With the release of Ascensionism Richard Bone concludes the trilogy begun with Electropica and continued in Coxa. This outing takes us on a musical journey through the mystical system known as the Kabbalah and uses the music to paint wonderful pictures in the minds eye. Ascensionism is not nearly as jazz oriented as Coxa was but has the familiar elements that make Richard's music unique and very listenable featuring a blend of warm and soothing keyboards along with the sound of brushes on drums and the muted horn. Jazz is clearly evidenced in Richard's work but there is enough of the floating melodies and airy compositions to still call it ambient as well. On the song Ascensionism I was reminded of Bob James' style of keyboard playing and being a long time fan of Bob James the music put a big smile on my face.

Overall the CD has a light and ethereal touch throughout with only a few exceptions. The music definitely exudes the mystical energy that it was written to express. It raises you upwards on the wings of carefully constructed synth sequences and then lets you float among the clouds with music that maintains a contemplative state of mind in the listener. Stand out tracks for me were Ariel Dane and the Serphim Swing with its deep caressing tones and the trumpet that leads you ever higher, Walkin With the Dharma Bums hearkening back to the early days of 60's club jazz featuring some very cool licks and finally Ascensionism which has the feel of some of the great jazz that appeared around the late 70's and early 80's with artists like Bob James and Grover Washington.

All in all I think that this CD finishes off Richard Bone's trilogy with a very powerful CD that achieves its power in a very laid back fashion. Another great CD from Richard Bone and certainly not the last that we will hear of this talented musician.

With this latest release from Terry Oldfield, entitled Spirit of the World, Terry attempts to put together a collection that shows the unity of mankind through the infinite variety of musical styles that exist around the globe. At first glance this seems to be a rather daunting task for a composer. I've seen whole CD's that concentrate on one culture but to try to do justice to six distinct groups on one CD seems to be asking just a little too much of most artists. Not for Mr. Oldfield. From the opening track of the CD entitled The Aboriginals to the ending track called the Africans Terry Oldfield demonstrates his ability to capture the essence of these cultures in these musical vignettes.

With native voices, instrumentation and rhythms that draw the listener into the song Terry weaves his magic by using his flute not to overpower the song but to flow with it. Allowing the culture that he is portraying to speak with their own voices and paint a picture in sound within the listeners mind. To the haunting echoes of the chanting, horns and cymbals of The Tibetans to the Native American flavored track called The Americans Terry's compositions seem to work not only on a cultural level but on a spiritual one as well. Tapping into the power of spirituality within each of these cultures adds a dimension to the listening experience that makes Terry's music even more powerful than one might at first suspect.

Hats off to Terry for bringing this wonderful piece of craftsmanship to his listeners. His excellent work on a variety of flutes, vocals and keyboards are blended into the whole seamlessly and evoke the images of each culture as the song intended. Add to this the fact that Terry was also wearing the Producer hat for this project as well and you will begin to see the work that Terry has poured into making this project just what he wanted it to be. This is a must have for long time fans of Terry's work and also for those seeking to experience his work for the first time.