Customer Reviews

Sound of Wind Driven Rain

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The unique talent of Will Ackerman lies not in technique, or elaborate creativity. He produces works that are based on the simplest of themes with no attempt at any real development.It is what he does with these simple tools that marks him out as a gifted and exceptional artist. Rarely will you hear such beauty, such contemplative joy, such soothing suspension of time. Aided in all of his works by perfect recording and production, Ackerman infuses this simple raw material with a sensitivity and expressiveness that is quite remarkable. Those who know his earlier recordings will remember the beauty of works like THE BRICKLAYERS BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, and THE IMPENDING DEATH OF THE VIRGIN SPIRIT . SOUND OF WIND DRIVEN RAIN is a successful continuation. SHELLA'S PICTURES is gorgeous,drifting, quintessential Ackerman (playing solo, which I like best!). LION'S IN THE SKY has an opening which is breathtakingly lovely, and UNCONDITIONAL, I KNOW THIS RIVER, and MR. JACKSON'S HAT are further examples of Ackerman's ability to create a memorable aesthetic experience out of the simplest material. The addition,on some tracks, of Samite (vocal), violins, piano and English horn provides variety without breaking up the satisfying unity of the album, and the guitar parts are always deservedly prominent. Will Ackerman has his critics. 'Nothing happens in his music', they say.'It is pretty enough, but vacuous'. They label it (pejoratively) 'New Age', whatever that means. I can only give a personal response to this.....I think there are weak numbers in the Ackerman discography; rather bland pieces that won't get played that often. And all of his music operates within clear parameters. That said, I have listened, all my life, to many types of music, and can think of special, precious moments: Segovia on nylon strings,Rubinstein playing Chopin, Gieseking playing Debussy, the voice of Kathleen Ferrier, the sitar of Nikhil Banerjee, the piano of Bill Evans, the saxophone of Stan Getz, guitar pieces by John Fahey and David Qualey.To these I must add William Ackerman for those precious moments of uncluttered, simple beauty that occur often in his music, and are so spellbinding that all criticism is redundant. Music to help you journey through life....new age.....old age...any age!!

I've rocked my baby to sleep everynight with CD, the music is beautiful and moves me to tears--there is something very poignant about it, it makes me believe in the gentle rightness of the world, just before drifting into the nightime hours, when doubt and fear can crop up, this music fills me with peace.

I was taken by Mr. Ackerman's playing in a Windham Hill Christmas CD. This CD carries Mr. Ackerman's style and sound with minimal accompaniment - very full and natural one can hear the overtones of his guitar. I play this album during Fall and winter seasons as it has that melancholy flavor a fitting backdrop of Seattle. This recording is very clean, clear, natural,full,and melodious. WHEN IS THE FOLLOW UP SCHEDULED TO COME OUT !!!!

On this work, Ackerman's latest, he continues his practice of mixing some solo guitar efforts with duets and ensemble arrangements as well as a first -- three songs with vocals ("A Child's Song" / "Hawk Circle" / "Sound of Wind Driven Rain"). Musically it pretty much falls into the same vein as his previous few releases such as "Imaginary Roads" and "The Opening of Doors."

Particular highlights on this CD include "Driving Fast" (the most upbeat of the songs on the CD, with some interesting accompaniment by Charles Bisharat on violin, and Michael Manring on bass), the title track, and an extended re-working (clocking in at over 9 minutes) of "Hawk Circle", this time featuring additional guitar-work, drums and rainstick, with vocals (the original "Hawk Circle" arrangement on his "Passage" release featured the piano of George Winston).

My only criticism of the CD is that it needs at least a couple more faster or more aggressive tempo songs than just the aforementioned "Driving Fast" -- granted, William Ackerman has pretty much left the folk-music style in which he worked early in his musical career, but the mostly slow, quieter arrangements on this CD could use a little spicing up.

Although I hate the term "New Age Music" as a style categorization, as most people define it the music here falls into the category -- relatively soft, predominantly instrumental music.

The time William Ackerman spent making this new album was well worth it. "Sound of Wind Driven Rain" is a moving and haunting album. It comes across not so much as a collection of unrelated songs but as a cohesive musical portrait. Ackerman's composition style is gentle and inviting, and solo guitar tracks are interspersed with numerous collaborations with other musicians, all of them excellent. From Charlie Bisharat's lyrical and flowing violins on "Driving" (one of the best songs on the album) to Paul McCandless's welcome english horn on "Pontchartrain" to Samite's vocals on the lullaby "A Child's Song" (and others), the musical colors on this disc are varied and exciting. Ackerman's solo tracks show just what an expressive and insightful guitarist and composer he is. Give a good listen to the title track, which somehow manages to perfectly capture the essence of the words "Sound of Wind Driven Rain." Ackerman just keeps getting better over the years, and this album is a perfect introduction to his body of work as well as an important listen for dedicated fans.

This is the album that broke the six year long hiatus that came after the poor reception for Opening of Doors (I'm not counting the 1993 Retrospective). One could tell at that time that Ackerman was looking for a new creative direction. I felt that, in dedicating himself almost entirely to ensemble playing he had somehow lost connection to the instrument that had made all his success possible. I'm sure he would argue with me about that, but 1992 was not a very good year for the musician.

Sound of Wind Driven Rain makes up for all of that. It is a quiet, introspective album full of genuine improvisation. There are other musicians involved, but Ackerman is back in front, taking his time, making music. There's something melancholy to this album (Lion's In The Sky, for example). Perhaps the guitarist is saying goodbye to some things as he moves forward.

There is much that is exquisite here - the delicacy of Unconditional, the gentle flow of the Sheila's Pictures, the melodic work of I Know this River. Ackerman has always preferred the light touch of clear finger work on a smaller guitar to bravura playing, and Sound of Wind Driven Rain is a perfect example of this. It invites the listener to dive deep instead of skimming the surface. Listen also for the use of voices (Sound of Wind Driven Rain, Hawk Circle, and A Child's Song) that presages Ackerman's next effort, Hearing Voices.

I really like this album. It may not be his very best, but it contains a lot of very good music. Like any strong musician, Ackerman takes risks and rarely these fall a bit short. But it is very good indeed to have Will Ackerman back playing at full creative strength.

I bought this CD because I love acoustical guitar and I have been satisfied with the Windham Hill label in general, but this CD, while not awful, was a bit disappointing. My main complaint is that it is so gentle, quiet, and unobtrusive that it's likely to put you to sleep. That said, it certainly is inoffensive background music. But I found it kind of too vanilla-flavored, even for New Age acoustical music. I'm not a musical expert but I think the guitar arrangements could have benefitted from a little more layering of complimentary instruments in order to round out the sound; the solitary guitar, in this case, wasn't quite able to shoulder the burden of keeping my interest and attention.

In the same vain as George Winston's December CD, Ackerman strings together a number of songs that create a unified whole. The melodies bring color and reflection, and although not as sparse as Winston's piano notes, Ackerman's guitar work is clean and precise. The production is exceptional, and there is just enough variety of accompanyment to make this an enjoyable listen. Samite's instrumental voice is soothing and monk-like, a nice addition to three pieces. Ackerman doesn't feel the need to break up the atmosphere with fast paced songs, which I'm grateful for. For the contemplative.

I have many of Will Ackerman's recordings and he remains one of my most favorite finger-style acoustic pickers. This album is so simple in its composition and execution, that there lies its beauty. Its a great album and does a fine job of demonstrating Will Ackerman's ability to find beauty in the simplist arrangements...

I give it a 4 star, because a few songs have singing on it, and for me, it distracts from the guitar work. Other then that, it is all good!

ANYONE WITH A TASTE FOR BEAUTIFUL ACOUSTIC MUSIC WHICH MAKES ONE REFLECT AND MOVES YOU DEEP INSIDE, WHICH IS WHAT GREAT MUSIC SHOULD DO, PLEASE IGNORE THE FIRST POSTING. I OWN ALMOST 200 CDS AND THIS CD AND CONFERRING WITH THE MOON BY WILL ACKERMAN ARE MY FAVORITES. I HAVE ALL HIS CDS BUT THESE ARE HIS BEST, TOUCHING, FLOWING MUSIC THAT ESPECIALLY WHEN LISTENED TO LOUDLY WILL MOVE ANYONE WITH ANY KIND OF DEPTH. SIMPLY ASTOUNDING MUSIC, CAN'T WAIT TILL HIS NEXT CD!!!