Customer Reviews

San Juan Suite

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is truly a magnificent CD. It is Michael Gettel at his peak. Never have I had a CD where I have loved every track; this is the exception. Each track has a delightful melody, and is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end.

My favourite track is "Summer Rain". What technique this man has!! I am a primary school teacher in England (UK), and I played this track to my class of 11 year olds. On the board, I wrote the number of letters for the name of the track (6,4), and several of them correctly guessed the title of the track. Talk about aptly named!

Not surprisingly, I have never been to San Juan, but the music of this CD has inspired me to make the effort to visit there one day soon.

I have several Gettel CDs. This is easily his best one. How this one was allowed to go out of print I'll never know. Get it if you can, you won't be disappointed.

Very highly recommended.

I grew up in the Seattle area and, despite the wealth of musical talent to come out of the Northwest, no one has captured the essence of the San Juan Islands and Western Washington State the way Michael Gettel has. I play this CD all the time when I want to relax, and it takes me back home every time. One can almost feel the salt-water mist hitting your face, hear the sea gulls, the waves on the shore, watch the raindrops hit the ocean surface, and see the emerald pine trees. Can someone create moss with music? If you have been to the San Juan Islands in the great Pacific Northwest, you will love this CD, and if you haven't been there, this may be the next best thing. Curl up on a rainy day with a Starbucks and enjoy!

This CD is amazing! Ever since I heard the tape as a young girl in the San Juan Islands (Orcas Island), I've associated its sound with the magical San Juans. The music is peaceful, beautiful, and melodic. Michael Gettel perfectly captures the mood of the islands in his music. I will cherish this CD forever and ever and listen to it to fall asleep or just to relive my childhood days in the islands, as my family, on one occasion, drove around Orcas Island in the rain, listening to San Juan Suite. Buy this CD - you will be amazed!

I had never heard of Michael Gettel, but I have visited the San Juan Islands several times over the past 15 years or so, so the title intruiged me when I came across it in a bookstore in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA.

Gettel has captured the essence of the San Juans in music -- its sunny days and foggy mornings, the pods of whales that circle the islands during the summer, and the rain in winter.

The combination of original piano music mixed with occasional sounds of the Islands can carry you back to the San Juans no matter where you happen to be.

This music is soothing, and works well as background music to which one can work, read, or lounge. I often put this music in the CD player and let it play over and over when we invite friends over.

I recommend this title to anyone who loves good music and nature.

Top notch CD -- 5 stars

Alan Holyoak

I have been listening to Michael Gettel's music for at least the last 10 or so years. I am a native of Olympia, Washington, and before 1990, I had only been to the San Juan Islands a few times with my family (when I was too young to remember). My father was up in the San Juans, and brought home the audio cassette - San Juan Suite. At that time, I was still in to rock/jimmy buffet/etc etc etc. I heard this cassette for the first time and became a HUGE fan of this type of music! One of the most incredible moments of my entire life (I know this sounds kind of sappy, but it is entirely true), I was out on my sailboat by myself, anchored in an incredibly cool cove, I had just dug clams and picked oysters and had my fill of seafood. I poured my self a glass of wine (well of course - there was no one else there to pour a glass for-thankfully), put the San Juan Suite cassette in my player, sat in the cockpit, and absolutely was one with the world. This music is so incredible. I have been in touch with Mr. Gettel to let him know how much I have loved his touch in his music and expression. I have been a "groupie" of his for many years, and if he ever reads this, it would be my honor to meet him. **************************

I have had this CD for years... and I LOVE it! I play it all the time. The CD case is literally falling apart... This CD is so soothing, beautiful, calm... I cannot say enough good things about this CD! Michael Gettel is fantastic! Buy it, you will NOT be disappointed!

This was the CD that introduced me to two wonderful things: Michael Gettel's music, and the San Juan Islands. The music of this CD - still the favorite in my growing Michael Gettel collection - is soothing, inspiring, and moving. From the uptempo tracks Orcas and The Kelpie to the more thoughtful Drifting and Whalesong, Mr. Gettel captures the many moods and faces of this beautiful area with the piano and subtle, complementary natural sounds. When I actually visited the San Juans with my wife - who grew up in the adjacent Skagit County - I found that the music from this CD captured the emotion, beauty, and harmony that really is found there. I - who grew up in landlocked Illinois - can now hear and experience the magical beauty of the marine San Juan Islands even in my current Rocky Mountain home.

Pianist Michael Gettel has created a masterpiece with this CD. Combining piano with various nature sounds, he successfully captures the beauty of the area.

It is so rare to listen to a CD where every track is strong; this is a wonderful exception! Michael Gettel displays wonderful technique on the piano, and has created beautiful and memorable melodies.

It is difficult to select a favourite track. However, "Summer Rain" can only be described as "incredible". As I described in an earlier review, my class of 11 year olds used this to write some fantastic poetry, with some successfully guessing the title of the track just by listening to the music.

A joy to listen to from beginning to end, this CD is currently out of print (hint, hint Narada!) but is well worth tracking down.

I give it my highest recommendation. A first-class CD.

Michael Gettel's "San Juan Suite" is, quite simply, one of the best new age piano recordings out there. I find it amazing that Gettel hasn't reached the popularity of pianists like George Winston and Jim Brickman. The musical impressionism on "San Juan Suite" is enough to rival that of Winston's "Autumn" and the melodies are soothing and catchy enough to compare to Brickman's "By Heart". Gettel really is, as he states in the liner notes, a musical photographer. The pieces on "San Juan Suite" capture the imagery and sounds of the San Juan Islands in a way that is truly amazing. This is a must-have new age album.

Being someone who lived on San Juan Island, this CD absolutely fits as you drive near the shores of the enchanted beaches as well as take day hikes in the forests along the ocean. Sensational piano styles that take you to any place you imagine without leaving your home. Very emotional, exhilerating and freeing. Gorgeous composure. I recommend San Juan Suite highly to those who love majestic sounds of the ocean along with dreamy piano melodies.