jazz2love

Album:  Owl Dreams Artist:  Dharma Down Label: Dharma Down Records DD001 Website: www.dharmadown.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/dharmadownband Instagram: www.instagram.com/dharmadownband/ Sensual and exotic, the music of Dharma Down shines a spotlight on the confluence of Arabic rhythms, folkloric tableaus, Eastern European vibrations, and modern jazz idioms.  Comprised of Duncan Hardy on alto saxophone and qanun, Mike Effenberger on piano, Scott Kiefner on acoustic bass, and John Mettam on drums, Dharma Down's debut recording Owl Dreams fascinates the listener's imagination and arouses positive sensations.  From the Klezmatic character of Hardy's vibrant raptures on the saxophone sprinting across "Bubu Jinn" to the tingling ripples of his performance on the Qanun, forming a swiveling motion through "Jalla Man," the experience is a veritable treat into lively dreamscapes.  The original scores are animated portraits of middle eastern music paired with mo...

Album:  Where We Are Gathered Artist:  Opium Moon Label:  Downtown Artists Website:  https://www.opiummoon.com Traditional Middle Eastern soundscapes fused with contemporary ambient textures, Opium Moon take audiences along a serene sojourn on their latest release Where We Are Gathered from Downtown Artists.  Integrating the hypnotic beating of MB Gordy's percussion with the pulsating tremors of Itai Disraeli bass, their rhythmic swells are layered by the pensive ruminations of Hamid Saeidi's santoor and the eloquent phrasing of Lili Haydn's wistful violin strings.  The recording flows in a fluid stream of soothing soundscapes that put listeners at ease aurally, cerebrally, and internally. Track after track is a winding trail of silky silhouettes, breezy caresses, and trance-like quivers.  The soothing sonic sensations massage the senses and have a tranquilizing effect on the mind.  The vocalizations on "Scorpion Moon" and "Of Kiss and Wing" reso...