Talented musicians
K. N. Nelson | California, USA | 12/20/2000
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Well, for each listener there is an album that really "nails" it. However, on this one, the only track that I can recommend is the first one called "Tibetan Moon". Ben Lobst's excellent work with the singing bowls reaches deeply into the mind and consciousness and is hypnotic and powerful.As for "Siesta", and "Rivers of Zimbabwe", I found them limpid and way too long overall, unfortunately. The final song "Affinity" has the zither, and peruvian quena flute that bring some interest to the violin and fretless bass. To me, the album feels unfinished and I have a sense of waiting to hear the rest of their message or perhaps a direction for the music. On the other hand, perhaps, for its proposed use in hypnotherapy, that is exactly what they wished to put forth."
Mesmerizing, Calming, and (above all) Gorgeous
John Hastings | Portland, OR USA | 01/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Tonight, as a sort of end-of-the-year meditation, I decided to listen carefully to "Resonance" by Jorge Alfano's World Ensemble through headphones. After the last note faded, I felt compelled to write a review to let others know of the power of this music.
I'm an amateur guitar and flute player with a critical ear for "licks" or "riffs" in music that sound overly predictable. What impressed me the most about my listening experience tonight was that my awareness of this gorgeous slow-tempoed but ever-changing musical tapestry was strongly attracted to the sounds of the individual instruments. The concept of musical structure and my ongoing automatic assessment of the predictability of musical notes seemed trite (and all but disappeared) in comparison to the constantly buoyant and pure instrumental sounds that I heard. (For those of you who can't stand free-form style Ambient Music, please note that the music on "Resonance" is extremely well-composed and does indeed have structure. I don't know whether or not "Resonance" actually falls into the Ambient Music category. If it does, it's far more pleasing than any other Ambient Music I've ever heard.)
"Resonance" both showcases and transcends conventional and exotic instruments (bamboo flutes, fretless bass, Spanish and 12-string guitar, sitar, mbiras, rainstick, cymbals, zither, soprano sax, clarinet, violin, Australian didgeridoo, and Tibetan bowls). The music mesmerizes and profoundly calms. Three of the four songs on "Resonance" are approximately 15 minutes long. The shortest song lasts just under 14 minutes.
The producer, Jorge Alfano, plays bamboo flutes and fretless bass on several songs. He is an excellent flute player. His fretless bass playing turns the bass into a transducer that conveys his musical thoughts directly into the listener's mind. As he played very full-toned seamless bass lines that weaved in and out of the music, I frequently lost track of the fact that I was listening to a bass guitar.
About the last few notes: As the violin was about to play it's last note on the last track - "Affinity" - for just a few seconds the music began to sound more predictable. Then the violin's last note, a fairly predictable note (in my opinion), did something that I hadn't predicted - it quickly became quiet and faded completely away. ((I momentarily mused that the composer was playing with my expectations. (One could argue that playing with listeners' expectations is one thing that any composer is doing constantly.)) Finally, another few seconds later other instruments finished the song and I was left in silence to contemplate the joyful message of the music.
If you are willing to take time off from doing everything else and really listen to "Resonance," you're in for a treat.
"
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1