Connections is the third solo flute release in Sherry Finzer‘s Naked Flute series, recorded at The Tank in Rangely, CO.
Inspired by the imaginings of the legendary Paul Horn, this album is a peaceful compilation of improvisations recorded for 16 people who use Sherry’s music on a regular basis for dealing with pain and loss, stress relief, relaxation, and physical ailments such as tinnitus and Meniere’s disease.
Resilience
The album opener is called Resilience. It is a powerful, bold, and unrestrained piece that fills The Tank all the way to the top. The album is off to a great start! But don’t take my word for it, check it – and the album! – out for yourself:
Moving on, there is something victorious about Pete’s Journey – but also a sense of loneliness, too. This duality shows Finzer’s brilliance as a composer and performer. The melody twists and turns, rises and falls. Notice how Finzer uses silence too. The silence in The Tank is loaded.
Homecoming
All journeys have an end, and the next part of the album communicates feelings of love and belonging; Homecoming, Ephemera, and Peace at Home. It is uplifting music in every sense of the word.
At this stage, we venture into new territory. The music is more reflective and thought-provoking. Through the Vail and Red Hawk Hill make the mind wander. The title track is magnificent! Its sound is quite sharp with a sense of magic and mystique. It is very much in the spirit of Paul Horn, making The Tank sound like a cathedral.
A New Day
Now the album gets a bit lighter – and perhaps a bit slower too. The optimistic A New Day makes you think that anything is possible. Bella’s Moon, Highland Waterfall, Wind Spirit, and Ever Same, are meditative jewels, as complex or as easygoing as you want them to be. Brilliant!
The album ends in the realm of the spirits. The jubilant The Greatest Blessings is beautiful beyond words before The Crossing Place takes us to a vacuum, a great nothingness. The only constant is the sound of the flute. Suddenly there are hints of a rhythm, a percussion on Journey with Spirits telling us that it is all soon over. This healing and inspiring voyage in music has come to an end. The listener is left with a deep sense of gratitude and peace.
In conclusion: “I believe art is a connection, like passing on a flame,” Wangechi Mutu said. Sherry Finzer’s new album has classical qualities – or classical connections if you will. But it is also distinctly modern, in part thanks to the unique sound in The Tank. Pieces like Resilience and Connections will do well in any playlist of quality New Age music, not just music meant for healing. But it is in this department the album has the most to offer.
For more information and music samples, visit sherryfinzer.com.