Customer Reviews

Past Light

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4 star:		(2)
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This is my very first review... but I couldn't resist the opportunity to share what a wonderful CD this is! If you have never heard this CD... you simply must! My husband and I first heard this playing in a record store in San Diego, CA as we were walking past it (in the early 80's) and we went in and bought it on the spot. It has accompanied us on late night picnics by the ocean, on romantic camping trips to the mountains and now... 17 years and two children later, it is still "our" favorite CD! Although the oceans and mountains have turned into precious moments we can steal alone... the very first notes takes us back to those other memorable times! The music is soft and yet has energy! It is relaxing and thought provoking! It is simply the most romantic and soothing music we have ever heard all on one CD! We think you will agree... Listen for yourself! You shouldn't miss this one!

William Ackerman is a delightful solo guitarist and a charming live performer, but I think he's at his best bringing out the talents of others. This album is a perfect example. Here Ackerman weaves rich and driving tapestries behind and around the "leads" of his co-performers. Shadowfax's Chuck Greenberg ads his soaring lyricon to Visiting to make it one of the highlights of the genre - I don't care what the Amazon reviewer says - and the album is worth it for this cut alone. But this cut isn't alone and the rest will engage you with a variety of different instruments and styles - all elevated and unified by Ackerman's artistry.

This is Ackerman's fifth album, and his style has steadily matured from the simplicity of a pure solo acoustic guitar to a complex sound full of acoustic and electronic resonances and a penchant for intimate ensemble playing.

Gone forever are the John Fahey and Robbie Basho influences. Or, rather, they have become completely assimilated in the artistry which will mark much of Ackerman' s productions - a heady combination of experiment, jazz, and, yes, 'new age' as well.

This new habit of going beyond solo performance has both good and bad points. The good is that Ackerman is no more compromising in his choice of partners than he is over the quality of his own musicianship. The combinations, which include musicians like Michael Hedges (Night Slip), Joan Jeanrenaud and other members of the Chronos Quartet (Garden and Three Observations of the Ocean), and Chuck Greenberg (Visiting) amount to wonderful music.

What one misses, though, is the delightful work Ackerman can do as a soloist. For this you will now have to turn to his older albums. It is always hard for a fan to realize that making do with the same old formulae can never satisfy creative musicians. Ackerman is one of those who are always looking for new transitions, not as gimmicks, but as a means of self-expression. For us, as listeners, we have the reassurance that great music awaits us whenever we listen.

What can be nicer than fusing every magnum opus onto one cd? Will Ackerman made his way into my view of music through the Echoes radio program on 88.5. Even then, his music was unparalleled to other guitarists. Every couple of nights, his music would come on and I'd know it first hand. His skills with the guitar opened me to a new world of music which to this day has grown stronger and made me more willing to explore new areas in music.

I don't think the people who describe this album as "calming" realize how unfavorable that term can be -- it's precisely the reason "Windham Hill" has become synonymous with "New Age music" -- a connection WH neither claimed nor wanted.

Personally, this is the album which introduced my ears to Windham Hill as a label & a sound, before "New Age" was a music category. What I heard then I still hear now: elusive emotion and perception musically portrayed. I did not know then that WH was entering a new phase, loosening purist concerns in favor of melding something new, and few songs are as revolutionarily new as the song which opens this album: acoustic guitar, electric fretless bass, and something completely new to most ears, a lyricon. Where are the drums? What's that flutey sound?? Just what kind of music is this supposed to be?

Musicians know how rare it is to do anything truly new -- especially with all the wonderful examples already existing. And just what is the purpose in doing something low-key that's also rewarding, satisfying without being exciting, emotional but reserved? Is it really possible to have a revolution quietly spoken rather than declaimed?

PAST LIGHT showed that it could. This album of mostly duets and trios strives for that delicate balance, track after track, in different circumstances: different people, different instruments, different moods (if alike in reflection). What's so amazing is how many of them strike the bulls-eye -- I'd say 8/10 cannot be improved.

While some reviewers mourn the lesser focus on Ackerman's own solo guitar, I found I missed the variety of guest performers when listening to his earlier albums. If you're wondering about William Ackerman, you want PASSAGE, which is half solos and half duets. If you're wondering about William Ackerman AND Windham Hill, PAST LIGHT is your answer.

I first heard William Ackerman on Cable's 'Soundscape' music channel and it immediately caught my ear. Calming, yet interesting arrangements. I love the whole cd!

this was the first william ackerman recording i heard. i was in the navy and going through a mid-life crisis. for some strange, truly wonderful reason, this disc reminded me (and still does) of california - which was a much happier time in my life. every time i need to meditate, cry, or just embrace life, this is the album i listen to. by the way, it means everything in the world to me that this album cover just came back signed, ``thanks for listening linda, will.''