NORTHERN SONG

Tibbets' third album I believe and the second for ECM, this album is really a quiet affair where it appears that that the music will be all in the ambiances and sometimes very close to New age music, like Deuter had done before him. Steve Tibbetts plays everything on this album but the percussions, which are handled by his long-time collab Marc Anderson.

Although I suppose that at the time Tibbetts' music served a purpose and was maybe groundbreaking (I only became aware of him in the early 90's), I can assure you that this album is nothing worth writing about than I will here. Ambient, new-agey, repetitive, almost boring.

Not really recommended if you like dynamic and changing music.

Third album which announces a change in Tibbett's musical direction: he now turns to a world ethnic style. No more rock elements, the music is completly natural, dominated by percussions and acoustic guitar. Very quiet, contemplative and meditative in mind, almost "opiate". The repetitive side reinforces this hyptonic effect. Not the kind of record you want to listen everyday, but it's a unique cross of worldjazz and newage, Tibbets manage to create very cerebral musical landscapes, only using a simple and natural instrumentation.

Far more daring than his earlier works, "Northern Songs", is less Jazz/Fusion (thank the Gods) and more "Ambiental" to call it somehow. His compositions and performance, open up a new stage of direction, and the result as such, is not a "Jazz/Fusion" follower's dream.

That, I suppose, explains the poor ratings given, in comparisson to his more conventional "modern" Jazz works. To set it simply, there are no Fusion-like songs. This project could fit in more comfortably in the "crossover" genre, being that its roads travel far away from the "Latin/African/Indo" route, that most of the "Jazz/Fusion" people, usually cover.

This record, in fact holds that "unique" quality, which will happen later in future works. So, I suppose that standing in the shelf of "Jazz/Fusion/Prog", demerits the whole project. Not because there is something wrong with that genre, but because this effort, is not a Jazz/Rock sounding record. And in the Steve Tibbetts's discography up to that year, this is the project that breaks away fom that specific tagging. A turning point, in fact!

Daring, unique, excellent guitar playing and arrangements, and a very solid and un-repeatable display of very good acoustic guitar based songs. In my collection this project has been around since my first listening way back in time, and up to today, I find it to be a real delight. Therefore, something I will highly recommend.

****4 "essential" PA stars for any kind of Prog audiophile.