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Topic ClosedAndreas Vollenweider for RIO/Avant

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JLocke View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Andreas Vollenweider for RIO/Avant
    Posted: March 19 2008 at 01:19
I am not sure how many people know of him, or if he has even been suggested for the archives yet, but I would like to suggest him right now.
 
Andreas Vollenweider is a very talented Swiss musician and composer who's music has many different elements in it: too Jazz-rock-ish to be considered Classical, yet too classical to be categorized as full-on Jazz/Fusion. His primary instrument is a modified Harp of his own design. He can produce both acoustic and electric tones from it, and it adds a very unique and distinquishable edge to his music as opposed to many other "New-Age" artists in existence today. While Vollenweider has been considered many things from a New-Age performer to a Jazz musician to an Electronica composer, his style and use of many exotic instruments while still keeping a rock edge has caused him to defy categorization. What better place, then, for him to be than on the archives?
 
Give him a listen, and I promise you will not be dissapointed. He has released many albums during his twenty year+ career, but my personal favorite at this time is "Down To The Moon", so if you manage to find a song clip from that album, that will be your best bet, I feel. Some people may think that his music doesn't have enough rock influence to be considered "Progressive ROCK", but I feel that his hybrid style of classical, eastern and western instruments, including electric guitars at times, merits the RIO/Avant-Prog inclusion on his behalf, but you must be the judge. Please give hima  fair go, however, because truly each album he has produced is different from the last, and it may be difficult at first to see the appeal, but the very fact that he is so diverse makes him deserving of being here SOMEWHERE, does it not?
 
 
Here is his official website:
 
The Myspace page isn't an officially-run site, but it does feature some great song clips so you can get an idea of what his music sounds like.
 
If any additional information is needed, simply let me know. Even if he isn't included, anybody willing to listen to him is in for a real treat! Wink
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 02:46
I support the inclusion of Vollenweider, but under RIO/avant? Confused


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 05:41
Or wherever you think he should go, yes. If not there, where would you suggest?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 07:06
Vollenweider is an interesting artist, although I always thought of him as of "new age" artist rather than "prog" artist, perhaps because of the overall sound and his harp..but then again, he is a bit more "daring" then an average "new age" musician (based on what I've heard, about 3 albums or so), but there's no way he merits inclusion in RIO/Avant because of his fusioning of styles. Perhaps some of the former art rock categories, but honestly, I don't see him there. I think he might fit nicely into prog-related category, which already contains similar borederline cases (exmpl. Er. J. Orchestra).

And for what is worth, Didier Malherbe (of Gong fame) played on few Vollenweider's albums..


Edited by clarke2001 - March 19 2008 at 07:08
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 08:08
I would also say New Age, but I've only heard one album. @BaldFriede: Maybe you could list his most progressive albums - I think that should he be added, the genre of those albums should be used.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 09:11
I have only heard 2 or 3 albums of him, and that was years ago. He is not new age, but definitely not RIO/avantgarde either. Symphonic would fit him best. I'll try to find out which albums I heard of him.

Edited by BaldFriede - March 19 2008 at 09:13


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 09:37
Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:

Vollenweider is an interesting artist, although I always thought of him as of "new age" artist rather than "prog" artist, perhaps because of the overall sound and his harp..but then again, he is a bit more "daring" then an average "new age" musician (based on what I've heard, about 3 albums or so), but there's no way he merits inclusion in RIO/Avant because of his fusioning of styles. Perhaps some of the former art rock categories, but honestly, I don't see him there. I think he might fit nicely into prog-related category, which already contains similar borederline cases (exmpl. Er. J. Orchestra).

And for what is worth, Didier Malherbe (of Gong fame) played on few Vollenweider's albums..
 
New Age
 
certainly not RIO/Avant
 
Prog related at best
let's just stay above the moral melee
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keep our sand-castle virtues
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 13:28
Thumbs up for Vollenweider. Prog Related suits the best in my opinion too. (Jazz Rock /Fusion, maybe not?  Jazzy elements he has - at least on some albums -, but should it be closer to rock too?)

Probably he would gain very few reviews here, but all the merrier for those who have (heard) his albums. I have a 2cd Trilogy (including Behind the Gardens, Caverna Magica, White Winds and Eine Art Suite), and Book Of Roses LP. Other albums familiar to me: Down To The Moon, Cosmopoly and Vox.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 13:33
Well, I'll keave it to the experts to categorize him how they see fit. I think at the very least, Prog-Related should be a place for him. I don't even like New-Age music really, but I love Vollenweider. He honestly is different from the others. I don't think he is Symponic, though, because only part of his sound is classical-influenced-- the rest of the time he is playing rock or jazz or electronica.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 14:13
At least his early recordings were definitely not New Age and fully prog. I don't know about his later recordings though.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 16:54
Is it just my faulty memory, or did he have one of those cheesy T.V. ads for his music a long time ago? I seem to want to put him in the ranks of Zamfir "Master of the Pan Flute," and Slim Whitman.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 17:46
Hmm. If the only option being considered valid here is Prog Related, I can take the suggestion to the admin team. We have no Vollenweider experts there, however, as far as I know....
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I stopped blogging and reviewing - so won't be handling requests. Promo's for ariplay can be sent to [email protected]
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2008 at 18:11
Decide for yourself. Here are some videos of him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ffUhHjIv-s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZrBomevous&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtnDUSJfbzU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elykHnWUTVw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7ooIGuZuuw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69O-xB_tnCw&feature=related

Somehow his music reminds me of the music of Philip Glass. Certainly the softer side of prog, but then that's what one would expect from a harp. But New Age? I don't think so.


Edited by BaldFriede - March 19 2008 at 18:27


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 30 2008 at 00:39
Vollenweider's early albums can be considered new age, possibly a bit too basic for the strict prog fan. But I found his later "Book Of Roses" an absolute masterpiece from beginning to end, one that fits nicely into my regular prog rotation being dense with natural instruments and diversity of theme. This specific release is highly recommended if you can listen to lighter fare, new age, and 'world music'.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 30 2008 at 01:10
Pleasae, not even Prog Related.
 
He played New Age, World, Soft Jazz and Neo Classical, but no relation with Prog, except his choice of instruments, and this doesn't mean too much.
 
Iván.
 
            
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2008 at 08:19
Originally posted by Ivan_Melgar_M Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:

Pleasae, not even Prog Related.
 
He played New Age, World, Soft Jazz and Neo Classical, but no relation with Prog, except his choice of instruments, and this doesn't mean too much.
 
Iván.
 
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