Customer Reviews

Dark Blue Circumstance

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Paul Dresher has been writing minimalist classic music mixed with jazz rock fusion & tape loops for years. There was a series of modern operas, rather modern stage performances in the 1980's which only one was recorded for the mass market. You will hear some Steve Reich rhythm & percussion influence but Paul Dresher is less mathematical & more emotional with his music. I was just listening to another one of his CD's "Opposites Attract" but the music was rather heavy handed for this evening & I needed something more claming. This CD fits the bill & here is the review...

There are 4 sets of music in this CD:

1. "Double Ikat" for violin, piano, & percussion (1988-90)

Starts out rather like Steve Reich but slows down to a more tuneful smooth atmosphere, then the percussion & the solo violin go back & forth between wild & calm. I like the sad piano with solo violin at the end.

2. "Dark Blue Circumstance" for solo electric guitar (1982-87)

Sounds like a Robert Fripp & Brain Eno tape loop. Rather trance like, but then a mournful canon flows through.

3. "Channels Passing" for chamber septet (1981-82)

This is the song that turned me on to Paul Dresher, it was on an New Albion CD collection I picked up in New York City. After listening to this piece is when I started to collect Paul Dresher's work. Very Staccato added process minimalist classical music.

4. "Night Songs" for 3 voices & 6 instruments (1979-81)

Texts from various native American Indian groups with an African & Polynesian poem set to music with certain word plays & images.

Great inner notes on the history of Paul Dresher & the above music included with the CD.

Excellent "classical" music with a very modern feel. Although he is not a minimalist composer in the sense of Reich or Gotte, he is certainly seems influenced by them.