Dance With the Wind

Mary Youngblood | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Silver Wave
• ASIN: B000FDEU6M
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,907 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > World Music > North America > Native American

Track Listings

1. Misty Rain 3:54

2. Wind Whispers 3:25

3. My Gypsy Soul 3:20

4. Play With Me 4:27

5. Dance With Me 2:56

6. Find the Song 4:30

7. Lost Long Ago 4:17

8. Make An Offering 4:32

9. Reach For The Sky 4:37

10. Blood of MY Blood 3:12

11. On Our Journey 3:52

12. Dance With the Wind 5:08

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Native American musical icon Mary Youngblood can make her wooden flutes express every possible shade of emotion while never losing sight of the larger cosmic epic we are all part of. Of Aleut (Alaskan) and Seminole (Floridian) ancestry, she was named "Flautist Of The Year" at the Native American Music Awards two years in row and won a Grammy for Beneath The Raven Moon (2003.) A classically trained multi-instrumentalist and composer, she was one of the first tribal women to play an instrument that not only has ancient religious connotations but was formerly confined, amid a few centuries-worth of stiff taboos, exclusively to male performers. But she also has few peers as a singer; her vocals on "Play With Me" are transparently lovely. Meanwhile, "Dance With Me" sounds almost Celtic, with Eric Levine’s lilting fiddle leaping amid the other instruments like a trout in the sunshine. As a musician and a human being, Youngblood continues to personify all that is strong, spiritual, womanly and fine; her music is at once easily accessible and miles deep. She has something important to share with people of all backgrounds and deserves to reach a mainstream audience. --Christina Roden

Product Description

Grammy Award Winner for Best Native American Music Album! Sometimes the wind whispers and sometimes the wind howls. When Grammy winner Mary Youngblood lets the wind flow through her Native American flutes, the result is always one of beauty and joy. Inspired by the wisdom of nature, Mary writes: "The trees have given a voice to me, the voice that sings to you now." Her eclectic musical style evokes feelings of freedom, and gratitude for the blessings of life, our Dance with the Wind.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystical, magical, mysterious, mesmerizing... AND ... memorable!, May 19, 2007

By 

J. Ross "a-music_fan" (Roseburg, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance With the Wind (Audio CD)

Playing Time - 51:45 -- Dedicated to hurricane Katrina survivors, "Dance with the Wind" recognizes that the wind has many personalities from breeze to gale. With her music swaying to the gentle zephyr, Grammy-award winner Mary Youngblood's splendid Native American flute-playing is warm and conversational. She adds her gusty vocals on three tracks (Play with Me, Dance with the Wind, Make an Offering). Of Aleut and Seminole descent, Mary has released four previous albums: The Offering, Heart of the World, Beneath the Raven Moon, Feed the Fire. As on her other albums, Tom Wasinger wears pivotal hats as a co-producer, co-writer, and accompanist who plays many different instruments. Other musicians featured are Eric Levine (violin), Jody Price (viola), Mark McCoin (percussion), Larry Thompson (drums), Ray Wasinger (drums), and James Marienthal (piano). An instrumental piece like "Dance with Me" has blustery moments when infused with Celtic-flavored sensibilities of Levine's silky smooth bow work. Using a dual chambered flute on "My Gypsy Soul," Mary decorates that piece with a colorful, breezy wrap although I felt like it could've used a tad more diversity. Her approach is to keep her melodies and arrangements fairly simple. My guess is that she does this to have a greater impact on a listener's emotions without cluttering her tunes with technical overload.

Youngblood's music draws inspiration from various genres from classical to jazz, and traditional to new age. With flutes always in the forefront, the music has rich, distinctive timbre and usually a jaunty lilt. At the middle of the set, more stark and wistful pieces like "Find the Song" and "Lost Long Ago" are contemplative and seem to convey calm statements about pursuing dreams. This album does convey some elements of predictability that reinforce Youngblood's signature sound established over the years. Her multi-tracked vocals on "Play with Me" honor the trees for the voices they have given her to her music in the form of guitar and flute. At track eight, "Make an Offering" is her own declaration about the importance of music in her life to sing breath into the soul. In a subtle reference to an earlier song at track seven, Mary also sings "find the song lost long ago, Its melody will lead us home." Spare instrumental settings keep the arrangements lean, bordering on new age at times to create soothing aural soundscapes. "Blood of my Blood" has a jazzy chordal progression, walking bass line, and muted strings of a Hungarian cymbalom. That makes for interesting cross-genre pollination. This type of hammered dulcimer also appears in the mix of "Find the Song." "Reach for the Sky" is the one piece that also has Mary playing piano along with Native American wooden flute and alto flute. "On Our Journey" is one of the more lyrical and melodic instrumental tracks. A bonus track closes the genial album on an ethereal note.

Adopted as a baby by a middle class non-Indian family, Mary grew up studying piano, violin, classical flute, guitar and ballet. As an adult, she decided to concentrate on wooden flute, and she now owns over 250 hand carved instruments that celebrate her heritage. On the stage of life, "Dance with the Wind" is about seeking dreams, meeting goals, searching for answers, finding truth, and experiencing freedom. Whether you find it mystical, magical, mysterious, or mesmerizing, there's one word that best describes Mary's music. That is memorable! (Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Grammy Award (2007) for Mary Youngbood, March 23, 2007

By 

Wave Reviews (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dance With the Wind (Audio CD)

Mary Youngblood just keeps getting better and her second Grammy winning record is a remarkable joy to behold. Stellar flute playing, signature song writing, creative arrangements, and unique instrumentation all combine to make this a superb recording. Mary Youngblood has always had the talent to stand out above the crowd, and with this honor she stakes her claim as the number one star of Native American music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, April 2, 2007

By 

Ann S. Waldrum - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance With the Wind (Audio CD)

Prior to Dance with the Wind, I was not familiar with Mary Youngblood's work, but she is fabulous. Now I will get her other albums and enjoy. In addition to her lovely flute, her voice is as soft as velvet.