William Eaton Ensemble Sparks and Embers (Canyon Records CR-7061) In my somewhat eclectic musical tastes, this album satisfies totally. I was initially taken by the uniqueness (to me) of the melody and the harmonic overtones. Very mellow and appealing. This double album contains over two hours of new music by the William Eaton Ensemble that will take you on a musical voyage into worlds of wonder and peace. It features the sounds of Eaton's unique instruments including lyraharp guitar, 26 string guitar and spiral clef plus flutes, pan pipes, mandolin, violin, violira, bass and ethnic percussion from around the world. Eaton is joined by percussionist Will Clipman, flutist Claudia Tulip, bassist and vocalist Mary Redhouse and violinist Allen Ames.The performers obviously enjoy playing together. And they blend very naturally. They don't compete; they compliment. The music carries you away, to another place and another time, filled with beauty, ecstacy and simplicity. This is a great album whether you are new to Eaton's music or a longtime fan. This is my favourite album of this truly unique ensemble where each member creates his own musical styles and all of them are ideally intertwined in beautiful aural textures. The the music they play is very rich, meditative, and eclectic. This music beckons for high fidelity, solitude, and a fireplace, but it also sounds splendid through headphones while I'm typing away here on my Mac. Highly Recommended! Review by Ben Kettlewell information: website: http://www.canyonrecords.com/cr7061.htm

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