Ancient Future

1. Calling the Rain

2. Talking Stick

3. Blood Memory

4. Orinoco Delta

5. Home on the Strange

6. Lowly, Little John

7. Austrian Waterfall

8. Tectonic Contexture

9. Amo Platu

10. Torch Runner

11. Stick Figures

12. Ancient Future

Ancient Future,R. Carlos Nakai Quartet,Canyon Records,Int'l & World Music,Native American,Pop,World Music

Average customer rating: Amazing CDs! One album I'll probably listen to forever One of my most-played cd's Good intro to Narada Best Buy and Superb

Narada Decade: The Anniversary Collection: Selected Works: The First Ten Years (2-CD Set) Various Artists Manufacturer: Narada ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | Compilations | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music 1980s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music 1980-1989 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music 1990-1999 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Electronic | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Narada Wilderness Collection Narada Decade Two: Evolution, 1992-2001 (2-CD Set) Best of Narada New Age (2-CD Set) 20 Years of Narada Piano (2-CD Set) The Best of Narada Christmas ASIN: B000005P54 Release Date: 1993-04-27

Tracks:

1. Cristofori's Dream - David Lanz
2. In The Court Of The Mermaid - Friedemann
3. Shenandoah - Eric Tingstad And Nancy Rumbel
4. Tomorrow's Child - Spencer Brewer
5. Moon Run - Trapezoid
6. Girl From Barcelona - Kostia
7. Nature Cycles Variations-Part 1 (edit) - Gabriel Lee
8. Hillside View - Ancient Future
9. Leaves On The Seine - David Lanz
10. Sonho (Dream) - Nando Lauria
11. Circus - Wayne Gratz
12. Water's Edge - Michael Jones
13. Oaks - Eric Tingstad, Nancy Rumbel And David Lanz
14. All The Way Home - Richard Souther
15. Carnation Lily Lily Rose - David Arkenstone with Andrew White

Tracks:

1. Eagle's Path - David Lanz and Paul Speer
2. Break Of Day - Bernardo Rubaja
3. The Long Riders - Richard Souther
4. Papillon (On The Wings Of The Butterfly) - David Arkenstone
5. The Man From Caesaria - Friedemann
6. Sand And Water - Kostia
7. Memory In The Snow - Michael Gettel
8. Behind The Waterfall - David Lanz and Paul Speer
9. Stepping Stars - David Arkenstone
10. Vivaldi - Carol Nethen
11. The Waiting - Peter Buffet
12. Wonderland - Spencer Brewer
13. Fun Tango - Ralf Illenberger
14. Que Xote - Nando Lauria
15. Millennium Theme - Hans Zimmer
16. The Alluvial Plains - Colin Chin

Customer Reviews:

Amazing CDs!.......2006-09-20

I love these two CDs included in this set. I was introduced to this by my father, who loves to listen to this music, too. He let me borrow the first CD for a day, and I kaifed(spelling is wrong, I know.....) it away from him the next week, and it has a permanent home in my room. It is one(Oh, all right, two,) of the best CDs I have ever listened to, making it in my top three with a Manhattan Transfer CD and a Maynard Ferguson CD.
Amazing songs, great for gift giving.

One album I'll probably listen to forever.......2003-02-09

I believe I've played this CD, on average, once each week since I first came upon it in Spring, 1999. Atypically, each piece on the album is thoroughly enjoyable, and every one seems better than the one before it. Well represented are works by David Lantz and Paul Speer, and by David Arkenstone. Usually I skip around when playing a CD; this is my one and only exception. And everyone asks for repeats of "Behind the Waterfall".

One of my most-played cd's.......2002-09-17

CD #1 in this double album has three or four pieces that I really enjoy--Tingstad & Rumbel's due, Friedmann's mysterious mermaid composition and of course the wonderful "Cristofori's Dream", which was a big hit CD on its own. I ended up getting the individual albums for Tingstad & Rumbel, because I enjoyed their particular sound so much.

At first, I didn't like CD #2 as well as CD #1, but now I listen to this almost as frequently. There are some Celtic-inspired pieces in particular that are very pleasant.

The great thing about these samplers for me is that I can find artists I am not familiar with, and also there is so much variety that I can play it over and over without getting bored.

Good intro to Narada.......2000-11-29

I do not personally own this CD but I did check it out a couple of times from the Houston Public Library (Central Library) which does own a copy. Generally very good, relaxing music. Narada's Celtic music selections in particular I have found to be NOT as good as Celtic collections by other labels...can't say why, exactly,though. Still, one thing that Narada artists excell at is acoustic guitar pieces (especially ¡Nuevo Flaminco! stuff). Unlike the other reviewer, I am generally fond of New Age electronic pieces, it's just that I've heard better elsewhere, particularly, as I said, in regards to New Age Celtic tunes.

Best Buy and Superb.......2000-09-16

Two discs, chock full of the best stuff. These are long-running discs, no short-changing here. There are only two pieces I sometimes want to skip over, and they suffer only by comparison with the best collection I have seen.

Average customer rating: A Quality Effort Underrated If You like Modest Mouse... Successful grown-up indie pop BTS Virgin -- Only Way to Go is Up

Ancient Melodies of the Future Built to Spill Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Eccentrics | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music Similar Items: Keep It Like a Secret Perfect From Now On You in Reverse Live Now You Know ASIN: B00005LK6L Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

1. Strange
2. The Host
3. In Your Mind
4. Alarmed
5. Trimmed and Burning
6. Happiness
7. Don't Try
8. You Are
9. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
10. The Weather

Amazon.com

With a band like Built to Spill, the key to success is to chart a course through the future that mirrors the past. Built to Spill may be on a major label, but its linchpin, front man Doug Martsch, still writes all song parts himself and has a large hand in every album's production from start to finish. Martsch assembles the players--drummer Scott Plouf and bassist Brett Nelson--to take their parts in the studio and on tour, but he still holds all the musical cards. As a result, the Boise, Idaho-based trio sounds pretty much the same on Ancient Melodies of the Future as it did on 1997's Perfect from Now On and 1999's Keep It Like a Secret. That said, though, why change a winning formula? Martsch's mix of wry humor, Neil Young-influenced rock, and soaring indie-pop ballads has garnered him a Guided by Voices-like cult following that this album is in no danger of turning away. "In Your Mind" is the standout track, with Martsch's fitting assertion that "No one can tell me to listen / No one can tell me what's right / because nobody has my permission / and no one can see in your mind." The other tracks are tried and true BTS fare, bending guitar effects around straight-ahead rock ("Trimmed and Burning") or layering warm melodies atop Martsch's elliptical lyrics. Indie-rock fans looking for something wildly divergent or refreshingly different won't find either on Ancient Melodies, but those looking for a linear extension of BTS's past works should find a happy resistance to change in this latest release. --Jennifer Maerz

Customer Reviews:

A Quality Effort.......2006-06-27

I've been into Built to Spill for about 5 years and was lucky enough to catch them live in September of '05- Three guitars-What an aural onslaught! Any way..Ancient Melodies of the Future contains some BTS's BEST songs and they happen to be of the mellow persuasion -"Alarmed"-"words for fighting ,words for fun-they've all melted onto one" freakin great song."Strange" has a "stony summer's day" feel to it same as " You Are" and I cannot believe how many reviews I went through here and most of them did not mention one of the greatest songs by ANY band in the last 10 years ,"The Weather".It sounds as fresh and touching the 100th time hearing it as the first .This is a must have CD. It's just as good if not better than previous BTS efforts...Really.

Underrated.......2006-05-15

First things first - this is the weakest Built to Spill album, but that's not saying much because they're all good to great, including this one. I think the new album gives this one new perspective because going back and listening to it, it is clearly the middle ground between the two albums that bookend it - Keep It Like A Secret and You In Reverse; couldn't have arrived at the latter from the former without this one in the middle.

Pretty much anything would be a letdown for Built to Spill fans - people wanting more 4 minute pop numbers (like Keep It Like A Secret) got that, but they're not quite up to that amazing level. People wishing they would get more experimental like Perfect From Now On were kept waiting (until the new album). This is a good album with good songs, some of which (Alarmed and Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss in particular) stack up with the best stuff from the other albums. Some of it is not as solid, but then again, I feel the same way about There Is Nothing Wrong With Love (The "Car" album).

In short, this is a good Built to Spill album. Not the best one, not the one new fans should start with, but a worthwhile album of which any fan will like most if not all.

If You like Modest Mouse..........2006-04-11

You can't go wrong with built to spill. They sound similar but are very distinct but i really think Modest Mouse one ups Built just in sheer amount of experimentation and how much they can sound different from one song to the next. Built really has Doug on guitar that really pulls them apart from Modest and makes them sound a bit like the pillows only with lyrics we can understand unless u know japanese.

Successful grown-up indie pop.......2005-08-17

This is my first Built to Spill record. Ancient Melodies seems to me to be the product of a mature man expressing himself through kid's music. Nothing particularly wrong with that, to me. It's hard to drop the rock 'n roll itch. This is the next level down in terms of accessibility from bands like The Pixies and REM.

There's lots of stuff going on here, fuzzy synthesizers, chunky guitar hooks, quasi-philosophical musings about the nature of life,perception, love and lust, tape loops and other understated studio gimmicks. Occasionally Doug Martsch channels Neil Young a bit too much for my liking, hence the last star off.

One of the cleverer lines that stands out in my mind as I write is "Happiness will only happen when it can". How true. If this is the type of observation that helps you turn the coffeemaker on every morning, you should give Built to Spill's "Ancient Melodies" a try. Blow off the hipsters dismissing this record, who ingest too much media and aren't impressed by anything anymore. Hopefully you have arrived here before that has happened.

BTS Virgin -- Only Way to Go is Up.......2004-06-15

This is my first Built to Spill experience and I found this album to be fantastic. I've only read a few reviews just now but it seemed like there was a bit of disappointment? Maybe that's all I happened to read...I'm just excited because if that's the case, then to think that BTS' other albums contain work superior to this is absolutely mindblowing. I treasure this album and cannot wait to be "educated" by their other cds. Thank you!

Average customer rating: A must have for Yoga lovers Quality of the recording is disappointing Delightful And Uplifting These Chants Rock

The Love Window Shantala Manufacturer: Ancient Future ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Anjali Voice of the Esraj Soul of the Esraj Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant Music for Yoga and Other Joys ASIN: B00009952L Release Date: 2003-04-01

Tracks:

1. Amba Parameshwari
2. Hare Krishna
3. Durge
4. Shiva Invocation
5. Jaya Shambho
6. Nataraja
7. Om Mata Kali
8. Purnamadah

Album Description

In The Love Window, Shantala offers sacred chants of devotion blended in a sublime soundscape of music from East and West. The music carries listeners through a journey of ethereal beauty, ecstatic percussion, and profound relaxation to support practices of hatha yoga, movement, bodywork, and singing with the devotion of the heart. This is the first kirtan (devotional chanting) CD by Benjy & Heather Wertheimer.

The Love Window features the work of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Benjy Wertheimer, on esraj, tabla, djembe, keyboards, and guitar, and vocalist Heather Wertheimer. They are joined by Steve Gorn on bansuri bamboo flute, Ty Burhoe on frame drum, Jeff Leonard on bass, and Michael Mandrell, Matthew Montfort, and Tim Ellis on guitar. The CD includes other world instrumentalists, such as David Trasoff on sarod and Leraine Horstmanshoff on didgeridoo, along with a chorus of voices to accompany the listener's inner experience. The sacred songs in this album echo inside each one of us, a whisper from past millennia resonating into the eternal present.

Customer Reviews:

A must have for Yoga lovers.......2007-05-13

This CD is one of the best Yoga CDs I ever had. Almost all songs in the CD have calming rhythmic chanting with beautiful and memorable ancient names, which allows you to chant along. You can listen to this CD while reading a book or simply while relaxing. It is truely a must have.

Quality of the recording is disappointing.......2007-01-17

I recently went to a Shantala live performance and bought 3 of their CDs afterwards, with this being one of them. I have to say after I listened to it, I feel the CD does not do justice to Heather's voice. While in the concert, her voice was strong and crystal clear. It embodied such powerful emotions that it enveloped me completely. The CD, however, sounded like it was done in a tunnel, with the voices muffled and echoy. I guess it's an issue of mixing, perhaps too much reverb. I would look for their other CDs in the future but I just can't listen to this one.

Delightful And Uplifting.......2006-02-09

The vocals, instrumentation, and interpretation of the devotional chants on 'The Love Window' are delightful. Besides just listening to this CD is also great for singing along for joy or private worship. The chants are easy to follow, with the lyrics provided in the insert.

These Chants Rock.......2003-10-14

As a yoga instructor and massage therapist I cannot get enough of this CD. If you are into devotional chanting I urge you to listen to The Love Window. Benjy's remarkable talent and Heather's ethereal voice are a true inspiration.

Average customer rating: Music for the Heart and Soul

Anjali Michael Mandrell & Benjy Wertheimer Manufacturer: Ancient Future ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Soul of the Esraj Voice of the Esraj The Love Window Sadhana Yakshi ASIN: B00007L3L5 Release Date: 2003-01-15

Tracks:

1. Awakening
2. Priya (Beloved)
3. Satya (Truthfulness)
4. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
5. Eye of the TIger
6. The Breath Inside the Breath
7. Chandra (The Moon)
8. Chandrika (Moonlight)
9. The Mystery
10. Santosa (Contentment)

Album Description

This first collaboration CD from acoustic guitarist Michael Mandrell and multi-instrumentalist Benjy Wertheimer is a mythic instrumental journey. As a "Yoga Meditations" soundtrack, the album transports the listener into both the faraway lands of ancient India - through the soulful sounds of the esraj, tamboura and tabla - and the mystical Celtic landscape with lyrical splashes of acoustic guitar. From this timeless inner landscape, listeners are invited to travel into the spontaneous journey of the heart that is accessed through yoga and meditation.

ANJALI has recently been featured on Echoes, syndicated on over 175 public radio stations around North America.

Customer Reviews:

Music for the Heart and Soul.......2003-05-03

I just heard portions from this CD on NPR's Echoes program on my way to work on a cold dreary Saturday morning and the music by these guys made my day - if you need something to lift your spirits, transport you to a place of peace and encourage you to appreciate the beauty around you, this is the prescription you need. Very highly recommended.

Average customer rating: Unbelievably Soothing Foothills of the Himalaya Something Special

Soul of the Esraj Benjy Wertheimer Manufacturer: Ancient Future ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD India | India & Pakistan | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: Anjali Voice of the Esraj Circle of Fire The Love Window Nataraja ASIN: B00009Y3VL Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

1. Dawning
2. Zenith
3. Come the Darkness
4. Threshold Between Worlds
5. Meditation of the Night

Album Description

"Soul of the Esraj" is a musical canvas for the practices of healing arts, hatha yoga and meditation. While the album has its roots in the classical music of North India, many elements of New Age and contemporary ambient musical styles have been included to build a multifaceted soundscape for each listener's spiritual journey. It is Benjy's hope and prayer that Soul of the Esraj will prove to be a steady and soulful companion to each listener on their path through this precious gift of life.

The pieces on the CD feature the esraj (an instrument from North India that resembles a small sitar but is played with a bow) accompanied by instruments from around the world, including bass flute, Celtic harp, viola da gamba, voice, and guitar. Indian classical ragas (ancient melodic forms) are associated with a particular time of day, and the selections on Soul of the Esraj flow through a sequence based on the ragas from which they are derived.

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievably Soothing.......2007-01-05

Wow! I bought this without ever hearing any of it before, and now it is my fav CD. It is perfect for background music for anything you are doing. Great for reading, artwork, sleeping, housework, etc. So glad I tried it! It isn't too "out there", but just so free-flowing and pleasing to listen to.

Foothills of the Himalaya.......2001-12-09

This is meditative music with the haunting, healing sounds of the esraj, a bowed string instrument from India. I had the CD on as background the first three times I listened to it. Periodically, when I would stop whatever I was doing, I'd realize how deeply contented and mellow I'd become. Five stars for its type. The man's a meditator for sure. Mellow it is, and not bland. The tonal quality of the esraj, and Wertheimer's familiarity with Indian music completely save it from being 'new age'.

Something Special.......2001-11-28

There is indeed some beautiful, and quite unique, music on this cd. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the interface between Hindustani classical and contempory western musics. The entire cd maintains a very slow and mellow tempo, with a haunting and meditative quality. The principal instrument is Wertheimer's esraj - a bowed instrument from northern India. He is backed (usually quite subtly) by acoustic guitar, harp, flute, voice and keyboard. Most of the "fusion" work out there using Indian music tends to come along with electronic instrumentation and eventually uptempo percussion. Two of the nice things for me on this record is how it is mostly acoustic, and it stays with its slow tempo feel. (Though others might find the lack of percussion and change in tempo a bit boring.) The first track ("Dawning") in particular is striking in its transcendent quality. It has become a favorite piece of music for me. I don't think the rest of the cd quite holds this piece's magic, as some of the other tracks get somewhat repetitive, and in places the keyboard and other backup gets a bit too new age-ish for my taste. Still this is very cool music. I reckon that there are heaps of hatha yogis and massage practitioners out there using this cd. Personally I like to listen to it as the night slows down and sleep beckons. . . .

Average customer rating: Solid Interesting enough didje with serenity and focus Be prepared to enter another world,

Didgeridoo: Ancient Sounds of the Future Gary Thomas Manufacturer: Aquarius Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Rainbow Serpent: Music For Didgeridoo & Percussion Didgeridoo Made Easy Didgeridoo Trance Dance Australia: Sound of the Earth Didgeridoo Groove ASIN: B000001OSI Release Date: 1996-07-19

Tracks:

1. Didgerdoo
2. Breath
3. Journey
4. Looking
5. Stillness
6. Dance
7. Fulfillment

Customer Reviews:

Solid Interesting enough didje with serenity and focus.......2006-04-30

This seems one of those standby cd's. It is excellent in its devoted feeling didjing and the recording quality is tops. I feel like I can put it on and not have any complaints about it. I just received it about a week ago. The first listen was hmmm...nothing striking, but then I started to love and appreciate it more. Nothing gets in the way of its simple, well done and innocent feeling sharing, and it doesn't sound produced in a take anyone sort of studio. There is a humility and care to the music. I like to balance it with the more middle of an Aborigine ceremony, mystical sense of Gunyal by D. Hudson.

Be prepared to enter another world,.......1999-10-08

especially if you play it LOUD. The digeridoo, the world's most simply constructed instrument (but not the most easy to play), is felt as much as it is heard. The liner notes explain how Thomas performs this music for deaf children. The sound is so rich, it vibrates the air, the floor, the walls, and your mind. I find it very cleansing and often do yoga to it. The one criticism I have is that some of the percussion playing does not keep up an even time. For any other type of music this would be disasterous, but for here it is acceptable because it only enhances the primal nature of this music. Primal, but not without sophistication. It may scare the kids and the dog at first, but they will get used to it.

Average customer rating: Techno music. Wow!

Didgeridoo Trance Dance Manufacturer: Music Mosaic ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Didgeridoo Groove Shaman's Breath Tribe Vibe Shaman Drums Feet in the Soil ASIN: B000063J69 Release Date: 2002-01-01

Tracks:

1. Gurrupurung (Gondwana)
2. Anyway I Tell Ya (Ganga Giri)
3. Awowedas (Lost At Last)
4. Night Owl (the capitali$ts)
5. Blue Labyrinth (Axis)
6. Another Land (Sounds of the Outback)
7. Thunder (Andy Graham)
8. Factory Farm (Didjworks)
9. Kemetic Song (Hayan)
10. Entrance (Si)

Album Description

Driving World-Beat Ethno-Fusion! - Pumping rhythms of the wild... droning, eternal voices of an ancient future… exotic nature sounds and rapid-fire percussion create an inter-dimensional journey into mindless spirit. Earthy didgeridoo with Australian aboriginal voices blend with UK techno-shamanic, traditional Native American Peyote chant, NYC trip-hop and Afro-Caribbean tribal rhythms... all fused into a thrilling dance compilation.

Customer Reviews:

Techno music. .......2005-11-11

This CD features a compilation of Techno-music supported by a little didjeridoo here and there. As such it is really not bad. However, both the title and the album description state or imply that the music has something to do with meditation and/or spiritual practices. This is not true: it's Techno-music in its purest tradition. The synthesizer-generated music is very flat with little or no harmonics.

Wow!.......2003-11-27

I was looking for a CD full of high-energy music. Wow! This one is awesome.

I'm constantly looking for great high-energy music for use when I'm working. This CD is almost too perfect in that regard as it is the type of music I can put on, go to work, and POOF -- 4 hours vanish.

My feet are dancing, my fingers are drumming, and my mind is in the zone. Great beat, nice didgeridoo, and awesome percussion throughout.

This sound reminds me of the high energy music that would emerge if you could somehow mix the music from the Afro Celts, Nomad (say ASIN: B000001ZBG), and Deep Forest. Delicious :)

I'm no trance expert so can't comment on its "trance purity", etc.

I'm no dancer so I can't comment on the type of dance genre this music best fits. Apparently I'm thinking of becoming a dancer, though, as I seem to have this urge to go dancing through the house like a wild man whenever this CD is playing :)

Summary: I agree with the summary on the back of the CD, "Pumping rhythms of the wild ... droning, eternal voices of an ancient-future ... exotic nature sounds and rapid-fire percussion create an inter-dimensional journey into mindless spirit". I wish I would have said that :) ***Highly Recommended***

Average customer rating: Luscious audio romance Food for the Soul Only gets better with time!

Planet Passion Ancient Future Manufacturer: Ancient Future ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Natural Rhythms World Without Walls Quiet Fire An Ancient Muse Amarantine ASIN: B00006K0AU Release Date: 2002-10-15

Tracks:

1. Simsimay Panima
2. Forest Frolic
3. I Mett Her in the Medowe, a
4. I Mett Her in the Medowe, b
5. Ocean of Love
6. Ochun
7. Semara
8. Alap
9. El Zaffa
10. Ne Po Pogrebu Bochonochek
11. Socha Socha, a
12. Socha Socha, b

Amazon.com

Ancient Future weren't the first to merge music from around the world, but they were the ones who coined the term world fusion. They've been living that vision for a quarter of a century. Now, after a nine-year silence, they've released another powerful reminder of that dream. The concept--songs of love drawing on global traditions--and packaging, including a space to write a love note, are a little hokey, but the music is anything but. India has always been at the heart of Ancient Future's world fusion. Founder and only remaining original member Matthew Montfort plays a special, scalloped fretboard acoustic instrument that lets him get the bends of an Indian sitar. He uses it to weave seductive melodies, and his exchanges with Indian sitarist Habib Khan on "Socha, Socha" are exhilarating. Singer Irina Mikhailova, from Medicine Tree and Lumin, is the first vocalist in Ancient Future. Singing in vocalese and her native Kazakh tongue, she is intoxicating. From the gamelan cycles of "Semara" to the exuberance of "Forest Frolic," Ancient Future is the sound of the global bazaar in ecstasy. --John Diliberto

Album Description

"Ancient Future certainly earns the 'ancient' in its name. The Bay Area band's first world beat album was released way back in 1979, making these artists a sort of Rolling Stones of fusion music. And on the evidence of `Planet Passion,' they've still got that 'future' ahead of them. Nobody does a better job assimilating Asian music genres and combining them with an American coffee house acoustic sensibility. Sure, I'm snobby about usually preferring to grapple with original source material from Indonesia, China, et al, discordant harmonies and all. But there are also times I just want to relax with the smooth and dreamy soundscapes Ancient Future whips up to a froth. Led by Matthew Montfort's often jazzy guitar, the ensemble excels at lots of foreign genres while still having the good sense not to try to do everything themselves. Guests including Manose Singh on bansuri flute, Ustad Habib Khan on sitar and Liu Qi-Chao on Chinese flute up the authenticity quotient without disturbing the homogeneity. That's not to suggest anything like dumbing down is involved. Montfort's `Forest Frolic' is an aptly named romp for flutes, guitar, and percussion that blazes like a bluegrass number. `Ocean of Love' with its reggae-inflected Afro-Slavic groove isn't your off-the-cuff concoction. And demonstrating that future is also past, the gamelan-esque `Semara' stars the band's original line-up with the inimitable Mindia Klein on bansuri flute. Shamelessly beautiful, `Planet Passion' is easily the pinnacle of this group's long career." - Bob Tarte, THE BEAT

Customer Reviews:

Luscious audio romance.......2002-09-27

This varying crew of great talents give us a clever sequence of songs from different cultures, depicting progressive stages of love -- flirtation through courtship and eventually to a more spiritual "longing for the beloved". Moods and instrumentation are typically light-hearted, lending themselves to more traditional visions of romance. I particularly like: The guitar solos (Matthew Montfort) on I Met Her in the Medowe; The lilting vocal chant (Irina Mikhailova) on Ocean of Love (more complex, a deeper exchange of feelings); the exotic instrumental mix, including flute and gamelan, on the meditative Semara; and a playful but low-key Seduction song, Ne Po Pogrebu Bochonochek, again featuring the lovely voice of Irina.

The packaging is a cute concept too: There's a big heart-shaped space for your personal love note if you give this CD as a gift.
(They ask you to send your own love story if this music helps it along!)

An easy, seductive listen with impeccable performances and engineering.

Food for the Soul.......2002-09-15

If music is the food of love, then feast on "Planet Passion."

Ancient Future has definitely hit a high-water mark with this CD. Matthew Montfort has assembled a fantastic group of musicians (sitar, violin, tabla, vocals, percussionists and many more) for this World Fusion CD. I especially like the flute work and Matthew's guitar is compelling.

Each piece ties into the next, telling the universal story of love, courtship and longing. After several listenings, I enjoy it more each time (especially with the lights out and being with someone I love)

The final cut, "Socha Socha." has me longing for more.

Only gets better with time!.......2002-05-15

Yeah, these guys really do just keep getting better. And the album is the same! I discover something new every time I listen. There are so many wonderful musical moments on this CD, beautifully blended with the most amazing array of instruments I've every heard. Guitar, sitar, bansuri, Chinese instrumentation, loads of quirky percussion and hauntingly beautiful vocals delivered so pristinely!

For fans of world fusion, I can't recommend an album or a group more strongly. The album combines lilting Celtic moments, Russian folksongs, Arabic dances and flowing Asian melodies. The members of Ancient Future are consummate, professional musicians and composers. It is truly refreshing to hear real musicians playing real instruments. It lifts the spirit and gives me hope that music can survive the age of computerization and Mickey Mouse performers!

Average customer rating: My desert island needs this title, too. From Old Roots to New Forests Necessary for a desert island collection!

Quiet Fire Ancient Future Manufacturer: Narada ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Natural Rhythms Dreamchaser World Without Walls Asian Fusion Planet Passion ASIN: B000005OXE Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Caged Lion Escapes
2. Mountain Song
3. Hillside View
4. Cascade
5. Candlelight
6. Charukeshi
7. Quiet Fire

Customer Reviews:

My desert island needs this title, too........2004-05-26

Read the desert island review, listened to the clips and was hooked. Entire album even better than the clips. Didn't like the clip of "Caged Lion Escapes" but the entire song is awesome. Cascade is a little repetative but "Mountain Song", Hillside View", and "Candlelight" are outstanding. A great listen.

From Old Roots to New Forests.......2004-02-25

In a strange sense, Ancient Future created world fusion music. Not that it didn't exist before 1978 when the coined the term. But before then it lacked the identity and draw that this (then) new ensemble of musicians would create. Eclectic in their choise of instruments and ethnic styles they were adept at taking the old and creating something novel and compelling.

Quiet Fire is a perfect example of what they can do. To the regular musicians (Matthew Montfort, Randy Mead, and Benjy Wertheimer) are added Darol Anger and Alex de Grassi. This stellar cast proceeds to play cello, flute, scalloped fretboard and classical guitars, esraj, tabla, charango, bansuri, and recorder creating music with infectious rhythms over which instrumental solos abound. Sometimes melody reigns supreme, and at other moments improvisation grabs center stage.

Thus, the music is both delightful to listen to and full of the kind of depth that rewards concentration. Pieces range from the contemplative styling of Hillside View and Cascade to the danceable joyousness of Caged Lion Escapes. Quiet Fire. the title piece, started out on a Spanish note and then adapts a dreamy sing-song style that gradually evolves through Indian and African based turnings.

There is something about this kind of work that is more than the sometimes derogatory label of 'New Age' implies. Since I am a fan of the genre, I always enjoy efforts that are more than 'easy listening' or 'smooth jazz.' Ancient Future's adventures in musical breadth reap considerable rewards for the listener.

Necessary for a desert island collection!.......2003-05-26

How can anyone not have this album in their collection? Quiet Fire is the quintessential worldfusion/new age/whatever album for each hour of the day. While I am not a fanatic about Ancient Future (this is the only album of theirs that I am so enthusiastically recommending), they got everything right on this early effort.
The title track alone is worth the price of admission, as the Indian instruments build slowly and passionately, if somewhat sentimentally, to absolute ecstacy in the climactic bars. Other tracks are free and easy, breezy, other stupid metaphors, but wonderfully refreshing and positive, uplifting. It's escape music that tears you from your reality and transports you to other worlds. The band utilizes the flutes and pipes, gentle percussion, and third-world strings in perfect balance to evoke several worlds that nevertheless don't stray too far from each other but far enough: they evoke a humid/tropical/pungent aural environment populated by myths and magic.
I was living in Hawaii when I came across this album and bought the cassette (in the days before CDs were common), listened to it to death and now have only my homemade cassette redub to listen to. Quiet Fire is one of my top 10 CDs for being lost at sea. Unfortunately, the CD passed under my watchful eye and now is "unavailable"...but it needs to be re-issued and distributed widely to a new generation!

Average customer rating: excellent work from a modern master

Ancient Future/Blue Randy Weston Manufacturer: Mutable Music/Stickfigure ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Modern Post Bop | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Zep Tepi The Spirits of Our Ancestors Spirit! The Power of Music Beyond the Wall ASIN: B000064122 Release Date: 2002-03-13

Tracks:

1. Ancient Future
2. Roots of the Nile
3. Kom Ombo
4. Bambara
5. Portrait of Oum Keltoum
6. Ballad for T
7. Isis
8. Blues for CB
9. PCN
10. It Don't Mean a Thing
11. Body and Soul
12. Double Duke Pt. 1
13. Out of the Past
14. Double Duke Pt. 2
15. Come Sunday
16. Sketch of Melba

Tracks:

1. Penny Packer Blues
2. Earth Birth
3. The Last Day
4. Lagos
5. Blue in Tunisia
6. Mystery of Love
7. Ellington Tusk

Album Description

This 2 CD set of Randy Weston's solo piano music comprises both new recordings as well as a reissue of his Blue lp, originally issued on 1750 Arch Records in 1984. "In African music," Randy Weston observed in a 1998 interview, "there aren't the categories of the past, the present and the future. Music is a timeless thing." He proves it every time he touches a piano or puts pencil to composition paper. Weston descends from a long line of seers who build on what the ancestors left us to create music of startling originality—music of the future. This is why Ancient Future so perfectly defines Weston's approach to music and life.

Weston's music reveals the wisdom of the ancient world, where art, science, and spirituality were one, where music was not entertainment-for-sale but a life-force at the core of civilization itself. He demolishes distinctions between traditional and modern, composition and improvisation, enveloping us with what really counts: the music's spiritual essence. And what better way to capture the spiritual dimensions of this great music than Weston, in his solitude, singing, praying, meditating, shouting, through the medium of Bosendorfer piano which he transforms into a giant talking drum or a 97-stringed kora?

Customer Reviews:

excellent work from a modern master.......2003-11-15

This is a double cd. Ancient future is a cd of solo piano recently recorded. Blue is a reissue, also solo piano. There aren't too many Randy Weston solo CDs, so this is a rare treat. Both CDs are good, and Blue, the older one, is excellent. He is very original, kind of a cross between Monk and Abdullah Ibrahim is the only way to describe his style. He is a major modern songwriter too. "The mystery of Love" is just so beautiful.

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