Earthbeat

Paul Winter

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2001)
• Original Release Date: September 1, 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Living Music
• ASIN: B0000000UE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #201,280 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Pete Seeger
"In this ground-breaking album Paul Winter...may set a new path. I think it's great."

Product Description
A milestone musical collaboration by The Paul Winter Consort and the Dmitri Pokrovsky Singers; the first ever collection of original music created by Russians and Americans together.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly different. But don't let that put you off!, March 30, 2001

By	Bob Zeidler (Charlton, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Not many years ago, I had the good fortune to see the Dimitri Pokrovksy ensemble live, at one of Paul Winter's "Winter Solstice" concerts. The ensemble, a group of young Russian singers, thoroughly captivated tha audience with their energetic songs and dances that trace their roots back to ancient Russian village music.

Sadly, the event took place only months after Pokrovsky was prematurely lost to them. That Winter Solstice concert became, de facto, a remembrance . It was an experience to remember, and all concerned deserved kudos for making the occasion a celebration of the life of Pokrovsky.

This album is an alternate, and more permanent, celebration of the unique vocal and instrumental sounds that Pokrovsky and Winter combined in creating this music. That the original idea for the collaboration predated the collapse of the Soviet Union by a few years, requiring permission and a co-production from from Melodiya, the Soviet state record company, is all the more remarkable in these days of an open Russia.

The final track, "Garden of the Earth," adding American village choristers coached by the inestimable Susan Osborn to the group of Russian singers, is a fitting conclusion to a good musical time had by all. It brings to mind another garden song of affirmation and hope, Benrstein's "May Your Garden Grow," the concluding song in his opera, Candide. Consider this coincidence, whether purposeful or serendipitous, as high praise.

Speaking of coincidences, it is more than mere coincidence that the opening theme of the TV show "Survivor," titled "Ancient Voices" on that show's theme-music album, is derived literally from "Kurski Funk." Paul Winter and Dimitri Pokrovsky must have had a good idea there, back in 1987, when the album was first released.

Bob Zeidler

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fall in Love with Life, September 13, 2003

By	Omer Belsky (Haifa, Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In August this year, I attended the yearly Jazz Festival in Eilat, known as ' Jazz in the Red Sea'. I am not a huge jazz fan, so I enjoyed many of the performances but felt no need to buy any of the CDs by the acts performing.

Then, the very last concert of the very last night, went to see The Paul Winter Consort and the Dmitri Pokrovsky Singers. To say that the act was phenomenal is an understatement. It simply blew the competition out of the water - and stood head and shoulders above any other act in the Festival.

Dressed with what I presume are traditional Russian cloths, the Dmitri singers dances, stormed their feet, played the violin (badly - the only weakness in the set), and most importantly sang - raised their voices in wonderful, exotic harmonies, completely unfamiliar to me, someone who listens mostly to Rock, Blues and other forms of music derived from the European and America traditions.

After seeing a whole variety of Jazz acts, The Paul Winter Consort came off as even more impressive. I can't put the finger on what made Winter's group them so great - there were many able pianists, bassists and drummers in the performances, but somehow, the Consort was so much better. No doubt it was because the music was so much better - not just effective, but often sterile Jazz, but wonderful combinations of styles and forms.

Paul Winter (who, due to a malady in the mouth, had a man holding his lips while he played) was not only a fantastic saxophonist but a bandleader extraordinaire, straight forwardly and warmly communicating with the crowd. His Sax lines mirrored and complimented themes from the rhythm section, the Dmitri Singers, and occasionally recordings of whales, wolves, and so on.

It was a fantastic concert, and you can hear much of that charm, beauty and power here, in the record that Winter and the Dmitri Pokrovsky Singers made some 15 years ago during the last days of the Cold War. This is a true epic of World Music and Jazz. You'll love it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The passion of world harmony fused with light jazz, September 20, 2002

By	A. Elabbasy "Andrea Nix El Abbasy" (Raleigh, North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first heard this recording when I bought the cassette about 12 years ago from a bargain stand. It immediately became one of my most cherished recordings, primarily becuase of the first song, "Kurski Funk", which is one of the most uplifting, rhythmic vocal harmonies I have ever heard. If you are open to it, it reaches down deep inside your soul and awakens something primal. I can almost feel myself leave this planet when I hear it, and I can't sit still. It is trance-inducing. Most of the other songs on the CD have a smiliar effect, their rhythms capturing you, posessing you feet to tap, stomp even. The harmonic choruses are interspersed throughout the entire album. My only complaint is likely a result of the fact that I am NOT a jazz fan, and probably jazz is not even the right word. Although the saxaphone and "Paul Winter" sound is very nicely woven into the songs, I have always been a bit saddened when the singing and dancing melted into the more melodic instumental portions of the songs. The singing in "Kurski Funk" especially could never be prolonged enough for me. Songs such as "The Horse Walked in the Grass" took a little getting used to for me, but now they are part of the whole Earthbeat experience and my innards dance to that tune, as well.

I was so surprised when I heard the "Kurski Funk" on "SURVIVOR"! I felt I had been robbed! My precious jewel of a song that no one I knew had ever heard, and that had been my soul's mate for so many years, had been commercialized! Well, I hope the commercialization will help to spread this music to the world. I misplaced my cassette, and got a car with only a CD player, and have been looking for the last year for the EARTHBEAT CD. Thank heavens I finally found it and my soul can sing again.