Customer Reviews

With Open Eyes / ojos abiertos

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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This music is moving and allusive and full of meaning. It's extraordinarily sophisticated and creative (especially in the guitar technique) and yet accessible.

We live our life in time, in different tempos, full of mysterious resonances. We hear overtones of meaning. Chord and key changes create personal odysseys.

Like a solitary life, these songs have a beginning and an end, but they invite you to get lost in the eternal moment. You wait in the spaces between the notes, connected to the song's past, hopeful for the future, remembering a harmony that changes form.

But life isn't lived alone. The musicianship in these sessions is something shared and vital. I loved the arrangements and improvisation. Steve Kuhn's piano playing is beyond words.

The total album distills the music that we feel in the world around us, from the bleakness of pre-dawn, to bright day and seductive night.

Listen to it and you begin to get a sense of how an artist perceives the world. Peter Orphanos has a gift. There are many different musical genres displayed here, reflecting the hours of a day and the experiences of a lifetime. Here are a few samples:

"40 Acres..." and "Cornsilk Bender" are haunting pieces of atmospheric blues. The slide guitar is unearthly.

"Times That Were" has a Marvin Gaye groove and features a beautiful vocal.

"Halfmast" is a masterpiece of jazz. A reverie. Everything comes together: piano, guitar, percussion.

"Beautiful Love" has a swing that makes you want to dance.

There are also virtuoso flourishes of classical guitar ("Etude") in addition to other genres. It's all music. It's all wonderful. You'll have to listen for yourself.

This innovative CD sets itself apart from the crowd. The musicians & vocals are superb. I like the versatility of the different forms of music. Although the jazz is my favorite, every piece of music is exceptional. I'm also impressed with the artwork. Bravo, Peter Orphanos!

This album contains the most fresh and inventive music I have heard in quite a long time. Peter's flawless technique allows
a degree of emotional expression that is very rare in today's music. His playing has a subtle richness in detail that amazes
me ever time I listen.

Peter Orphanos is a great artist in full control of his art.

I'm not a connoisseur of jazz. I just know what I like and I love Peter Orphanos' CD! I had the opportunity to listen to it while on a long road trip with a friend. I was hooked!

The music is fresh, diverse and very comfortable to the ear. I made it a point to go out and buy myself a copy.

Listening to it over and over, has just reinforced my feelings.

Hey, Peter, we're waiting to see you at the Montreal Jazz Festival!

Myra Dodick
Montreal, Quebec Canada