Customer Reviews

Field Notes

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I really enjoyed Aaberg's earlier albums, High Plains and Out of the Frame. High Plains consisted of 12 tracks of solo piano music. Out of the Frame was 12 tracks of similar music accompanied by other instruments. The new age music from both albums seemed to have a folk feel. Some pieces were jovial, others were haunting. Some pieces were powerful, others were quiet. Many of them are reminiscent of the Northern Montana landscape (which is where the artist is from). All of the pieces were great songs.

Field Notes, however, falls short compared to those older albums. While the style of the performance is still the same, the musical pieces are much less distinct. The music flows indistinctly from one track to the next, and the powerful feelings that were present in the earlier albums seem blurred together. In the end, the music from this album seems to be a continuous stream of indistinct Aaberg piano music with no single piece standing out.

In conclusion, I would recommend fans of new age piano music to try High Plains or Out of the Frame first before trying Field Notes.

Field Notes is something of a first - one of the early releases on his own label, Sweetgrass Music. It is a major piece of work for the pianist, consisting of three suites drawn from a variety of inspirations. Aaberg is one of those people who is often affected by what he reads, and he lists Barry Lopez (Field Notes), Harper Lee (To Kill A Mockingbird), and Celeste Miller (Big Sky Spinning) in his credits. He also gives a nod to John Adams' compositions, which may make you listen even closer to Aaberg's own work.

There is a lot of music on this disk both in quantity (about one hour) and quality. I've complained about the overuse of the 'new age' designation before, and this is one of those cases where the musician is much more than the 'glad sounder' that terminology seems to designate. Aaberg is a serious musician. Best to leave it at that. He can be dark, and sometimes very bitter (The Trial). Sometimes he leaves the listener uneasy, and he always invites thought even when toying with our fancies (Sweet Betsy From Pike).

One of the best recommendations I can give about him is that listening to Aaberg remains 'new' for longer than most. There's more to chew on and more to inhale. His work has deepened surprisingly over the years and he continues to be a star among American player/composers. This is an excellent introduction to his complex and beautiful style.

After several years without a new recording, Philip Aaberg released three new CDs in 2000, with a fourth on the way. The first release of the four is "Field Notes", which has been in the works for many years. Most of the pieces on this album are improvised and quite short - sketches, if you will. They are grouped into three suites called "Field Notes Suite", "To Kill a Mockingbird Suite", and "Big Sky Spinning Suite". It is great to see Phil back in action! One of the best pianists on the planet, "Field Notes" is both a step back to his roots and a step forward with artistic growth as well as the freedom and control of being an independent artist. Complex and challenging, this is not an album that reveals itself the first few times you listen to it. Great music evolves in the listener's mind and soul and this takes time as well as a little patience, but it is always more than worth the effort to make the journey. In this pop, jingle-driven musical world we are currently experiencing, it is such a blessing to find an artist who refuses to budge from his uniqueness and very personal form of expression. This album is a joy, and is one of my favorite albums of 2000.