Lost Canyons

Scott August

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cedar Mesa Music
• ASIN: B000WETIH0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #77,449 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

August has always been a cut or two above most native flute players...he's taken it a step further on Lost Canyons. He layers guitars, keyboards and all kinds of percussion into his compositions, moving from world fusion to airy ambiences. August sets [the Native flute] in a vibrant global landscape...and lets it drift into ambient space. Lost Canyons is a place you won't mind losing your map. --John Diliberto, Echoes Radio

Review

It alarms me that an artist of Scott August s caliber managed to release five recordings (his sixth is coming very soon) and I have only now heard his music. Guess I m not such an icon in the industry after all, am I? I named this to my best of 2007 list, but it s even better than that. I d place it in my top ten for Native-influenced fusion music, period. Yeah, high praise, but after playing this album at least ten times prior to writing this review, I m sure it belongs there.

August plays way too many specific instruments to recount here, but among them are flutes (primarily the Anasazi flute which this recording seems to pay tribute to), piano, percussion, guitars, ethnic instruments such as the kalimba gamelan, and textures which I take to mean the application of synthesizers in assorted permutations. In this last aspect, August should give lessons to others as his dexterous superb blending of synths adds just the right amount to any song on which it s featured. Never too over the top yet also not so subtle as to make the listener question whether anything has been added at all. He s also an amazing percussionist across the full spectrum of the drums and other instruments which he uses on the CD.

Variety is the catch word here, as Lost Canyons contains everything from the plaintive beauty of the opening Morning Star (Anasazi flute, alabaster chimes and textures, the latter two coming into play later in the song) to the lively Raven Dance which intermixes percussion from just about every continent with guitar, piano and Tiger Maple flute. And those are just the first two songs on the album!

Where Spirits Dwell marries tribal beats with Balinese gamelan and the cross-culture fusion is a celebration of the way music bridges disparate cultures. Swallows & Nighthawks is the only solo flute song on the CD (although three others feature Anasazi flute with synth textures the only accompaniment), another distinguishing aspect of Lost Canyons from many other releases in this sub-genre (Native flute and Native-influenced fusion).

I could go on describing the other eight selections in detail but my word limit means I have to keep it short. So, I ll just hit on a few more highlights, such as the eight-and-a-half minute title track (meant to convey the viewing of long lost desert native people s dwellings, perhaps along the lines of Arizona s Montezuma s Castle, which I had the pleasure of viewing several months ago). The song showcases August s prodigious talent at balancing all his instruments...fusing them into not just a cohesive musical statement but a unique artistic expression in a subgenre where it s not always easy to stand out. Showing that he can dial up the energy and infuse some more modern touches into his fusion music, Chasing the Sun bounces along with kinetic energy, propelled by no less than seven different types of drum/percussion instruments and ambient-like electric guitar flourishes. The two closing tracks, Twilight Canyon and Evening Star are great conclusions to the album, conveying the fading of daylight... It s a perfect ending to the rare perfect recording. No criticisms from me whatsoever on this one. I only wish I had heard of Scott August sooner. Fantastic album - buy it!

Rating: Excellent --Bill Binkelman, New Age Reporter

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep Shimmering Clarity, October 8, 2007

By	Darrell Koerner (Boulder, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow! Just when you think Scott August can't make a better recording, he releases "Lost Canyons" - his best work to date. Deeply sublime, deep ambient, atmospheric world music of the highest order. Grounded by Scott's exquisite performances on the Anasazi flute, this CD is outstanding! Scott August is a compositional genius. "Lost Canyons" belongs in any world and native american music lover's collection, and has to be one of the best world music recordings of the year.... Buy the CD, take the journey and discover the amazing artistry of Scott August.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWARD-WINNER SCOTT AUGUST CAPTURES SPIRIT OF AMERICAN SOUTHWEST ON ALBUM, March 13, 2008

By	Cali - See all my reviews

In recent years, Scott August has become one of the more successful musicians playing Native American wooden flutes. LOST CANYONS is his fourth album. In this genre, the ultimate recognition is a Native American Music Award (the NAMMYS). One of his previous CDs, SACRED DREAMS, won a NAMMY, and his other two recordings, DISTANT SPIRITS and NEW FIRE, were both nominated. In addition, NEW FIRE won an Indian Summer Music Award which is prestigious within this music community because it is voted on by the Native musicians themselves. August has become such a master of this type of flute playing that he was asked to headline the Zion Native American Flute Festival in 2006 and 2007, and the Central Coast Flute Festival in 2007. August also has released a DVD, ANCIENT LIGHT, of his images of the Southwest with his music as the soundtrack.

LOST CANYONS captures the scenic beauty and enchanting feelings of spending a full day from morning to evening in the American Southwest desert wilderness, something Scott likes to do whenever he gets the chance. He visits ancient Indian ruins, admires the old paintings on the rock walls, enjoys the spectacular scenery, watches the birds soar and the weather change, and plays his flutes so they echo off the canyon walls. This is the feeling you get when you listen to his latest recording.

All but one tune features Native American flutes, subtly backed with many different sounds ranging from piano and guitar to kalimba, udu, oud and other world music instruments. It is an enchanting, serene mix that will put you in a spiritual frame of mind.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime, peaceful, excitement, December 22, 2007

By	M. Jackson (Alta Loma, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The really special thing about this recording is that the sounds work.... The entire CD is woven together with enriched textures and blended tonal qualities from around the world. The featured instrument is the Anasazi Flute. The haunting echoes of this ancient instrument evokes mental images of towering mesas and the red rocks of the Southwest. Let the CD transport you to a time of expansive vistas and monumental rock towers. You will not be disappointed, you will just want more!