Posts Tagged ‘Harlan Mark Vale’

There is almost no improvisation in new age music today, even though the genre itself was created out of freeform jazz and Tony Scott’s legendary jam session – resulting in the groundbreaking album Music for Zen Meditation (1964). In the world of digital audio workstations (DAWs) and virtual synths, there is simply not much room for this, due to the way music is carefully constructed.

But in Harlan Mark Vale’s brand new album, The House of Many Mansions, there is plenty of space and room for improvisation. With a few mostly improvised notes, master pianist Vale fills all the rooms of the mansions with music, expression and colors. He shows that improvisation is the key to truly divine music.

I must admit that Vale’s previous solo piano effort, Bright Angel, is one of my all-time favorite titles. I make sure to always have it with me, on my iPod, living room CD-player, PDA and PCs. I love it for the way it creates a world of its own in sound while I listen to it – much like Tony Scott’s album mentioned above. This year’s release is a little warmer and brighter than…well… oddly enough (refering to the name), Bright Angel. 

It is always a good idea to listen to what an artist says about his or her album. Harlan Mark Vale says:

The House of Many Mansions was inspired by the metaphor that each ‘mansion’ is another aspect within the “dwelling places” of consciousness. These portraits of the infinite interior life are the sweet fragrances of the Divine Mystery embodied in us all.

I think it is wonderful to find an album that is so close to the artist’s intention. The opening track Doors of Surrender is like an album in itself; the 12min30sec long piece is like a walk into a dream mansion, where you go through a door and an enormous, beautifully decorated hall (in red and gold, like the cover), only to find a new door is waiting at the end of the hall. It is simply marvelous, an outstanding performance by a master at work. Since it is improvisation, that’s what it is; a performance just as much as it is a track on an album.  

Track two is the title track. It is highly melodious and positive, with a very nice, 7 minute long build-up. The best word to describe it would be “colorful”. Another simply amazing song is the enigmatically named Forgiveness – Allowing the Circling Planes to land – which is not surprisingly the most dramatic song on the album. And yes, the plane lands safely after some quite heavy turbulence.   

Harlan Mark Vale’s albums are never easy listening, and that is also the case with the House of Many Mansions. It is not background music, but demands active listening.

But it is worth it; this album has given this reviewer one of the most rewarding listening experiences ever. I find that there is this almost magical quality to Vale’s music that just captivates the listener. Even if you are not into solo piano music at all, you will experience that the House of Many Mansions is something quite different. Give it a go, and you’ll might get a glimpse of the Divine Mystery. Hearing truly IS believing.

Sample the album here. It is available in high quality FLAC or 320k mp3 (and other formats as well). Click here to visit Harlan Mark Vale’s homepage.

I think that some of the most interesting new age music is to be found in the crossing point between ambient and soundscapes, in the vast borderland referred to as space music. This music is without a doubt the most artistic music in our genre, and not even the most serious music critic can label it as “easy listening”. One such album is Harlan Mark Vale’s Eternus Conscientia. It is space music of the most distant form, with never ending soundscapes and lush ambient melodies.

When talking about space music one cannot help thinking about the sound of analogue synths of the 70s and 80s, masterly done by Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis.

This is not such an album. Eternus Conscientia rather has the high pitched glass/ice sound of modern VST synths – which is also nice, but more sterile (but so is space, one can argue). Like Vale’s previous albums, this one is also heavily improvised.

In this setting improvisation is a very nice effect, making it more alive, in a contrast to most sequenced space music albums that have the precision of modern computers.   

The album has six tracks with beautiful, otherworldly sounding names – like Ingressus Counstituo Prodigium and Valens Laetor; unique titles for sure. There are no real melodies here, but plenty of melodic segments that come and go. The key word here is atmosphere. Most of the tracks have a pleasant, warm sound – while other are more icy. My favorite track is Appareo Ex Informis, which has that larger-than-life feel of Vangelis’ music.

The only thing that is missing, is that you don’t get a feel of just how great a pianist and keyboardist mr. Vale is (like you get on his piano albums). But the arrangement is tasteful and professional in all respects. The sound quality is, as expected, very good.

Eternus Conscientia is a must-have album for the space music enthusiast – or anyone who is tired of waiting for space tourism. This is your ticket while here on Earth! Eternus Conscientia is as beautiful as it is vast, and offers almost endless replay possibilities.

Sample the album on Amazon.

But don’t get me wrong; Bright Angel is not an easy album. It demands attention. There is a lot of improvisation in Harlan Mark Vale’s piano works, and you have to tune your ears to it. This is not background music. But when you take the time to listen – to explore the world of the angels – you are rewarded.

The title track, Bright Angel, is the perfect introduction to Vale’s style. The first sharp tones grip your attention at once. For the first 4 minutes you can hear and feel the improvisation; it is like a river of sound. I guess this is where a few listeners will quit, because of the lack of melody and consistency. But if you close your eyes and let your subconsciousness do the work, you will see that this is not random notes. Suddenly more and more elements of a melody emerge. And when it does, your mind reacts. The intertwining melodies on this first track are truly beautiful, and the piano sounds divine; the last 3 minutes are tones from heaven itself.

Track number two is called Buddha Temple. The first seven minutes are gentle and you can hear some Asian influences in the use of sharp and flat notes. For me it is like seeing the Buddha Temple manifest itself out of a fog. The structure is built by 4 minutes of powerful melodic elements. The piano is beautifully played, and definitely shows how talented Harlan Mark Vale is. The ending is quiet. Suddenly the Buddha Temple disappears into the fog it came from.

World of Good is track number 3. The atmosphere is positive and light from beginning to end, so it is easy to understand why it has such a name. Most of the song is played in a gentle way, but some parts in the middle are more powerful. The song ends with a pleasant shower of tones. Warm and uplifting at the same time.

Decisions & Fate is a dramatic song. Some elements are dark, other lighter. Here is room for the feelings of both defeat and greatness. It is interesting to hear how fast Vale can change from one theme to the next.

Track number 5, The White Phase, is like a winter day. You can almost see the falling snow and feel the cold on your skin. But it not a dark song; it has a positive vibe. After all, winter is only sleep and not death. Soon spring will come knocking on the door. This is what I feel this song is communicating.

The last part of the album is the Intuition Suite. It is divided into three songs; Delivered Fresh From Eternity, Touched By Infinite Possibility and Manifestations of the Heart. Here Harlan Mark Vale goes much deeper into his artistic project. The three tracks have the same form; an intro with improvisation, and then beautiful melodic elements. There is a weightless feeling here, which make them perfect for meditation and relaxation. I just have to point out the great sounding names on these tracks. They are very poetical, don’t you agree?

The quality of the recording is very good. You can hear that it is not a studio recording. But I think that this gives the album a more authentic feeling. After all, piano music is live music.

Bright Angel is not uncomplicated or easy. But at the same time it is perhaps the most relaxing music I have ever heard. When you buy this album, you are not only getting beautiful music – you are also getting an instant meditation kit; press play and your mind takes off. Since large parts of the songs are improvisation, the replay possibilities are almost endless. You don’t get tired of these songs easily – and when you are finished listening, you know that you have been touched by an angel.