Alternesia [Import]

Jon Iverson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 21, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Momentum Records/Groove
• ASIN: B00000K54O
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,947 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Premonition

2. Alternesia

3. Metalanguage

4. The Culm Dialeet

5. Beside a Liquid Land

6. East Rim, Looking West

7. Gambuh Ikat

8. Speaking in Ugal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drums that Calm:, June 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alternesia (Audio CD)

Jon Iverson takes you on a seeming journey through space via Indonesia. Ambient electronic music with an eastern flair!

The song for which the album is entitled, Alternesia, is a surprisingly peppy, yet soothing melody. It is one of those hypnotic rhythms that makes you move, but almost puts you to sleep.

Purcussion is featured on this album. It offers a cornucopia of metal drums, but don't think about Jamaica. There is a definite, calmer difference. Bamboo adds a pleasing effect.

The sounds of these drums are conveying a message. They seem to say that all is well. Tap your foot! Groove ! Or take a nap!

Play this CD when you are trying to shed the stress of the day. This seems to offer an ALTERnative that will make you suffer a temporary bout of amNESIA. When you listen to ALTERNESIA, by Jon Iverson, instead of worrying, you'll forget to care!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Melodic, soothing percussion, May 20, 2001

By 

armadillo_memphis "armadillo_memphis" (Memphis, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alternesia (Audio CD)

While drummers may be a dime a dozen, true percussionists are a rare breed indeed. It takes someone of a Mickey Hart or Stewart Copeland calibre to elevate the practice of hitting things to the level of art; seems we can add the name Jon Iverson to that list.

"Alternesia" is rooted in the music of Bali; the two major instruments represented here are bells and, of course, percussion. Oftentimes, the difficulty in percussive music is the delicate balance between rhythm and some semblence of melody; here, that balance is literally perfect throughout. The rhythms are incessant, but in a meditative, soothing way, and always complemented perfectly by the sounds of the bells. Hard to imagine much melody coming from such a "collaboration," but perhaps that in a nutshell is what makes this such a striking release. The making of music in areas where few can achieve brilliance is a rare and spectacular event.

I'd easily rate this as among the finest percussive and/or World Beat albums I've had the pleasure of hearing. Add to that the album's strength as a companion piece to meditation or relaxation and you have an absolute winner.

Postscript - Those who enjoy this may wish to check out an album called "Waterbase" by Gina Balducci or some of the more percussive works of Mickey Hart. Praying for a re-issue of Stewart Copeland's "The Rhythmatist" isn't a bad idea, either...