleeping Song
11. The Nights Goodbye
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Sleep: The Dreaming Flute |
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Paul Adams once again proves he deserves to be listed among the finest wooden flute players recording today. Sleep - The Dreaming Flute is a sumptuously relaxing album, featuring eleven serene meditations played on a variety of flutes, with some judicious additions of nature sounds and ethnic percussion (e.g. rattle, rainstick, bowls and gongs). I can't imagine a person who needs help in getting a good night's sleep not benefiting from these soothing soundscapes.
Nightbird kicks the album off with Adam's mid-toned flute set against a backdrop of a cricket and night critter chorus, followed by The Hollow Wood on which Adams shifts into playing a lower register flute with a subtle yet sonorous quality in a sparse, meditative manner. Solace once again has the artist's wafting flute joined by nocturnal creatures, this time it’s an assortment of frogs, insects and birds, with an occasional sprinkling of rainstick. Adams' control of nuance and tone is something special to hear on this track as he ever so subtly flirts with a jazz lick here and there. The Deep Valley displays a still serene but less contemplative mood, perhaps due to the higher pitch of the flute but also owing to Adams' melody itself which carries a slight hint of playfulness. Midnight flows like liquid shadow - not in a dark way but instead more restful and relaxed. Rain and Wood features a wonderful rainstorm soundscape, with animal sounds, rain and thunder, and Adams' higher pitched flute wending its way among the droplets, rumblings and chirping birds. Honestly, I'd love this track even without the flute. The thunder is subdued and in the distance so this cut should not disturb those who may have already drifted off into slumber. Now and then a soft gong sounds and at the track's end, one can detect the far off call of a passing train whistle…truly sublime.
The remaining five tracks each take this "formula" and tweak it enough that each of the songs sound similar but different, which makes Sleep - The Dreaming Flute a truly cohesive album with no jarring interruptions of the mood which is established after the first two cuts. By moving effortlessly through a combination of flutes, and featuring enhancement of the flute music with nature sounds and minimal other instrumentation, Adams weaves a magical spell of peace and contentment, flavored with a Zen-like calmness (note the lower pitched, more "breathy" sound to the flute on Soft Wind which has a shakuhachi quality to it or the Tibetan bowl heard on Sleeping Song). While the artist intended this CD as an aid to sleep, I believe it holds equal worth as accompaniment to meditation and doubtless it will certainly ease a troubled mind which needs emptying of stress and anxiety.
Regardless of how one "uses" Sleep - The Dreaming Flute, whether to ease into a restful night of peaceful slumber, as a way to de-stress from the travails of everyday life, or simply to enjoy as a series of nocturnal flute meditations (with some truly outstanding nature sounds embedded in amongst the sparse melodies), this CD will reward the listener time and time again. Paul Adams is a true master of his instrument and I highly recommend this album.
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Rating: Very Good +  |
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- reviewed by Bill Binkelman on 8/17/2012 |
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