Customer Reviews

Autumn In New England

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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(Copy of my Epinions review from 2005) I've owned this CD for about 4 years now...it is definitely one of my favorites and was "love at first listen!" As a musician I'm always looking for new and interesting works to listen to and I enjoy finding them in odd places, which is where I found this gem of a recording--my local dollar store, so I really feel I got one of the best bargains ever! The jewel case caught my attention because my favorite season is Autumn--it is also my name--and I love the East Coast and its New England states, plus I have a secret passion for lighthouses which is pictured on the back cover.

The music is well-written, each piece telling a story through its sequence of notes and carefully placed phrasings...every nuance, lilt, and dynamic change enhances the story...light yet interesting use of counterpoint sprinkled throughout. The instrumentation used to accompany the piano playing of David Huntsinger is often sumptuous, rich and dreamy, whether it be many instruments or just a few--the balance is perfect. The musicians and arrangers that assist Huntsinger on his album are some of the very best, such as Jack Jezzro, Cindy Wyatt, and David Clydesdale. Huntsinger blends light jazz and classical stylings seamlessly on this recording. If I had to categorize this recording, I'd list it as "Contemporary" Easy Listening.

This music has the ability to always calm and relax me. I listen to it at work and home. I played it for a coworker who was looking for something different and relaxing. He immediately liked it and wanted the CD...fortunately I was able to purchase a copy for him--it was the last copy sold at the store. I'm 48 and have played this recording for my 81 year old mother, 26-year-old niece, as well as my 7-year-old niece and each of them enjoys this recording! I've also played it for many friends, musicians and non-, male and female...all have enjoyed it. I think it would appeal to anyone who is looking to relax both their mind and body.

Huntsinger's talent shines through brilliantly on this recording...well worth the price, at whatever price you're able to purchase it, should you be able to find the recording!

This CD IS out of print i work with this artist fufiling orders and well that cd and many other of his CDs are out of print because th company Unison Records That made the CDs got bought out by Warner and Warner tossed almost all of unisons records including this one out so if you have a cd with Unison on it it is most likely out of print!!! you can order most of his cds direct from him at davidhuntsinger dot com

I originally bought this CD in a Bargain bin at a music store locally. After hearing it I could not believe that I only paid $3.00 for it. The cello solos are just the ultimate when it comes to relaxtion. Later I had also found another CD by the same artist by the name of - I think it was "New England Sundrise" Tragically enough I lost that CD and hoped that another one would turn up somewhere. Anyways, this CD is the ultimate when you just want something to sooth your nerves!

This 1995 CD is a masterpiece. Listen. The music will take you there. Feel the autumn breeze, virtually watch the leaves change color and stroll a wooded New England lane. I can't imagine experiencing Autumn without this CD.

A Ship A-Sailing: "I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea, And it was deeply laden with pretty things for me. There were comfits in the cabin and almonds in the hold. The sails were made of satin and the mast it was of gold." - A New England lullaby of English origin.

Farewell To Mystic Harbor: "Mystic, CT is a very old seaside village poised on the mouth of the Mystic River. Its trim white houses and restored waterfront evoke visions of its glorious past as a bustling maritime community. Once a seaport from which locally-built clipper ships sailed to San Francisco during the 1849 Gold Rush. Mystic is still a beautiful starting point for a romantic sailing adventure."

The Sound Of The Sea: "The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The truth of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace." Katie Chopin (1852-1904): In The Awakening

October Sends a Favorable Wind: "Whichever way the wind doth blow, Some heart is glad to have it so; Then blow it east or blow it west, The wind that blows, that wind is best." - Caroline Atherton Mason (1823-1890): from Whichever Way The Wind Doth Blow.

A Pale Rain: "And who art thou? said to the soft-falling shower. Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer..." - Walt Whitman (1819-1892): from The Voice of the Rain.

The Persistence Of Memory: "Memory...is the diary that we carry about with us." - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900): from The Importance of Being Earnest.

The View From Nauset Light: "Lead, kindly Light amid the encircling gloom. Lead Thou me on: the night is dark and I am far from home." - John Henry Newman: from Lead Kindly Light (1834). "The top of the lighthouse provides a magnificently peaceful view which fills the soul with a sense of the infinite mother ocean. And yet how small and vulnerable even the largest sailing craft is upon it when a night fog rolls in or a storm threatens. The old lighthouse keepers knew this well and certainly were entrusted with a sacred responsibility."

The Trees Weep Leaves: "The trees weep leaves And the wind whispers winter. The shrill Autumn breeze reaps a harvest of the heart;Yearning for Septembers gone by, We mortals also cry. Lamenting Summer's end, And bowing our withering branches to the wind We mourn our losses - The old loves and old friends Who've fallen away one by one Like crimson, ocherous petals- As the trees weep leaves And the Wind Whispers Winter." - Bonnie Huntsinger: The Trees Weep Leaves

An American Idyll: "O suns and skies and clouds of June, And flowers of June together, Ye cannot rival for one hour October's bright blue weather." - Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885): from October's Bright Blue Weather.

Autumn Dreamcatcher: "A dreamcatcher if the handwork of certain Native American peoples. Its purpose is practical: catching nightmares. A willow branch or grapevine is twisted into a circle over which a net is woven, then bejeweled with turquoise or other stones and decorated with hanging leather strips and feathers. Good and bad dreams travel together through the night air: but the dreamcatcher, suspended over a child's bed, allows only the good creams to pass through the center of the net."

Back Roads: "Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading me wherever I choose." - Walt Whitman (1829-1892): from Song of the Open Road.

We'll Go No More A-roving: "So we'll go no more a-roving So late into the night. Though the heart be still as loving, And the moon be still as bright. For the sword outwears its sheath, And the soul wears out the breast, And the heart must pause to breathe, And Love itself have rest. - Loyd Byron (1788-1824): from So We'll Go No More A-Roving. "Byron based his poem on the refrain of the ancient Scottish song recorded here. The tune migrated to New England where sailors sang bawdy, new words to it under the title Amsterdam."

Evening Clouds: "Finally home. Even the most perfect journey must come to an end; and home is once again a most perfect place from which to view a beautiful sunset sky."

This excellent recording has a more natural feel than other "meditation music" because it is more simple and old fashioned. I think it is more relaxing than most traditional "classical music" because it has simpler and calmer melodies.
When I hear this CD, a powerful memory comes rushing over me: the day my friend bought "Autumn in New England" when we were home from college during Thanksgiving break. We laid down to take a nice afternoon rest, listening to this music, and burning an apple scented candle. To this day, it is one of the most relaxing moments of my life. It's worth the price! Try it -- I know you'll love it!

I discovered this instrumental CD in the fall of 2000 and have been entranced by it ever since. You lose yourself in these recordings. The music is sentimental but also sincere and moving. The melodies and arrangements are evocative of a far-away place that is somehow familiar, warm and welcoming.

While this album might be labeled as smooth jazz, the many variations in mood allow it to become more of a mental and emotional journey for the listener. Your mind's eye will take you traveling over the rocky coasts of America's eastern seaboard, and perhaps England, Scotland, or Ireland.

"A Ship A-Sailing" sets the tone at the very beginning. Its comforting rhythym places you on the waves, perhaps awakening to a warm sunrise aboard a boat rocking gently at some quiet dock. "Farewell to Mystic Harbor" is at first melancholy then hopeful and consoling. "Sounds of the Sea" features a penny whistle (flute) that takes you to sea enveloped in a gentle waltz.

The middle selections highlight more of David's piano work in various styles, from nature's stillness on "Pale Rain" to a late-night dance floor shuffle on "An American Idyll" to an uptempo, vaguely latin beat on "Back Roads".

In the end, he returns us to the seashore with the reassuring beauty of "We'll Go No More A-Rowing" and then finally tucks us in for the night with the lullaby, "Evening Clouds".

David Huntsinger wrote and arranged the music on this CD and his keyboard work is featured on every cut, however he is accompanied by several excellent musicians whose acoustic instruments make marvelous contributions to the overall effect. Lush strings add richness on a few tracks while flute, cello, harp, soprano sax, string bass and even bongos are also blended into the mix here and there. David also makes skillful use of multiple changes in tempo, dynamics and instrumentation to add interest and complexity.

There is a small, beautiful, seaport town here in Washington State called Port Townsend that is as close to a small New England town as we can get within an hour of Seattle. My wife and I play this CD nearly every time we travel there, to unwind and set the tone for the weekend. After nearly six years we never tire of its mood. For us, David's music has become as much a part of our getaway as the trip itself.

Ok first of all I am not a kid I don't know if they will put that I am I just didn't want to type in my email address :)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this CD and I came on here to buy a "backup" copy in case something happened to the one I have since it's so old. Well, I don't understand why its so expensive?? Its pretty outrageous!! BUT it's seriously one of my favorites ever...so I don't know what to think about that. It kind of makes me a little sad and I will treat my copy like gold, that's for sure!

My wife and I have owned a copy for years and love the relaxing melodies

I got this CD a few years ago. It is great music...sets a great relaxing mood. We actually played this CD while I was in labor with one of our sons, and the nurses all commented on what great soothing music it was. We love it.

I was at a little outlet store, bored to death, waiting for my wife to finish looking at the items in the home store that I had no interest in when I heard the first few notes of "Ship A Sailing" and instantly took note. I followed its sounds to the display. It was just a sampling of the album but I knew that it was different than anything else I had ever heard offered from these muzac stations before. And if any of the other songs on the album were half as good as the first thirty seconds of the one I just heard then it would be worth it. Well, they were and the album has become my all time favorite. I even rescue an old cassette of the album every once in a while when I see them in the dollar store or on clearance and give them to family or friends. After more than fourteen years, I still play David Huntsinger's Autumn in New England often. Somehow, the album has become a sort of theme throughout my life. It seems to be the place I am longing for. Peace. Quiet. Water. Beauty. Home. It is more important to me than any other album. Don't believe me? Please, listen for yourself... and enjoy.