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Home , American Gramaphone, Brian Keane, Deep Breakfast, Hearts of Space, Private Music, Ray Lynch

'We have a clause in the contract music and an appeal to a wider minutes of harmonic overtone award out there made from crystal, yet trying to define the nature of the audience. For those artists and labels, singing. It's the only conference if s another lightning rod for cliches. recordings that I will deliver to the INAMC conception of "mains- where instead of being awaken by [Virgin Records]. Because I refused tream" was a misnomer. "I think it's loud TVs or parties, you are roused "Look at how new-age music is to say that I will deliver new-age wishful thinking," says Stephen Hill, by chanting from the next hotel room. described in the media, by and large: recordings, because I felt that was host of the Music From the Hearts of Whafs surprising is that these were It's called yuppie Muzak or aural ve y misleading." Space radio program and owner of the among the few meditative moments in wallpaper, hot-tub music, drones; -, winner . the four-day conference, during which there's no structure to it; it's 1991 New Age Grammy Award "That's a nice sentiment," agrees even new-age savant Steve Halpern completely laid back and passive. All Terry Wood, director of commu- left at home his lighted crystal, so of that. Well that certainly doesn't At the Third Annual International nications for Narada Records. "I'm prominently featured on a recent 48 describe my music in any way. It has New Age Music Conference held in not sure that was reflected in the type Hours on CBS. Sure, there was a lot of nothing to do with my music." April in Los Angeles, industry of offerings at the conference." talk about channeling music, about -, composer of the representatives tried to attack the Narada was among several major how "some of your tri-tones stimulate new-age hit "Celestial Soda Pop" problem from another direction by new-age-identified labels who chose the third eye, others cause your aura to choosing the theme "New Age Goes to stay home. shrink," and how dolphins project It was a conference that tried its best Mainstream." "All the people who sound waves to align your chakras. A to shake the new-age image of crystal have been around for 10 years or so "It's an incredibly limiting category. booth from MC2 displayed a system of gazing, meditative ruminations, and are making a transition by going into We've had so many different people in light and sound that purports to metaphysical mumblings. What was the mainstream record outlets," the concerts, whole families and "Relax, accelerate goal achievement most evident was the "hustle." Evey- asserts conference organizer Suzanne heavy-metal people. We've had lots of and boost personal creativity." You put one was pushing tapes and CDs into the Doucet. "I think there's a lot of things Hell's Angels people, black leather on a pair of headphones which hands of record companies, distributors, happening in media and retail outlets and chains." produce a somewhat annoying tone radio stations and writers. You'd walk that are becoming more open." -Andreas Vollenweider, winner that pulses back and forth in your ears into a room and suddenly see a dozen Doucet, who also runs the Only New of first New Age Grammy Award while a pair of Sun Ra sunglasses business cards criss-crossing the table of Age Music store in Los Angeles, feels project light pulses onto your closed the "International" panel. The talk was that more "spiritual" music is Most conferences begin with a few eyelids, sending you to sleep or into a often less about music and more about reaching the mainstream audience, jokes, some solemn musings and migraine headache. And of course the commerce. 'We're here so that you can even if that audience isn't entirely maybe an invocation or prayer. But conference's version of the Gramo- go further in your business," said aware of the spiritual content. the Third Annual International New phone and Oscar is the "Crystal Richard Bochenek, one of the conference But for many, "New Age Goes Age Music Conference began with Award," a phallic pinnacle of crystal. organizers. "This represents the new- Mainstream" means a shift in the the ring of Tibetan chimes and a few As Halpern points out, if s not the only age industry." At times it could've been a NAIRD or NARM convention. It's a Small World After All amok-albeit in slow motion-through ethereal, spacially 'I don't know what new age is. You enhanced settings. Still, there's a big difference between know, I think it's a marketing term." Jon Hassell, Paul Horn and others discern new classic new-age recording and current world-beat hits. -Chuck Greenberg of age's once and future inspiration: The emerging international music industry emphasizes Shadowfax, winners of the New Afropop and Latin styles precisely because their Age Grammy Award in 1989 By Linda Kohanov exhilarating, dance-inspired polyrhythms exist within a Euro~ean-influencedmelodic and harmonic context. "The The argument for new age going s the Beatles took the United States by storm, jazz artist things that are struggling are the Middle Eastern and mainstream can be persuasive. After A Tony Scott took a deep breath and uttered the first Oriental releases," reports Lowenhar. "This means that all, is attaining unprecedented notes of Music for Zen Meditation. Back then no one really people still need to overcome the bias that our Western sales, receiving a gold record with his knew what to do with a serenely exotic set of interactions system of music is the best." When the averaae" American synthesized updating of Mantovani, between clarinet, Japanese koto and shakuchachi . listens to recordings based on the micro-tonal melodic (). Released on Verve in 1964, Music for Zen Meditation meanderings and strange tuning systems of Eastern styles, He was preceded by the remained an anomaly in the jazz label's bebop and swing the most common reaction is that the instruments have "an confections of Ray Lynch's chart- catalog until this subtle, cross-cultural venture was hailed irritating habit of weaving in and out of tune" and the toppers, and No Blue as the first new-age some 20 years later. If Scott music "doesn't seem to ao", anwhere in ~articular." Thing on Music West, an independent would have come up with the same American-Japanese The fact that people often lodge the same complaint about label. Add to that the mainstream collaboration in 1991, he might just as easily have found new-age music is revealing: The genre's early innovators penetration of Enya, Andreas Vollen- himself under the "world music" banner. were inspired primarily by Indian, Balinese and Japanese weider, and Kitaro, as Billboard magazine's 1990 new age issue contended styles. "A lot of us took our inspiration from the Orient well as the mock-new-age dance music that "in both artistic and marketing areas, NAM is rapidly because it was the only place we found anything related to of Enigma, and you might think there's being absorbed into the expanding world music market." what we wanted to do," insists Steven Halpern, who helped still a movement afoot. The 1991 International New Age Conference in Los usher in the new age with a series of "Anti-Frantic Yet, none of these artists were at Angeles also seemed keyed up about the influx of cross- Alternative" in the mid '70s. "The origins of these the conference. The best-known musi- cultural sounds as the annual convention held its first musics were ceremonial, magical, healing, uplifting." With cians present were Halpern, flautist "New Age World Music Festival.'' this in mind, spiritual seekers like jazz flautist Paul Horn and Paul Horn and violinist Steven "New age has a few more gold and platinum albums, German multi-instrumentalist Deuter (influential albums by Kindler. The very labels that have but world music is closing in," observes Eric Lowenhar, both are available on Kuckuck) went off to and had mainstream success, like Music manager for Billboard's new age and world music charts. discovered a highly specialized series of traditions that West and Private Music, were absent. The most confusing aspect of. his job, in fact, is trying to emphasized music as a path to enlightenment. Though these Windham Hill, which is in the decide which releases are appropriate for which chart. artists studied and played Indian in the late process of converting itself into a "One of the reasons is that there are a lot of titles that fall '60s and '70s, they emerged from the experience with mainstream label with rock, jazz and into that grey area between the two.'' compositional styles that combined the meditative essence of folk acts, was never present and From the beginning, the new-age genre itself was a certain Oriental forms with Occidental (continued on 89) hardly ever mentioned. Even Narada, giant grey area where ethnic styles and instruments ran which has usurped much of Wind- ham Hill's initial audience, passed on

86 PULSE! JULY 1991 ILLUSTRATION ON PAGE 84 BY ADELE CAMERON. new-age genre, but Hill himself has "1 don%think never called it that. "We never billboarded the program as a new-age program but a space-music pro- new age is going gram," says Hill, who did attend the conference. "The reason for that is I'm not comfortable being identified with mainstream, I many of the attributes of the new-age lifestyle. It's just music. It doesn't need to be burdened with those don't know why complex associations." Hill's Hearts of Space label has a mixture of adventurous artists like , Tim Clark and Kevin it would want Braheny, as well as high-quality commercial ventures such as . Yet Hill admits that no to." matter what he does, it's hard to Don Heckman, L.A. Times escape the new-age brush. "We're definitely perceived as that," he concedes, and albums of the conference. tantric tone poems like Raphael's 'Narada always felt that this Music to Disappear in II admittedly conference tends to represent more of help the image along. "All we're the esoteric side of new-age music and doing is trying to move over and be we're working diligently to make sure considered as contemporary or the consumer understands that new 'modern-instrumental' music." To- age is a mainstream music," says ward that end, it's released an album Narada's Terry Wood. He voices the by renegade composer Alan Hov- thoughts of many in the "modern haness called Visionary Landscapes, instrumental" music community. which for all intents and purposes is a Wood appreciates the term new age as 20th-century classical recording. a marketing niche, but wants to get as Future releases include a flamenco far away from the culture surrounding guitarist and a "bluesy" Chapman it as he can. "We've worked hard at Stick recording. dismissing the crystal factor." Narada Ethan Edgecombe formed Fortuna isn't the only one. Label after label Records in 1982 and is associated either echoed Terry Wood, or in the with the German Kuckuck label and case of Private Music, didn't return its American arm, Celestial Harmon- my calls (perhaps thinking I'd channel ies. Like Hearts of Space, Fortuna's its response, but I suspect it shares an been noted for its discriminating affinity with most non-attendees). artistic selections ranging from Bob Duskis of Windham Hill synthesist to minimalist Records mimics 's composer Terry Riley, Celtic harpist line. "There are the labels that have Patrick Ball to the middle-eastern been identified with new-age music fusion of and Omar and there are labels that have Faruk Tekbelik. proclaimed themselves as new age," he Edgecombe looks askance at labels claims, making a fine distinction. who are abandoning the market. "Windham Hill has always been a label "These folks were the ones who that has reflected Will Ackerman's benefitted the most from the term taste. It's always been artist-driven." new-age music and they're the reason Those artists now include singer- why the industry took a hold of the songwriters like John Gorka, Chris name and went with it," he charges. Eberhardt and Christine Lavin, "Now that they've gotten something mainstream jazz players like Bob from it they want to jump ship." Sheppard and Billy Childs, rock Los Angeles Times critic Don groups like Dots Will Echo and Heckman takes a different tack. "I don't electric mutants like David think new age is going mainstream," he Torn. If anyone is making the move asserted. "I don't know why it would towards the mainstream, creating an want to." That's because beneath the artist roster that entails many widest new-age umbrella are artists different genres, it's Windham Hill. who are pushing the envelope, creating Even labels that remain committed new fusions of sound like Ben Tavera to modern-instrumental music look King's southwestern flamenco-guitar somewhat askance at the new-age landscapes, Steve Roach's Australian label. Stephen Hill's nationally evocations, Jai Uttal's Indian fusion, syndicated Music From the Hearts of Ingram Marshall's shadowy sound Space radio program, begun in 1972, collages and Mouth Music's techno- has long been associated with the Celtic meditations. Broadly speaking, the new age is Peter Gabriel's evocative promised a "true" new-age station by RECORDS world-music soundtrack to Martin this time next year. Scorcese's The Last Temptation of Christ, Conversely an interesting event titled Passion-winner of last year's happened when Billboard altered its New Age Grammy-and African kora charts recently. Instead of relying on player Foday Musa Suso. "In new-age verbal reports from stores, actual music we can do what we want and get sales are now tallied by a point of away with it," crowed Michael Hoppe, purchase system called Soundscan. composer and artist consultant. While many hip alternative bands plummeted down and off the charts, "When I hear the words new age I Yanni's Reflection of Passion actually reach for my gun. I disagree rose from position 102 to 41. One fundamentally with the premise of conclusion that's being drawn is that new-age things generally and about Yanni was under-reported in favor of me being categorized that way other music agendas, and that his because I think it's kind of fan1 support is much deeper than people appropriation of something I hold admit. very dear into a kind of genre or place that I know basically is completely "I don't know why people have antithetical to my concerns as an problems with this term new age. . FRESH AIRE 7 YFCLLOWSTONE artist in modern America." It's new age! It's better than old age." The 7th and most The Grammy -keyboardist/composer Harold 41-year-old flautist, Paul Horn recent installment nominated recording Budd, whose 1980 album of ' of Mannheim Plateaux of Mirror was subtitled The new age hasn't gone Steamroller's " 2" mainstream, it inhabits many insightful, streams, drawing as it always has multi-million acclaimed fund- New age, as much as we can define from space, folk, classical and world selling musical raising " Concerts it, is fragmenting into those artists traditions. It dwells in that sub-pop odyssey- for Yellowstone" who are following a personal artistic stratum of folk, jazz and new classical vision, those who are looking for music where trends ebb and flow, "Fresh Aire. " Now on tour! commercial acclaim, and those popularity waxes and wanes, but the looking toward the healing, medita- essence of the music and its creative ..and enjoy FRESH AIRES I thru VI tive properties of music. It was artists source remains. from the latter camp and a few com- No one wants to be called a new-age & . mercial aspirants who dominated the artist, especially after the virulent 1 PAUL WINTER1 conference. critical backlash began a few years ago. But then, Charles Mingus didn't want "People used to say my music doesn't to be called a jazz musician; Steve go anywhere. The point is, it's already Reich, Terry Riley and will there." go to their-graves maintaining they -Steve Halpern on the aren't minimalists; and John Lydon "Artists" panel said that rock was dead.

For those who aren't trapped in the "I've spoken to people in the audience new age of meditation music and who come up to me, and [the band subliminal tapes, this conference was has1 just been through heaven and a reality check. In the mid '80s, the hell, and bashing and smashing, and major labels snatched up smaller singing and sobbing, and spacing out, new-age companies and began their and they'll just give me a blanket own designer labels. Now there's response, 'Man, that was so beautiful DOUG SMITH: : barely a new-age record released on a and relaxing."' ORDER OF EARTH major. "The majors are the wrong -wind player Paul MAGNITUDE A brilliant musical place for this type of music," asserted McCandless of Oregon interpretation of Michael Hopp6 on the "New Age A debut album Goes Mainstream" panel. "They don't In the new age, as elsewhere, of intelligent each of the seven have the time or the inclination." perception is often the uncomfortable and original continents on Three years ago Frank Cody reality. But the true story is that while compositions by a our planet launched the WAVE format on KTWV the old ideas of new age live on in new virtuoso artist and the in Los Angeles. He even won the first one circle, others are already pushing elements "Crystal Award" for radio in 1989. beyond the boundaries. "The good who is certain to Now the WAVE'S satellite format is musicians will survive the backlash, redefine the art of that most off-air and the remaining WAVE like Andreas Vollenweider, Kitaro steel string acoustic effect its stations play a confection of lite jazz and George Winston," says Windham guitar playing. survival. and soft rock. Frank Forrest, of the Hill's Bob Duskis. "The good stuff is commercially syndicated new-age the good stuff."W radio program Musical Starstreams, 7.99 declares, "Real new-age music was John Diliberto is a freelance critic and never given shot and because the producer/host of , a Nightly Cass I: commercial networks failed, everyone Music Soundscape distributed by thinks that new age has failed." He American Public Radio. SMALL WORLD from 86 beautiful, sensual, sexy, yet sublime @ instruments and ideas, creating a music like Balinese or Javanese in congenial bridge between the two this culture is virtually impossible MIRAMAR worlds. right now. It seems like you're either Miramar is an audio and video production company The danger of this approach, snoring in an over-heated hall specializing in a unique fusion of music and visuals that we however, soon manifested itself in listening to German concert music call the Video Album. Enjoy the music on cassette or the form of musicians who jumped from 200 years ago or listening to on the bandwagon of new-age music that's accompanying some compact disc, and on Hi Fi video formats with the visuals music's growing populari~without stripper in some nightculb. The way that inspired it. any real knowledge of the original this is treated in our culture is totally traditions from which they were off center and will eventually be seen PETE BARDENS borrowing. The sublimely under- as mass psychotic behavior." stated elements and trance-inducing In the early '80s, groups such as WATERCOLORS repetitions of Eastern styles were Paul 'Winter Consort (Living Music), Water Colors is the new album from watered down over time and literally Shadowfax (Windham Hill) and well known progressive artist Pete washed right out of the fabric on Ancient Future (Sona Gaia) es- Bardens. releases by lesser artists. In many poused a similar planet-wide unifi- Water Colors is also Miramar's newest Video Album, fusing progressive cases, the only thing left was this cation process through music by instrumental and vocal compositions vague feeling that the music didn't adding earthy beats from , from Pete Hardens with our world class go anywhere. Says Horn, "It's Brazil and Middle Eastern tra- visuals. Enjoy the music on cassette, become quite obvious that there's a ditions- thus closing the gaps compact disc and Hi Fi video formats. difference between a person who between contemplative Oriental VHS-16.95 7.99 Cass 11.99 CD plays simple melodies and leaves a influences and Third World poly- lot of swace because they know what rhythms. Ultimately rock star/world- they're1 doing, and someone who's music proponent Peter Gabriel won just playing simply because they the 1989 New Age Grammy Award

can't do anything else.'' for his multi-cultural album Passion Canyon Dreams is considered by<. many In the late '70s, trumpet player Jon (Geffen/Virgin) in which ethereal of their fans to be Tangerine Dream's best music. Hassell gave the genre a shot in the echos of cabalistic music rites Canyon Dreams is the previously arm with the ideaof "Fourth World coalesced with fervid African beats. unreleased music from the Platinum music," an inventive approach to The album, incidently, features Jon Miramar Video Album of the same composition that united East and Hassell, in addition to several well- name. Also included on the long await- ed cassette and compact disc release is a West. Third World and First,,, wast known ethnic artists. and present, nature and technology Since then, the gaps between the new track, "~oloraioDawni'. Canyon Dreams is now available on cassette, Audio-MPCD2801 Video-MPV8404 to create "a coffee-colored classical meditative, Far Eastern-inspired compact disc and Hi Fi video formats. VHS-16.95- 7.99 Cass 11.99 CD music of the future." This ambitious aesthetic of early new-age inno- ideal began to take a recognizable vators and the beat-oriented, form on his 1980 collaboration with dancing frenzies of Afropop and JOHN SERRIE Brian Eno, Fourth World Vol. 1: Latin American styles have been TINGRI Possible Musics (EG). Subsequent closing. On recent releases like "The art of Tingri lies its subtle timbral releases led to his most recent, highly Michael Fluznick's The Cradle in the shifts and sense of time, or timeless- acclaimed version of a kind of urban Sun (Sona Gaia) and Glen Helge- ness; sound and movement are in Fourth World sound on City: Works son's Rising Current (World Disc), delicate balance throughout the of Fiction (Opal, 1990). the formula also includes a hefty album."-Jim Aiken/Keyboard Hassell's uncompromising methods dose of pop jazz riffs and Dave 7.99 Cass 11.99 CD still exist on the periphery of new Grusin-like production slickness. As age. Although he isn't comfortable a result, some compelling new with his inclusion in the category, his releases are falling through the Audio - MPCD 2003 albums are often thrown in the cracks between these established record bins between the more categories. San Francisco-based QUINTANA & SPEER subdued styles of Halpern and Horn. jazz artist and Indian-music afi- Yet philosophically, Hassell's fourth- cionado Jai Uttal's Footprints and SHADES OF SHADOW world vision stems from the same South African guitarist David "Outward Bound, "As Dreams Do", sense of dissatisfaction with Western Hewitt's An African Tapestry are two "Private Promises" and other great music and inclination toward artistic prime examples. Some new-age upbeat compositions have made this a and spiritual integration that char- critics assume these releases are in very popular album. acterizes the best intentions of the world-music territory, while world- Shades of Shadow combines the new-age aesthetic. beat writers hesitate to cover them trademark guitar and production expertise of Paul Speer with the melody "What I'm really interested in is a because they're "too new age." making talents of Quintana. balance between body and mind," Oh well, such are the growing 7.99 Cass 11.99 CD he stresses. "A lot of Eurowean pains of new fusions based on Audio - MPCD 3001 classical music exists strictly from the fusions of fusions . Other Great Audio and Video Titles From Miramax neck up. There's a lot of prejudice Natural States - Lanz & Speer - Video Only MPV 8401 against the sensual, strangely PULSE! new-age columnist Linda Desert Vision - Lanz & Speer -Video Only MPV 8402 enough, in this culture. Not that there Kohanov is a contributing editor and The Mind's Eye -James Reynolds - Audio MPCD 2901 /Video MPV 6001 isn't enough below-the-neck activity critic for several national music San Juan Suite - Michael Gettel -Audio Only MPCD 2701 going on, but there's always this magazines. She currently lives in And The Stars Go With You -JohnSerrie - Audio Only MPCD 2001 dichotomy. The idea of having some Tucson, Ariz. Flightpath -JohnSerrie - Audio Only MPCD 2002