Customer Reviews

High Plains

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own this on vinyl, from the time it was first released. This was back when George Winston was all the rage (well, maybe 'rage' is a little strong a word when describing anything remotely "new-age" ! ) but I preferred this album by far over Winston's "pompously didactic" playing. Aaberg's music has a painfully honest and direct appeal that never fails to bring tears of the-appreciation-of-beauty to my eyes (especially the 'birdcall' which opens the title track ). I went for years not listening to this album, during which time I moved from the east coast to Colorado, went through a lot of life-changes, and I have listened to very different music ( Slint, Soundgarden, Burning Airlines, The Dismemberment Plan, Godspeed You Black Emperor to name a few.) And as much as I like cranking up some Jawbox, there's just something about listening to Aaberg's music while being "out West" that just clicks, same as Copeland's music (or to a lesser degree, U2's 'Joshua Tree' album ). The geographic relevance of such music can't be denied; However, you don't HAVE to be fortunate enough to see such places to appreciate music such as this - if you have imagination, these finely crafted songs will take you there anytime you like. Highly recommended.

This album, Aaberg's debut, was an early discovery for me, and has stood the test of time in my collection. I've owned several versions and giving them all hours of play. I find this both excellent background music and excellent performance work that can be enjoyed for itself, without any of the trappings of new age labels. Aaberg is first and foremost a player and writer, not a new age musicion, and this shows in his careful crafting and ability to vary his style and choice of tonalities.

The music is evocative of the Northwest, but not in a geographic or scenic sense. Instead, he tried to build a picture that has as much inner landscape as it does reference to places and events in that world. He couples this with exceptional musicality, where themse actually come into being, vary and mutate in an orderly progression rather than meandering endlessly as is sometimes the care elsewhere in this genre.

Good new age music is simply jazz in another guise - perhaps a bit more focused on the melodic rather than the harmonic content. In it's essence though, Aaberg's music rides as free as the world that inspired the music. It doesn't try to overwhelm, but reaches for a fine emotional balance that quickly starts to carry the listeners along, only to deposit them later in a place that is somehow better.

Current buyers who are interested in adding an exemplary CD to their pianist/composer collections should be delighted at its availability at an easily affordable price. Aaberg is not prolific, but his work is of consistently high quality. A worthy purchase for the contemplative.

I first heard excerpts of New Age solo piano music as musical interlude between news segments of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." I became interested enough to search it out at my local record store. "High Plains" was my first venture into New Age and acoustical instrumental music, the result of that initial search, and I must say it openend a whole new world for me. I purchased this album when it was first released - in vinyl! I later recorded it on tape for my own use when traveling and to preserve the record. Both are now worn out and I am buying the CD. For those who have visited or imagined the high plains and the near mountain regions of western Kansas, eastern Colorado and north into Wyoming and Montana, this music captures the spirit of the place. It is a musical geography lesson! The grandeur of the wide open area with big sky above and prairie views ended only by the curve of the earth are in this recording. My mind's eye views the magnificent snow capped Rocky Mountains from the east, and I hear the lyrical, trickling sounds of streams emanating from these heights like the Marias or Yellowstone rivers. The piano is the perfect instrument to conjure these scenes in my mind, as from a hawk's-eye above the plains. I know little of piano technique or the art of composing, but I do know that I'm inspired with these beautiful sounds of grandeur and serenity.

A truly gorgeous solo piano record, awesome recording quality. You can hear chords echo off the stone walls and hear the ambience of the room. Reminiscent of George Winston but less contrived.

The songs are elemental and joyous, and evoke strong images of Aaberg's naitive Montana. Very soothing, melodic and dexterious playing.

If you are a fan of piano music, I would absolutely add this great disk to your collection.

I really love Aaberg's music, and I have all his albums. High plains is IMHO the best, coming from a classical background. But his other later ones have very different feels, some more let-loose jazzy sorts of things... Anyway, buy this if you like good original music and excellent piano technique - much better than George Winston!

The first time I heard this CD(LP at that time), I wasn't captured by it. I mainly played it as background music. Then suddenly, one day, it just hit me that Mr Aaberg's compositions are truely works of art. I've played this CD a thousand times already & I never get tired of listening to it. In fact, I continuously try to mimic it on my piano. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't gifted with 14" fingers which Mr Aaberg seems to have(I bought his Piano transcriptions book, & I don't know how one could've played "Mariah's River Breakdown" with normal length fingers.) There's just one wish though, I wish they'd release this CD remastered to sound as close as possible to a Steinway piano & in HDCD format. I highly recommend this CD!!!

This music would probably best be described as New Age, only because certain forms of music are hard to classify. It's basically classical piano, although the emphasis is solemn, peaceful sounds.

If you are looking for faster, challenging piano, then this isn't Philip's work to get. He has other CDs that give more challenging music than this one. However, if you want something to put on and relax to and listen to beautiful sound, then this is very good.

As far as the people who call this elevator music, I guess they don't understand the writing and performing skills it actually takes to make this kind of music sound as good as what this does. Every last detail, such as the amount of sustain on a chord really makes a difference in producing the right feel. Philip is a master at this. I could only dream of an elevator sounding this good :)

To truly appreciate Phillip Aaberg's music, you need to own his first three albums: this one, "Out of the Frame" and "Upright." This album was his debut, and is wistful yet melodic. My favourite song is "Remembering This Place" and all of the songs on this album have that kind of 'something is being lost here, and we need to recover it' feeling. It is a worthy purchase, and while it is not my number one Aaberg album, it is definately one of my faves.

I love so many of these types of albums, Phil Aaberg, Michael Jones, David Lanz, but I've probably played this one twice as much as any other. It's dynamics are very subtle, even you can miss them a few times until you notice them, and that's what set's this album apart.
For me, what Pet Sounds is to Rock, this is to New Age.
Thank you Phil Aaberg.

This CD is one of the most beatiful of Piano Solo New Age.