Transmigration

To say that "Transmigration" is eclectic would be a great understatement! Subtitled “A Journey With Friends,” the album is a collaboration with Al Jewer and Andy Mitran plus twenty-two other artists including Miriam Stockley, Tony Levin, Jeff Oster, Jeff Pearce, Ricky Kej, Lisa Downing, Vito Gregoli, and Sherry Finzer. Al Jewer and Andy Mitran’s previous albums have garnered an impressive number of awards and nominations, and there is little doubt that Transmigration will do the same. On their website, Jewer and Mitran describe the project this way: “This album speaks of a journey that these very special people are taking with us. It is a journey that starts with a simple introduction that leads to a conversation and ends with the metamorphosis of that conversation into a formless beautiful piece of music that contains elements of us all. This CD has been about two years in the making and includes a rare and awesome group of collaborators and friends. They are among our most admired artists and composers and we are thrilled beyond belief to have worked with them to bring you this album.” Ranging from smooth jazz to ambient to ethnic, from new age to blues to world music, this impressive album covers a huge amount of musical territory with its fourteen tracks yet stays cohesive throughout. Al Jewer and Andy Mitran have been making music together for more than fifteen years, and each artist/composer is proficient on an impressive and diverse selection of musical instruments that include guitars, flutes, piano and keyboards, percussion and drums, marimba, accordion, and singing bowls to name only a few. "Transmigration" starts out with “Talking Stone,” which speaks to the intention of the journey. Miriam Stockley’s vocals and Tony Levin’s bass blend with Jewer’s elbow guitar and Mitran’s piano, drums, percussion, and synths in a piece that incorporates elements of jazz, chant and world music - an intriguing beginning! “Portal” becomes more exotic and draws from several different cultures to create something unique. “First Crossing” features Jeff Pearce on guitar and is somewhat more ethereal and ambient - very smooth and relaxing! “Council Fire” is described as “a celebration of friendship and collaboration” and features Jeff Oster on flugel horn. It begins with an air of mystery, but becomes more playful and upbeat as it evolves. “Rendezvous” was co-composed by Ricky Kej and has a joyful Indian spirit that is both exciting and fun. Lisa Downing, one of my favorite pianists, co-composed and plays on “Cloudwalker,” described as “ascending to transformation, floating together” - musical magic! TC Furlong’s pedal steel gives “Red Road” a country slow-dance feeling. The title track features Vito Gregoli on guitars, sitar, charango, and dobro in a cross-cultural piece that is in turn rhythmic, lively, graceful, mystical, and more. “Unfolding Path” is the sound of a magical sunrise. “The Intention” is one of my favorites. Darker and bluesier, I really like the cool, slinky quality of this one! The very peaceful “Quiet Waters” includes Muriel Anderson on harp guitar and Sherry Finzer on alto flute. Slow and gracefully haunting, I really like this one, too! “Event Horizon” brings us to the final transformation of the journey, calm and at peace. "Transmigration" is indeed and warm and inviting “journey with friends,” presenting a varied palette of musical colors and styles. Highly recommended.

Al Jewer and Andy Mitran’s music has always been a collaborative process between the two of them, although their last album included a special guest who played on a few tracks. However on “Transmigration,” which is subtitled “a journey with friends,” they have called in the cavalry and enlisted the collaboration of 22 guest artists! I don’t know if this makes the Guiness Book of World Records, but suffice it to say, this is quite a production. I want to emphasize that throughout the album, as well as within individual tracks, Andy and Al each play an enormous number of very diverse acoustic and electronic instruments including flutes, piano, synthesizers, guitar, bass, percussion, and many more, too numerous to list in detail. Reading the liner notes, one cannot help but be impressed with their extraordinary abilities both as multi- instrumentalists and composers. The album opens with a composition entitled “Talking Stone” and features a pair of special guests that Andy and Al had wanted to work with for a long time, vocalist Miriam Stockley (Adiemus and AO Music) and bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel and King Crimson). Right from the beginning of this first track I could feel a different ambience between this album and their previous one, “Surrounding Sky.” While that one was characterized by expansive ethereal soundscapes, “Transmigration” starts out with a more earthy grounded energy that features Miriam’s gorgeous vocals drifting over a rhythmic foundation with perhaps a slight trace of Native American influence making for a powerful beginning to the album. The earthy ethnic vibe continues on the next track, “Portal,” which features Israeli bassist Adam Ben Ezra along with the multi-talented Richard Gannaway from AO Music on bouzouki. Maintaining a light rhythmic undercurrent, but with more airy overtones is “First Crossing” that features one of my favorite new age musicians, Jeff Pearce, whose shimmering textural electric guitar adds a spacious dimension to this dreamy transitional piece. And speaking of my favorite musicians, Jeff Oster with his trademark ambient flugelhorn graces a track called “Council Fire,” along with bassist Bob Lizik, on a song that “celebrates friendship and collaboration.” Two instruments I have a special affinity for are guitar and harp, and on a delicate composition called “Passage,” they are beautifully combined in the sound of Muriel Anderson who plays a unique hybrid instrument called, appropriately enough, a harp-guitar. Although I would like to describe all the incredible special guests and instruments that contributed to the sound of this album, I’ll refer people to the website for this album to read that detailed information. “Transmigration” is a tour de force recording from veteran music producers Al Jewer and Andy Mitran, which takes the listener through a myriad of sonic spaces on a richly orchestrated musical journey. Like their earlier critically-acclaimed and award winning albums, I have no doubt that “Transmigration” will certainly garner esteemed accolades as well. Andy Mitran and Al Jewer are superbly gifted, multi-talented artists whose creativity knows no bounds, and who are emerging as ones to watch in the new age and ambient music genres. To read a full-length feature article on this album, as well as others, please visit: MichaelDiamondMusic.com

Following a string of highly-acclaimed albums that emphasized a more ethno-ambient style of music, Al Jewer and Andy Mitran turn their attention towards a more world fusion sound with a celebratory sonic journey titled “Transmigration”. Featuring collaborations with twenty-two talented musicians, the compositions traverse across many musical landscapes as they meet up with familiar friends along the way. Nearly all of the tracks feature the duo’s varying ethnic percussion, flutes, keyboards and synthesizers, plus each of the contributing artists’ signature instruments, which include varying kinds of flutes, bass, guitars, brass instruments, ethnic instruments, and a light sprinkling of vocals. The album comes beautifully packaged and designed, with detailed liner notes and a photo gallery showcasing most of the artists. “Talking Stone” opens the album with the voice of Miriam Stockley, who is perhaps best known for her work with Adiemus and AOMusic. Her familiar tribal-esque vocals lend an energetic and sunny feel to the song. “First Crossing” is among the album’s more atmospheric pieces, as well as one of my favorites. The track features Jeff Pearce on electric guitar, which is beautifully complimented by marimba and subtle accordion. Other standouts include “Cloudwalker”, with Lisa Downing on piano, accompanied by native flutes and singing bowls; the glistening, nocturnal-sounding “Unfolding Path”, featuring Biff Blumfumgagne on violin; the mysterious and gently romantic “Quiet Waters”, with its delicate chimes and cymbals that are joined by Muriel Anderson on harp guitar and Sherry Finzer on alto flute; and the serene, percussion-free closing track, “Even Horizon”, featuring TC Furlong on pedal steel guitar and more violin by Biff Blumfumgagne. Other notable contributions include Jeff Oster’s flugelhorn on the more funk-driven “Council Fire”, as well as Ricky Kej on “Rendezvous”, who lends keyboards to this Indian-flavored piece, which also features vocal contributions by Karthika Lyer. While “Transmigration” varies between lively festivities and tranquil moments, the overall mood is consistent and uninterrupted by musical detours. Despite the variety of artistic contributions, I was quite impressed by how the album entirely avoids veering off into overly bombastic terrain, or sounding like a mere compilation of wildly varying styles of music. Al Jewer and Andy Mitran have once again crafted an impeccably well-done offering, carving a distinctive new path in this wondrously gifted duo’s growing body of work!