Over the past decade or so, contemporary instrumental musicians appealing to an adult - yet adventurous - taste have steadily worked away, carving a new niche in the recording industry. Electronic keyboards. Guitars electric and acoustic. Solo pianos. Woodwinds and violins. All now find their way onto CD, cassette and (ever more rarely) vinyl LP. Billboard, the magazine that trains a watchful eye on entertainment trends, even created a biweekly chart a few years ago to keep tabs on what are inadequately called "new age" albums, enumerating the top-selling examples of this broad genre, Nos. 1 to 25.
And on a recent week, almost a quarter of the 25 were on the relatively small Milwaukee-based Narada label, including the album at the top of the heap. Other labels, from giants like Columbia to pioneers like American Grammaphone, were on the list, some with up to two entries. But only Narada had more than that - six.Let's give those six a look. The sampling will offer an overview of today's diverse instrumental field and may give us an inkling as to why Narada has become the leader in a burgeoning genre.
No. 1: DAVID ARKENSTONE; "Citizen of Time" (Narada Mystique); produced by Eric Lindert and David Arkenstone.
Keyboard/multi-instrumentalist David Arkenstone is a sorcerer. He first amazed us with his musical magic on the fantasy-laced album "Valley in the Clouds" in 1987, and followed that with the lively but more down to earth "Island," in collaboration with guitarist Andrew White. Now, with "Citizen of Time," he proves once and for all that he's a true wizard of aural enchantment.
In the guise of a melodic Citizen of Time, Arkenstone explores the glories of nature and human history - and takes us along. He creates brief, startlingly evocative pieces in a synthesis of electronics, percussion (courtesy of Daniel Chase) and the occasional guitar or piano.
Our imaginations and his join forces.
"I enjoy taking a storyteller's approach to music," Arkenstone says, "to create an atmosphere where people can use the fullest resources of their imaginations to sense the imagery in my music, to mentally visit the places that I'm describing. For me, music is most exciting when it creates a sense of adventure."
On "Citizen of Time" he takes us to Everest's chilly summit in "Top of the World" and offers an Oriental excursion to "The Great Wall." "Firestix" - primitive yet futuristic - recalls the magical qualities of his first album. "Rumours of Egypt" captures the fantasy of his latest theme: As the song opens, we tingle with the sensation we're time travelers materializing in a mystic past. Then we visit primeval forests, India's eerie caverns at Malabar (remember "A Passage to India"?), the Arctic north under florescent skies, the stone cities of the Anasazi, the fringes of space.
"Citizen of Time" is a musical journey not to be missed.
No. 8: MICHAEL JONES; "Magical Child" (Narada Lotus); produced by Eric Lindert.
Several Narada artists made their label debuts as soloists, generating mood-weaving albums on piano or guitar. But one reason Narada thrives today is that these solo artists, and a few friends new and old, have been getting together in ever-shifting mini-ensembles to explore fresh sonic combinations, colors and textures.
Michael Jones was one of those early soloists. In spare but rarely brooding albums like "Seascapes" and "Sunscapes," his clarion-clear piano established a peaceful, relaxing ambiance. But on "Magical Child" he's no longer alone; he's more the featured artist in a contemporary-minded chamber quartet that also includes wind player Nancy Rumbel, cellist David Darling and flutist Karen Doe.
The result: a sweet masterwork.
"Sunrise" sets the stage. Jones tickles the ivories. Then, one by one, a bass, a cello and a quiet synthesizer fill in the background. As the dream-morning grows, the piano breaks into a skipping, folk-like melody, joined soon by a flute, an English horn, the cello, and off we go into a subdued but playful reverie.
The other titles also recall scene-setting classical program music: "Spring Meadow," "Lullaby," "Magical Child," the solo-piano "Prayer," and "Country Dance," with a recurring motif reminiscent, appropriately enough, of Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring."
No. 11: RALF ILLENBERGER; "Heart and Beat" (Narada Equinox); produced by Ralf Illenberger and Budi Siebert.
You know, they do put a bit of thought into titling these albums, and "Heart and Beat" is a case in point: Ralf Illenberger's new set, more than many contemporary instrumentals, prominently features rhythm and pulse, yet has a lot of listener-friendly feeling, too, not just three-quarters-of-an-hour of sonic fog.
Illenberger is an accomplished West German guitarist, and his eclectic, electric European approach is "new age" with a definite difference. Jazz, saucy pop and maybe a hint of rock, performed by the soloist and a host of Continental sidemen, help "Heart and Beat" stand out - a vital plus in this competitive genre.
An American fan helped Illenberger both define his technique and name his new album. "She told me that my music has heart, and it also has a good beat. I like that," the guitarist says. "All I ever say about my music is that it is contemporary music. I think it's time we put away this obsession with styles. I only want to reach the human part of the listener - not the intellect, just the heart."
Despite his "non-intellectual" claim, Illenberger's electric and acoustic guitars star in sophisticated arrangements, ranging from the bounce of "Fun Tango" and "A Heart Rocks" to the slinky title track and the ear-perking "Marimba (Rain Dance)." Sure, some of the pieces engage more than others, but none at all propel your finger to the eject button.
How do you say "viva la difference" in German?
No. 19: DAVID LANZ; "Cristofori's Dream" (Narada Lotus); produced by Paul Speer; co-produced by David Lanz.
Really, it's a bit late to be telling you about "Cristofori's Dream." After all, David Lanz's superb album has only been on the charts for - get this - almost two years. An impressive chunk of that time at No. 1.
Like Jones, Lanz started out as a Narada soloist, then moved on to ensemble and fusion efforts in partnership with guitarists Paul Speer and Eric Tingstad, and wind player Nancy Rumbel. "Cristofori's Dream" puts his piano squarely in the featured role but also benefits from a constellation of other instruments in support.
The album begins with a luminescent tribute to the acknowledged inventor of the modern piano, Bartolommeo Cristofori. Lanz then glides through a series of serene but vibrant songs, and concludes with a mesmerizing instrumental version of "A Whiter Shade of Pale," the Procol Harum pop classic based upon a theme by Bach. One-time Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher even reprises his haunting passages for the song.
In an interview over a year ago, Lanz told the Deseret News "Cristofori's Dream" was one of his contributions to help calm a jittery world. "We're putting all this attitude and energy into the air. We've created a very stressful society. . . . I'm just trying to do what I can to alleviate some of that."
No. 23: DOUG CAMERON; "Mil Amores" (Narada Equinox); arranged and produced by Doug Cameron.
The violin, once a prince among solo instruments, seems out of place in the spotlight these days, unless it's on a classical stage. But Doug Cameron has been helping resurrect the violin's pop popularity with albums like "Passion Suite" and his latest, "Mil Amores."
Cameron doesn't ignite with Paganini pyrotechnics. Nor does he startle by verging off into the sharp or dissonant. His is a smooth, honeyed sound, buoyed by an excellent supporting cast of 30 guest musicians - guitarists, pianists, percussionists and horn players.
"I'm more interested in working with different melodic and harmonic ideas than overpowering people with the violin," Cameron explains. "Because it's a higher-pitched instrument, I try to balance its intensity with other instruments in order to achieve the right effect. And to me, this album feels right."
The song "Mil Amores" is typical of his warm style, served up with a sinuous melody and a soft vocal chorus whispering the words of the title, Spanish for "a thousand loves." Spanish, Caribbean and gypsy themes, in numbers like "Magia Espanola," "Cuban Spice" and "The Gypsy's Tear," allow Cameron to explore exotic but pleasantly familiar settings (and leave him open to a harsher analysis: that he's prone to violin cliches). He also ventures into light, contemporary jazz territory in fare like "The Journey," "The Time Is Now" and the touching "Forever Friends."
No. 25: ERIC TINGSTAD and NANCY RUMBEL; "Homeland" (Narada Lotus); produced by Eric Tingstad and Daniel Bayes Deardorf.
Nancy Rumbel is a treasure. That's reiterated with the very first notes on the new album "Homeland." Her wind instruments - haunting oboes, ocarinas and English horns - head right for the heart.
Many have discovered Rumbel's gift on four earlier collaborations with guitarist Eric Tingstad, including excellent outings with pianists David Lanz and Spencer Brewer, and it's also evident on albums like Michael Jones' "Magical Child," on which she guests. She works with fine musicians, yet her winds often give the music that extra resonant lift.
Those previous ensemble creations - the soothing "Woodlands" springs to mind - took on thematic and melodic personalities of their own. While the graceful interweaving of guitars and wind instruments is still to be found, the unifying thread on "Homeland" is less distinct, harder to pin down. The songs are diverse in style and derivation, and rhythm, bass and percussion play a more prominent role than before (which isn't, unfortunately, always for the better).
But yes, a theme does present itself. . . . After opening with the evocative title piece, Tingstad and Rumbel slip off to the Orient for "Lotus," to South America for the attention-grabbing "Peru," to Ireland for "Clancy's Heart," and so on. The essence of distant lands is distilled and transformed, for this isn't an album of precise folk re-creations - the two are trying to make the music of the world their music, and their style is definitely contemporary.
So the world - all the Earth, its peoples and cultures - can be seen as the expansive subject of "Homeland."
Rumbel says she and Tingstad see "home" as something more than a shelter, and their broad definition includes "a past-present-future perspective. In the past, people sailed across oceans and endured great hardship in search of a home that offered them freedom to grow. We see many of these dreams fulfilled today, and we feel very grateful. Now it's important that we also feel obligated to take care of our collective home - this planet - to preserve the dreams of our children."