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The desert Southwest has been the source of more musical inspiration than just about anywhere else in the U.S., and Nicholas Gunn has been trekking through its surreal landscapes since his 1993 debut. He is one of the few flautists to evoke the Southwest without resorting to Native American flute. Instead, he relies mostly on a silver concert flute for most of his lush, often tribally rhythmic evocations. Beyond Grand Canyon is of a piece with all the albums he's released over the last decade or so, many of which have "Grand Canyon" somewhere in their titles. Favoring romantic harmonies and arrangements that border on Yanni 's terrain, Beyond Grand Canyon is on the lighter side of Gunn's oeuvre: often tending toward the sentimental, when a darker, more evocative touch might serve him better. Gunn plays flutes, stacks his voice in earthy, vaguely Native American-meets-Gothic choirs, and plays keyboards and percussion throughout the disc, accompanied sparingly by violinists (including Karen Briggs) and guitarists (including Johannes Linstead). Despite the Southwestern scenario, there's a surprising Celtic flavor to many of these tracks, including the title piece and "The Boneyard." And when it's not Celtic, Gunn brings a Latin and flamenco feel. On the companion DVD, the album tracks accompany a slickly produced slide show of Michael Fatali's color-saturated, painterly photographs, a vibrant, hyper-real Yang to Ansel Adams's stark and austere Yin. --John Diliberto
Review
"A great addition to any home theater." -- Gemini Sun Records
"A must have for all who appreciate music and art!" -- Gemini Sun Records
From the Artist
Share with us a vision of purpose! Nicholas Gunn and Michael Fatali along with Gemini Sun Records and The Fatali Foundation each donate a portion of their proceeds from the sale of this CD/DVD and Michael Fatali art/prints to the Grand Canyon Association and other organizations that promote awareness and preservation of the natural world and its' powerful healing energies.
About the Artist
NICHOLAS GUNN - Classically trained, and with a reputation as one of the worlds best selling flutists, Nicholas Gunn is in the upper echelon of contemporary instrumentalists. Having sold nearly two million albums, making him a double Platinum artist! On his recordings, Gunn, who handles the arrangements and production, performs primarily on the concert classical C flute, but also plays bamboo flutes, wooden and tin whistles, synthesizers and a wide variety of drums and percussion instruments (and he occasionally adds background singing and chanting). But he also brings in special guest musicians which have included Yanni violinist Karen Briggs, cellist Sachi McHenry Patitucci, acoustic guitarist Zavier and various vocalists including Holland Zander, Casandra Sheard, Robert Miano, Peter Marmentini, and Navajo Razor Saltboy. Having been born in England, Nicholas studied at Great Britains prestigious Royal School of Music. In the early Nineties, Gunns debut recording Afternoon in Sedona, was released and was a best-seller at national retail chains such as Natural Wonders and the Nature Company. Nicholas subsequent albums each became a bestseller and went straight to the Billboard New Age charts, where they maintained success. The Music of the Grand Canyon was on the Billboard New Age charts for 32 weeks. In addition, Nicholas music has been featured on more than 20 compilation albums and has served as high-fidelity demo music for the speaker company Bose Audio. The series of National Park recordings, including his latest "Beyond Grand Canyon," in which Nicholas celebrates our nations protected nature reserves, has also enabled Nicholas to engage in another project, to assist in the preservation of the natural wilderness that has always served to inspire him. Nicholas donates back a portion of the proceeds from each album to help protect and preserve these National treasures. "I want my music to accomplish several things," Gunn explains. "I want the music to stand on its own as an enjoyable experience with memorable melodies and arrangements. I believe that it captures the feeling and spirit that inspired it. I am happy to donate part of the proceeds from some of my albums toward worthy causes, but really it is the fans that are buying my albums that are personally contributing."
MICHAEL FATALI - "Over the years, I have learned to use my creative voice for the gospel of nature and the universal energy of her love and beauty." The first introduction to his love affair with the outdoors began with many hiking and camping trips with his father during Fatali's childhood. Michael Fatali lost his mother to cancer when he was 14 years of age. He sought solace and comfort during many treks in the desert of the Southwest. This developed his heightened awareness and reverance for God's creation and what shaped his life mission as a voice for the gospel of nature. This healing voice allows the viewer to slip into the grace and beauty captured through his renderings of light, untouched by computers, color filters, or alterations other than the lens of his mind's eye. He soon formed The Fatali Foundation to heighten appreciation and awareness of the healing powers from the spirit of creation and the mystery of our eternal connection with it. The images of Fatali are donated throughout the world to charities and to patients receiving end of life care, as well as those who are on a journey of healing. After Fatali's artistry was dicovered, many publications and television featured stories quickly gained him both regional and international recognition as one of the world's top landscape photographers. His sensitive eye for spirit and light has become his own unique photographic voice in the world of photography and filmmaking. You are invited to visit and experience a personal tour of his breathtaking original photographs at one of The Fatali Gallery locations: Henderson, Nevada and Springdale, Utah.
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Product Dimensions : 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 inches; 4.19 ounces
- Manufacturer : GEMINI SUN RECORDS/RYKO
- Date First Available : February 10, 2007
- Label : GEMINI SUN RECORDS/RYKO
- Number of discs : 2
