| Show r rv v s 1 V Vr Student r v i says say that v JT New Age g gis is worth o li listening t ning Ito 44 V i- i Dear Editor I will always be glad I stopped at the stereo and electronic store that day Im I'm Imone Imone Imone one of those professional browsers brow brow- sers sers-I sers I look much more than I buy Oh Ive I've put my share of money into stereo equipment but this day happened to be a browsing day What is that youre you're playing on the CD player I asked the salesperson One liOne of the Windham Hill Samplers he replied Windham Hill Hill Ive Ive I've never heard of that group before I thought I soon found out that Windham Hill wasn't a group They were a record company The Sampler contained pieces from various artists they produced Id I'd always been a roll rock-n-roll and pop fan 1 I played drums along with other various instruments instruments instruments ments and dreamed of being in ina a rock band But what I was hearing off of this Windham Hill Sampler was different There were no hard rock guitar riffs and nobody was even sing sing- ing There was just music a asolo asolo asolo solo piano piece called Thanksgiving by George Winston a solo guitar piece called Aerial Boundaries by Michael Hedges as well as other artists Yeah I like like- to rock But this wasn't rock It was something different and it was awesome To this day I still love George Winston's wonderful ful composition Thanksgiving and Michael Hedges' Hedges II Aerial Boundaries Boundaries- certainly one of the most original guitar pieces ever Most importantly Ive I've discovered discovered discovered dis dis- covered New Age music a term given to describe this type of or of music Once I thought that I Iwas Iwas Iwas was pretty well versed in music but now I realize that Id I'd been going though life with with- musical tunnel vision Today my CD collection is stocked with incredibly talented artists like Liz Story George Winston Bill Mize and my personal favorite Philip Aaberg as well as pieces from groups like Interior and I still have my favorite rock music but my real love is now New Age No matter what type of music you like I can pretty much guarantee you'll like new age music Though some of it has lyrics I greatly prefer instrumental instrumental in in- tal new age This kind of music can say so much more than words I recommend Liz Storys Story's Escape of the Circus Ponies the Windham Hill 1984 Sampler the 1986 Sampler Bill r Mize's izes ize's Sugar lands and my favorite CD of all Philip Aaberg's High Plains Plains' containing the title track High Plains This in my opinions the best new age piano piece ever Most of these CDs should be easy to find If you have any difficulty locating a release the music store should be able to special order it for you Bill Mize's might be a little harder to find But since it contains a piece called ItS Spring pring Fever which is the most original guitar piece Ive I've heard I feel its it's worth the search You may need to call a specialty store ie i.e. The Golden Braid and ask them to order it for you Just be sure not not- to confuse Ne New Age music with the bizarre books and religious cults that are classified as New r Age So give New Age music a try and see how much great music is out there Signed Kevin Miller |
