Beyond the Sundial

Kevin Kern | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 1997)
• Original Release Date: April 8, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Real Music
• ASIN: B000001J4E
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,141 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Sundial is one of my top 5 favorite CD's., September 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond the Sundial (Audio CD)

When I purchased Beyond the Sundial I had never heard anything by Kevin Kern. This CD is one of my favorites. I lent the CD to a friend of mine and he kept telling me that he would return it after he listened to it "one more time." I told him to keep it, I went out and bought another copy. Since then, several friends have asked where I purchased it. The music is soothing, refreshing. Listening to it is reminds me of sitting on the porch swing at the end of the day while the breeze washes over you. It's a vacation for the mind and soul.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another of Kevin's best...., April 14, 2001

By 

Michael J Harrington (Phoenix, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Sundial (Audio CD)

Like the magical CD 'In the enchanted Garden', this CD goes one step further in a lot of senses, as Kevin explores other 'moods' and 'atmospheres' on this one than the 'garden' theme of the previous effort. Is it any less? NO. However, it does display the extraordinary talent of this piano player, as he is FAR MORE that just some 'new age' pianist creating some songs about leaves....he is a talent to be reckoned with!!

Overall, Kevin is one of the best impressional-istic pianists out there today - grab some of his music when you see it!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite Deja Vu, July 8, 2005

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beyond the Sundial (Audio CD)

Unlike classical musicians and rock stars, you tend to find good new age pianists either by word of mouth or by accident. In this case, you get to benefit from my own serendipity. Kevin Kern is a likeable stylist, who, while not totally original manages to always put together a good performance. Beyond the Sundial is a typical example of Kern's sensitivity - he always manages to please, but never quite slides off into the overheated romanticism which sometimes tries to sneak by as New Age.

For some reason, Kern reminds me just a bit of Burt Bacharach - melodic and improvizational. In addition to Kern's own playing, Beyond the Sundial also features the work of Paul McCandless, on oboe and English horn. McCandless brings a polished jazzlike style all his own to the combination. Kristen's Serenade is a touching duet, where Kern and McCandless trade a theme back and forth to my great delight. Hide and Seek has a similar style with equal results.

This is one of those albums that always sound familiar. Whether this is intentional or not, I can't say. Something about some of the themes seems to recall other music, but I'm never able to pinpoint the source. In a way, it is comforting, and Kern's skill makes the issue meaningless, since, borrowed or not, what he does with the music quickly becomes his own.