The finest traditional and new acoustic music
In the right hands, such as those of virtuoso Tony Elman, the hammered dulcimer is a gateway to ethereal delight, its subtle resonances combining the most lilting qualities of the harpsichord, the koto and the zither.
Elman continues to use the instrument to dazzling effect on his latest album, playing the sweet tones of the dulcimer off first-rate supporting musicians such as violinist Darol Anger of the Turtle Island String Quartet and Mike Marshall (who also produced the album) of the Modern Mandolin Quartet. The virtuosity of Elman's work is best displayed within the framework of more traditional forms, most notably the stately, elegant dance patterns of "April's Waltz" and "Port Townsend Waltz" which features alovely violin counterpoint from David Grisman cohort Joe Craven. "River Run" is another tour de force for Elman, with his nimble dulcimer patterns beautifully evoking the sound of running water.
Buoyed by the success of Volume I, Elman two years later is back with a brighter, ringier sound of strings and a bunch of fine sidemen, including top-notch fiddler Richard Greene who is reined in on tight modern traditional style arrangements. This set is even more distinguished than its predecessor. The arrangements are fine, the playing spirited, and the tunes again are a slice through the favorites of the folk festival crowd.
Outstanding here is the deftly played, starchy melody of "Black Nag" and"Morrison's Jig," done with great flare and pizzazz. This time Elman brings his dancing rhythm to American items more surely than before, with the gems"Soldier's Joy/Barlow Knife" and "Blackberry Blossom/Salt Creek" done with snap and vigor, the latter shining with fiddle and dulcimer sweeping along in tandem. With puckish humor Elman inserts the kids' street rhyme "MuffinMan" in a medley and makes it work and gives standards like "Arkansas Traveler" and "Camptown Races" new energy. The self-consciously pretty "UkePick Waltz" is a belle and knows it with unabashed sentiment.
With two years of growth in technique, Elman's tunes are faultlessly played, and the sidemen drive him to outdo himself on some pieces so that the peaks are the best things he's done yet. Elman's work suggests that the hammered dulcimer may be starting to move beyond mere tune-playing into something more atmospheric and uniquely its own.
In 1982, hammered dulcimer player Tony Elman tackled a double handful of tunes from the Appalachian, Scotch and Irish traditions. A passionate fiddle tune buff, he chose mostly durable standards and folk festival favorites. This album is a real crowd pleaser. It's also a delight for its arrangements, which stay away from the power-playing-more-notes-per-square-inch school.
The ensemble includes Elman's own imaginative recorder dubs and guitar,plus piano, string bass and occasional cello. Clearly the road to Elman's heart is the shape of an Irish tune. The loveliest things here are the beautiful and haunting "Si Bheag Si Mhor," one of the world's great melodies, and the psaltery-like rainbow of sound on "Planxty George Brabazon." The recorders take the lead on a just-for-love instrumental takeof "Star of the County Down. "
More business-like but no less striking are the uptempo dance tunes. Chances are you will find a favorite among them; a fetching medley of "Little Beggar Man" and "Angeline the Baker," the twin gems, "Shakin' Downthe Acorns" and "Over the Waterfall," a trio of robust reels from Scotland, and a measured, stalwart "Rights of Man."
Among the plethora of hammered dulcimer recordings this stands out for quiet, unassuming musicianship. This lovely bag of tunes with their varied settings and pacings is just right.
Elman hit the Fremont Fair recently, with a booth filled with Walkmans,each playing a different Elman tape. I came, I heard, I was conquered. My, but his hammered dulcimer sounds nice, and so do his back-up players, none of whom I've been lucky enough to hear before (except pennywhistler Paulette Gershen, who plays on Shanachie's Cherish the Ladies). The selectionsinclude originals, Irish, and several nice old American tunes. Great for a little friendly contradancing, I'd think, or for driving through a sunnyforest. We're talking music that brings you the calm side of high energy,or perhaps the vibrant side of kicking back, and makes you feel enriched and refreshed. 'Nuf said?
The year's best chamber folk offering, not only because the arrangements transcend expectations on familiar tunes but because of the fine choices that aren't overly familiar. Elman's hammered dulcimer shares center stage with brother Pete Elman's piano and guitar and Mike Marshall's mandolin and violin, and the overall ensemble work has the feel of the first snowflake on one's upturned face.
Jean-Jacques Schoch
- William Peters, The Berkeley Press
Solo piano albums are hardly a new concept these days, what with the glut of recordings that torture the weary listener with yet another interpretation of "Wind Beneath My Wings." When a gifted composer sits down at a beautiful grand piano, however, and performs his own songs with grace and restraint, the genre is invigorated.
Such is the case with this stunning debut from Jean-Jacques Schoch, eleven"French Romantic Impressions" for solo piano. Playing his melodies with a gentleness and feel that only the composer can summon, Schoch's cinematic themes stay in your head long after listening. My favorite is "Reminiscence," an aptly titled piece with a hook so instant that you swear you've heard it before. Another standout is "Heaven and Earth," written by his 9-year old daughter (!) Alexandra, who obviously has inherited Daddy's melodic gift.
IMAGES OF A MORNING DREAM is a breath of fresh air, a reflective collection of passionate pieces that resound with a simple elegance. A gifted composer, Schoch has succeeded – this album transports you another time and place.
Race Point
Peter Elman
- Robert Silverstein, Time And A Word
Third in a series of instrumental albums from keyboardist/composer/producer Peter Elman, RACE POINT offers a majestic mix of radio-friendly progressive instrumental music. Leading a group of top musicians, including super-session bassist John Pierce (Patty Smyth, John Hiatt), guitarists John Blakeley (Stoneground, the Sandals), Stef Burns (Alice Cooper) and Stevie Gurr (Dr. John), this is convincing Americana-flavored rock.
Inspired by childhood summer visits to Cape Cod, RACE POINT is a pastiche of styles, incorporating country and calypso with Elman's strong rock roots. California cool is heard through out the disc, from the swirling sax that carries "Island Rain" to the seamless rhythm section and driving harmonica that propel "The Road Forever."
Fans of Bruce Hornsby, the Dixie Dregs, or early Allman Brothers will dig this moving music. The scope of Peter's spirited piano, laid on top of the smart, guitar-driven beat, makes this musical journey worth taking again and again.
Dakota Nights
Peter Elman
- Rhonda Dicksion, The New Times
I have to admire Peter Elman's savvy. There are a lot of people (myselfincluded) who really enjoy country music – enough to make Country the most listened to genre on the airwaves – but we also enjoy the quieter, mellow sounds of New Adult Contemporary. Here, Elman has successfully combined these two forms. DAKOTA NIGHTS' softly upbeat cuts have just enough elements of country to make them interesting and stylistic, but not enough to make you think you got an album from the wrong section of the music store.
With synthesizer used sparingly and a wealth of instruments such as piano,acoustic guitar, violin, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, harmonica and pedalsteel guitar (to name a few) the album has a full, live band feel rather than the stiff, highly technological sound common to a lot of NAC music. It feels more grounded and earthy.
If DAKOTA NIGHTS could be described in terms of fabric, I'd call it "calicosilk." This wonderful instrumental release evokes imagery of a country dance 100 years ago when times were simpler, with sweeping expanses of wheat-gold as far as the eye can see, wind-tanned faces and places of the heartland. Yet with its country feel, this album is jazzy, stylish and smooth.
Peter Elman
- Alan Bechtold, Online Digital Review
If Hill Street Blues had been a television show about the Texas Rangers,this album would have been the perfect theme music. It's an album I wanted to dislike, because it's so unlike any music I usually enjoy – but I loved it. It's western music, not country. Pure instrumental Americana throughand through. In fact, it's such joyful, pure music that anyone of any age could easily tap his or her toes happily to every track.
Don't get me wrong – the average headbanger hooked on metal and nothing else won't get any joy from this album. But nearly everyone else will. Peter Elman's kind of stuff you could put on at a cocktail party and never interrupt the chatter while it powers the evening along, almost subliminally. "Fall Is All Around," for example, is pure piano imagery, painted on a gentle, rolling backdrop of quiet instrumental beauty. The title track sounds like something you might hear coming from the doors of a small desert town saloon in the old west, but it's also catchy and listenable for any occasion. "Turqoise Eyes" starts with a mellow, lilting melody that builds into a modern easy-listening classic. "Ginny's Bayou,""The Last Cowboy" and "Magic Girl" are also all top-notch stuff, but my personal favorites are "Mountain Dunes" and "Our Dance." The former is built upon a easy-going cowboy rhythm that slides, almost unnoticed, into a a tune of expansive, far-reaching beauty. The latter is melancholy and memorable, with a haunting, simple melody that will stay with you for life.
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