7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT CD!, November 21, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Lovely Daze (Audio CD)
When guys like Robert Moog and Don Buchla first developed the synthesizer, this is what they had in mind. Chris Dudley gets as much nuance, emotion and personality out of his wind synth as any "acoustic" instrument. But far from being just a showcase for his instrumental abilities, Lovely Daze proves to be a thoughtful, well-crafted collection of gems by a gifted composer/arranger who just happens to be a monster player! Throughout the album Dudley knows exactly when to take the listener to the musical edge and when to bring them back again. But even when a piece is rooted in stylistically familiar territory, there is always an unexpected element that makes it fresh. And while some of my favorite moments are the more subtle, such as the brief composition "Intro" and the lovely title cut, Dudley can also get downright funky, as on "Carnival" and "Ambush in New York", aided in no small part by John McGlaughlin percussionist Victor Williams.
So many of today's so-called "smooth jazz" artists are content to lay down a few familiar grooves, add some slick production and call it an album. If you're among those who prefer that imagination, creativity and impeccable composition are added to the mix, then this is the CD for you. Highly recommended!
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