Customer Reviews

Red Wind

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

 

 

One of the best recordings from this trio, this CD sees them venturing into more melodic and listener-friendly territory than before. Nakai's trademark soulful and expressive playing of the Native American flute blends perfectly with Eaton's creative use of the acoustic guitar and other like-instruments (that he builds himself). Driving the songs with rhythmically mesmerizing and perfectly matched beats, Clipman uses an array of percussion instruments to weave an atmosphere that seems to pull the listener into the music. This CD differs from their older releases in that the songs never seem to go off on a musical tangent. The trio sticks to a more modern formula while still creating their trademark "desert" atmosphere. Highly recommended by this listener!!

This music is poetry. The combination of these instruments and the path of the music speaks to ones soul.

The combination of flute, drums and strings transport you in an inspirational ambient, and allow you relax and feel music in your body.

What are the elusive qualities that give an album a distinct identity? 1) Having its own sound, not quite like any other album. 2) A consistent, cohesive sound from the first track to the last, and 3) Giving the listener a unique feeling, a particular kind of enjoyment that they won't find anywhere else (even on other output by the same artists - in this case "Feather Stone and Light"). This is such an album. People have called Red Wind "desert music" or "southwest music" and we might as well accept these terms to describe the land of high skies, steep canyon walls, long shadows, sudden heat and coolness, bright sun, patches of shady green, magical twilight and black night that this album seems designed to evoke, where man is a small player with a big, observant spirit. William Eaton's guitars (quite varied in sound) seem to be nature herself, including rocks, wind and animals. Will Clipman's drumming could be man's activity, including his work, rituals and celebrations. And Carlos Nakkai's Native American flute could represent man's thoughts and feelings as he observes nature and ponders his place in it. Your own interpretations might be different, but this is beautiful music that slows down your internal chatter to a point where you can find your own place in it, and your own interpretation.

I acually went to this concert at a Mission in Arizona. Nakai and others were top form to say the least. I love the different instuments on this CD and ofcourse Carlos Nakai Flute playing is the best there is. Love this CD it's like re living being there.....

This excellent CD is a mix of many of the skills of these musicians. There is, of course, the SW American Indian basis, very haunting. But these guys design most of these songs around many of the skills that they bring. There are jazz elements and riffs, some gentle reminders of popular music, especially in the guitar. But mostly this seems to be great SW musicians enjoying themselves tremendously. They are superb musicians playing a dizzying variety of instruments making some unusual sounds, and at times they even seem to be having some fun -- but it never really leaves those canyon and desert roots. And it all blends together superbly -- not gimmicky at all.

The only thing that might disappoint some is that this is not "pure" SW Indian music; it's that plus a lot more.