Echoes of Childhood

Michael Jones | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Narada
• ASIN: B00008V5SZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,479 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In 1983, the softly impressionistic Pianoscapes by Canadian Michael Jones was the inaugural CD release for the then-fledging Narada label. Two decades later, while Narada has vastly expanded its stylistic palette, Jones’ remains true to his extemporaneous musical impulses, as evidenced on Echoes of Childhood, his 11th career recording. Like Pianoscapes, Echoes was recorded in one sitting in his home studio and, like most of his projects, beckons us to awaken childlike instincts (joy, wonder, innocence) obscured by adult concerns. More improviser than composer, Jones can sometimes frustrate as well as charm. Devotees praise Jones for the enchanting eurhythmy of his soul-searching works, which often extend beyond 10 minutes. Others view his approach as meandering and unfocused, and Echoes can elicit both points of view. Happily, Echoes overall ranks among Jones’ more accessible works, where lovely melodies unexpectedly bloom within his pastoral ruminations, then quietly recede as the music follows a new, reflective path. At times, the sheer volume of notes and florid trills overpowers the meditative spell of his reveries, though this becomes a largely tolerable flaw. Jones, a musician/educator whose work was integrated into a 1990s think-tank endeavor, the MIT Dialogue Project, is one musician who takes a sincere interest in pondering music’s relationship to human well-being. Newcomers to Jones are encouraged to investigate his early-career retrospective, Michael’s Music, and After the Rain, with contributions from Grammy-winning oboist Nancy Rumbel. --Terry Wood

Product Description

"we see the world around us filled with the aliveness of the dream. But all too soon shades of adulthood close in upon us until one day when the echoes of childhood come riding on the fresh wind and bring with it the innocence and brightness of a new born day"

Taking these words from William Wordsworth as inspiration, Michael Jones hauntingly beautiful solo piano recording captures with rich lyrical imagery the timeless human journey from innocence lost to innocence regained. Creating music that is as emotionally evocative as it is flawlessly performed, Jones adds to his twenty year legacy of fine piano recordings with an outstanding body of original work that is energetic, soaring, playful, and yet also his most grounded and openhearted work to date.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Jones Teaches A Valuable Lesson!, December 22, 2002

By 

T. L. Brown (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Echoes of Childhood (Audio CD)

Like many people, I own (and buy) too many compact discs. Most are played once (maybe), but a precious few CDs seem to be played over and over, year after year. Michael Jones' Echoes Of Childhood is one of those rare CDs that is so well-conceived, so well-performed, and so well-recorded that one playing would never suffice. This isn't piano mastery; it's piano magic. The tip-toe memories of childhood are only part of what this album gives to its listener. Hit the play button, close your eyes, and listen for just a minute and you'll find yourself setting aside all other tasks and duties. For more than an hour, while Michael plays, you'll be transported to that ageless state of childhood, where innocence and wonder create a sense of excitement that makes each day a blessing, not a burden. The booklet with this CD alludes to William Wordsworth, the 19th Century English poet who wrote "Intimations of Immortality." In that work, Wordsworth talks about his own echoes of childhood, lamenting the loss of his youth, the loss of "The things which I have seen I now can see no more." Hit the play button, close your eyes, and listen to this wonderful compact disc for just a minute and you will be blessed in ways that Wordsworth could not: through Michael Jones skilled hands on the keyboard, we can all now "see" once again our childhood. We can recall what it is we loved about those early years in life. We can remember once more what it is we need to draw on, time and time again, whenever the heavy burdens of our maturity need to be lifted by a celebration of childhood energy and enthusiasm. Michael Jones teaches through this album a valuable lesson. We do not have a choice about getting old. But we can always choose to live with the irrepressible spirit of youthfulness.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from Solo Piano Publications, April 25, 2003

By 

Kathy Parsons (Florence, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Echoes of Childhood (Audio CD)

After a very long career with Narada (his "Pianoscapes" was the first recording released by the label in 1984), Michael Jones has established his own label and released his first independent album, "Echoes of Childhood." Jones has been known for his improvised recordings, and I have to admit that some of his earlier work left me a little cold. However, I love this album! A bit more structured and "composed," "Echoes" wonderfully balances the freedom of spontaneous creation with the polish of musical ideas that have been developed a bit before recording. And what an incredible instrument Jones uses to record these musical stories and ideas! The high end of the Bosendorfer absolutely sparkles, and the deep bass resounds with authority. Some of the tracks include subtle synth washes for color, but this is definitely a solo piano album. The eight tracks range in length from just over four minutes to almost seventeen, allowing the listener to get lost in the music. Some of the compositions are darker than I remember hearing from Jones in the past, which makes me think perhaps Narada was "type-casting" him a bit. With his own label, Jones is now free to "paint" with a broader range of colors and textures.

"Echoes of Childhood" is based on a story by William Wordsworth, and "traces the timeless and eternal human journey from innocence found to to innocence lost and
innocence regained" (quoted from Jones' website). The album opens with the light and breezy "Song of the Wood Thrush," a very gentle piece with a simple melody line and catchy rhythm. "Call to the Dance" starts out full of energy, and weaves together several musical themes in a rich improvisation that covers a range of emotions, from joy to reflection to melancholy. "In Dark Wood Lost" is my favorite piece in this collection. Dark, haunting, and very introspective, the passion and sense of searching in this piece go right to the heart. The title track follows, with a strong feeling of hope and inner calm. "New Born Day" is full of the joy of rebirth, and some of the passages remind me of children laughing. One of the longer improvisations, the piece dances and sparkles with childlike innocence.

Excellent from start to finish, "Echoes of Childhood" will take you on a wonderful journey. Very highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Echoes of Childhood, November 18, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Echoes of Childhood (Audio CD)

This most recent Michael Jones effort (2002) is a return to the rich compositional style that has been his for most of Jones recording years. In addition to the warmth of his piano (a seven foot Bosendorfer), he has collaborated with Lance Anderson (background synthesizer) to produce an album which, while it echoes the old, seems to have a music all its own. Echoes of Childhood also marks the debut of Jones own label, and a very auspicious beginning it is.

The inspiration for the album is a story line based on William Wordsworth's 'Intimations of Immortality.' It tracks the metaphysical child through from the joy of childhood through all the wear and tear of living until once again it resurfaces, joyful once again. This thematic unity contributes to the overall coherence of the music and makes this one of Jones' strongest albums.

While Anderson's synthesizer is present it never becomes more than a voice underscoring and strengthening the piano line. I find it impossible to single out a cut as 'best.' The album starts out well can proceeds to get stronger, so that each track is your favorite until the next one plays. Dream of the World gets the most attention, it's melody so vibrant that Jones plays it in two versions on the album. Then you start over and discover something new in the first track, and off you go again.

This really is a keeper - one you will want to own.