Vollenweider’s magic

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 14

Vollenweider’s magic

By

ALLAN FRANCIS

ANDREAS VOLLENWEIDER. White Winds (seeker’s journey) composed by Andreas Vollenweider. CBS COMPACT DISC CDCBS 26195.

Hearing Andreas Vollenweider for the first time, one is apt to be caught up in the magical sounds too easily; the second or third playing calls for closer attention. One is conscious of the need for substance under the top layer of what might be mistaken for froth and bubble. .

Nobody could deny however, the intensity of Vollenweider’s magic, his great flair for mystique and the pull he exerts on the imagination with his sound pictures. Those already familiar with the composer’s quirky ways will come to hand quite readily with “White Winds,” after such successes as the “Over the Wall” series. “White Winds” is simply a logical step forward from past albums which deal with more earthbound subjects.

The medium of compact disc is ideally suited to Vollenweider’s flights of fancy and to his credit he does not badger the listener with a welter of sounds, rather spacing them out in spartan fashion one by one. Wind and water are interspersed with a myriad of Eastern exotica, so numerous that only the list of participants exceeds the number of individual sounds.

Again, to the credit of the recording company in Japan, one must applaud the fact that the project is not merely a rehash of

some ancient LP, which may have been a variable quantity in the first place and still sounds it on CD. This sound is spacious and resonant, giving full justice to the soaring imagination of the composer and the effects he has gone to such pains to reproduce. There is no feeling of restriction or artificiality. Indeed the trickle of water has the newcomer looking around in alarm. Considering that Andreas Vollenweider is very much the free-thinker — and quite a showman as well — his work is attractive and convincing, well worth a plunge.

JAZZ IN THE 80’s. A brief survey of the quality of available jazz recordings, comparisons with older musicians etc. With the current restrictions on jazz imports it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep in touch with the selection of recordings available from the retailer or importer.

Consequently, most good jazz is heard only on particular sessions from Radio N.Z. or from collectorfriends who take the trouble (and expense) of ordering from overseas. On the limited market that is offering, some of the best jazz comes from either Blue Note or the Concord Jazz labels. There are others, of course, the most notable being the Japanese companies which have carefully edited the cream of recordings from the 50s and 60s and reissued these in high quality discs (Verve). A good deal of this music

was never heard widely at the original time of issue, mainly due to the wide swing of public popularity towards rock and roll, the Beatles, Elvis Presley etc. Most of the players were reaching a peak of their technical skills and it was regrettable that much of the best work was never aired at that time. The reverse was also true. Miles Davis, who turned out his most mature work in the midfifties, has since reached an all-time nadir of his long career by toying ineffectually with electronic music. Of the oldies who should be heard with new recordings are those of the calibre of Al Cohn, Scott Hamilton, Buddy Tate, pianist Dave McKenna, guitarist Cal Collins and drummer, Jake Hanna. Many of these players are recorded by Festival Records, who also handle early jazz re-issues which have been master-minded by the Australian technician, Robert Parker. The Radio N.Z. comperes Ray Harris and Keith Edmonston welcome queries on the subject, as does the “Listener” jazz writer, Nigel Horrocks. A limited number of retailers can also supply details of new listings and, quite often, some top class issues. Costs are high, but taking into account the value for money aspect, no dearer than a host of easily obtainable, mediocre discs in the mid-road category. The search is usually rewarding.