Stone Cold Water

Track Listings

1. Seagulls Over Niagara Falls

2. Dusk at the Badlands

3. Hunting at Dawn [Canyon Sketches - Ancient Ones 1]

4. Dream [Canyon Sketches - Ancient Ones 2]

5. Cooking Fires [Canyon Sketches - Ancient Ones 3]

6. Full of Life [the Florida Everglades]

7. Gambler [las Vegas]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's hard to imagine that a work like this could exist. It is part Chinese classical opera, part Aaron Copeland's American landscape, and not just a little bit like the best of Walt Disney's epic soundtracks. Zhang Ying was an acknowledged master flautist and composer in China. He now lives in Minneapolis. This set of seven independent works are his interpretations of the American landscape he has seen in his travels--the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Florida Everglades, and even the urban landscape of Las Vegas. The works are performed by an unusual orchestra, a chorus, keyboards, and recorded sounds, with Zhang Ying soloing on various ancient Chinese flutes on most tracks. The pieces run from the ethereal "Cooking Fires," performed on flutes and cooking utensils, to the strangely clichéd yet totally captivating "Seagulls over Niagara." Most graphic is "Gambler," with its cartoonish portrayal of the city of Las Vegas creating a vivid and perfect image of the city of neon through the eyes of a Chinese visitor. Throughout this work, the composer and performers exhibit that most essential gift, an ability to display serious and complex music with passion and not just a little humor. --Louis Gibson

Tracks:

Cold Water Dry Stone: The Cold Water Of Himara
Cold Water Dry Stone: The Road To Gjirokaster
Cold Water Dry Stone: The Dry Stones Of Dukat
Three Tannahill Songs: The Poor Bowlman's Remonstrance
Three Tannahill Songs: Fill, Fill The Merry Bowl
Three Tannahill Songs:Now Winter, Wi' His Cloudy Brow
Crossroads Songs: Nightwaking/Distant Past
Crossroads Songs: Simple Songs/Hymn
The Fire Hose Reel
Come Down Heavy!: Steel Drivin' Man
Come Down Heavy!: I Gave My Love A Cherry
Come Down Heavy!: Oh Lovely Appearance Of Death
Come Down Heavy!: Drill Ye Tarriers

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant!!.......2002-08-20

The 21st century has hope! Evan Chambers takes the last 70 years of aimless wandering experimentation and crafts it into a language worth hearing.. a language that now truly communicates.

Evan Chambers is truly a master composer.......2002-02-17

I feel touched on a deeper level each time I listen to these pieces. Layer upon layer of cascading rhythms, melodic sighs and wails, and highly structured pieces which still manage to sound improvisational and constantly surprise -- these communicate to me even without the deeply metaphorical context Chambers lays behind each piece.
These works evoke the grit, messiness, the physical effort, and the simple beauty of musicians playing their hearts out, and elevates that sound to the highest level of "classical" music.
Evan Chambers is truly a master composer and the ensemble Quorum performs brilliantly and with unparalleled raw virtuosity. "Fire Hose Reel," is an amazing showcase of the fiddle and the piano.
I hope to hear more soon!

Stunning Music, World Class Artistry.......2001-01-19

This ensemble that calls itself Quorum represents an amazing collection of world class players. Jennifer Goltz has a lovely singing voice, and the work written for her is gentle and poignant. Evan Chambers explores the world of traditional music, in which he was raised, and places it within a blurred realm of concert art music and folk tradition. Clearly music intended to be played by virtuoso concert artists, the music can be listened to on multiple levels and by a widespread audience. The imagery of each work is breathtaking, and Chambers' soundworld is like non I have heard before. The last work Come Down Heavy! is a stunning showpiece and provides a chamber work for alto saxophone, violin and piano that classical music dare not ignore. Buy this disc, you will not regret it!

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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Your Daughters and Your Sons

1. Seagulls Over Niagara Falls
2. Dusk at the Badlands
3. Hunting at Dawn [Canyon Sketches - Ancient Ones 1]
4. Dream [Canyon Sketches - Ancient Ones 2]
5. Cooking Fires [Canyon Sketches - Ancient Ones 3]
6. Full of Life [the Florida Everglades]
7. Gambler [las Vegas]