Customer Reviews

Celestial Winds 1

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I highly recommend this CD for unwinding after a stressful day. Very soothing, relaxing sounds. I had the privelege of seeing them in person a few years ago, and I was absolutely amazed that the full melodic sounds I was hearing were being produced by only 2 people! I bought this CD on the spot and have been trying to figure out how to get more of their music ever since - thanks Amazon!

While at the Venice Beach on a weekend, they were there playing and of course selling music. I was entranced, how beautiful the music and how relaxing. I then saw them at City Walk years later and nothing changed, still the same beautiful music, not to mention how angelic Lisa Frank looked.

The first of three CDs released recorded by harpist Lisa Lynne (Franco) and recorder player David Young, "Celestial Winds 1" is a generous 73 minutes of calming enchantment. It is actually a compilation drawn from the duo's first four cassette tapes: "Harp & Recorder," "Sweet Dreams," "Celestial Wind III" and "Christmas Classics." A few of the songs interpret traditional songs ("Scarborough Faire," "Greensleeves") and the last track is a lovely version of John Lennon's "Imagine," but most of the other songs are engagingly and distinctively original. As in all her later albums, Lynne's harpistry is elegant, mesmerizing and relaxing, but here she plays in a sparer setting, with only the whimsical recorder improvisations of David Young rather than a whole group of other instrumentalists. The breathy, rustic tone and indistinct intonation of the recorder lends a special quality to this music--ancient and mystical, but at the same time very approachable. Young often plays two recorders at a time, taking advantage of the different tunings to produce complimentary harmonies that can be played with only one hand each. (Some recorders--the soprano, tenor and garklein--are pitched in "C", that being their lowest note, while others--the alto, bass and sopranino--are in "F." Thus the same fingerings on the top holes of each can produce notes that are far enough apart to be distinct, but close enough together to form chords. If you happen to have a C and an F recorder, try them out together, with each one sticking out of an opposite corner of your mouth. And feel free to twist one or both of the head joints around upside-down, keeping the finger holes facing upward, if that proves to be a more stable position. It's a fun technique to play around with!) If there's any question about Lisa Lynne being properly compensated for her contributions to this album and the two subsequent Celestial Winds CDs ("Christmas Morning" and "Oceans of Love"), they are also available directly from her through her website, www.LisaLynne.com. Try also the later CDs of Lisa Lynne and friends, and the flute and harp stylings of Kim Robertson, Bettine Clemen and Steve Kujala in "Love Song to a Planet" and "Wild Iris."

I bought this to play while I am using the Laser Star projector. The Laser Star projects a galaxy of stars onto the ceiling of your room with the stars constantly in motion, and even with a random shooting star. There is also a function to have celestial 'clouds' which is also cool. While listening to this music while watching the stars slowly moving all over the ceiling is like going on a journey. The combination of sights from the Laser Star and sounds from this CD makes us feel like we are traveling through space. It's an awesome experience and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home.