Next out in our New Age Music Essentials (NAME) series is John Adorney’s 1999 classic Beckoning. On his debut album, Adorney showcases his unique talents as both a performer and composer. It is a release that many New Age music fans hold dear, and the minute you start listening you understand why. It is a timeless, comforting and heartwarming album like no other.
Playing cello, guitar, keyboards and percussion, and joined by guest artists on pennywhistle, bamboo flute and vocals, he combines striking melodies with elegant chord changes and intricately pulsating rhythms to create a sound that is inspiring, haunting, evocative and beautiful.
“Beckoning reminds me of what attracted me to the world of New Age music in the first place – gentle melodies and intricate instrumentation,” Wind and Wire wrote back in 1999. “John Adorney is a multi-instrumentalist who brings forth songs that are “hummable”, which is to say that they imprint themselves gently on the consciousness. Before you are aware of it, a smile may grace your face, and perhaps even your toes may be tapping in accompaniment”
Beckoning was released by EverSound music and recorded and mixed at Dunrite Productions, Westlake Village, CA. The album also features Nigel Holton (tracks: 9), Paul Dieter, Shakuhachi on Bamboo Flute, Tin Whistle on Pennywhistle and vocals by Daya Rawat.
“During the course of auditioning a couple of hundred classical and New Age recordings a month, it is always a pleasure to hear the music from a new artist unique and compelling enough to generate excitement,” Ted Cox of New Age Retailer wrote about Adorney’s smashing debut. That statement is still true today, over 20 years later.
See “the making of the album” video:
What does Beckoning mean to you? Please write a comment below!
The album is available on Eversound as a download and CD.
Adorney has since Beckoning released 15 studio albums, the most recent being The Bells of Distant Stars (2021) – and the highly successful Toward A Gentle Place series.
For more information and music samples, visit johnadorney.com. Also, see our complete John Adorney coverage here: newagemusic.guide/tag/john-adorney