New Age Instrumental Review: Dyan Garris-Orenda: Breath Of Angels

Release Date: April 23, 2021

Label: Journeymakers, Inc

Website

Dyan Garris is set to release her fourteenth proper album titled Orenda: Breath Of Angels.

Looking at the title, the first thing I needed to do was endeavor to find what Orenda was. Fortunately, that was provided by the artist.

From the Urban Dictionary:  Orenda is "a supernatural, divine force within every human being. Always omnipresent, it empowers people to change the world in a positive, loving way. It is also the energy that effects change in one's own life.”

From Wikipedia:  Orenda /ˈɔːrɛndə/ is the Iroquois name for a supposed spiritual energy inherent in people and their environment. It's an "extraordinary invisible power believed by the Iroquois Native Americans to pervade in varying degrees in all animate and inanimate natural objects as a transmissible spiritual energy capable of being exerted according to the will of its possessor."

Now I am off to a good start on this audio journey. The cover image projects exactly what it needs to. It’s soft and very spiritual and angelic of course. If you look at both interpretations of Orenda there are similar meanings, however what I think Dyan is projecting through her music is peace, serenity, love, hope, and ultimately a meditative and healing experience listening to her music. If that force is present then all of those things can happen.

If you are part of the new age community and are into this genre of music, Dyan is not hard to find. Besides being a fine musician that enlightens her listeners, she writes reviews regularly for her contemporaries on Zone Music Reporter, and most recently launched her radio station called New Age Notes. So, to say the least, she is multi-talented and offers so much to others. She is one of our gifts that all of the music community can thank the heavens for.

I had previously covered two of her singles “Every Time You Breathe” and “Forest Whispers.” I completely enjoyed that experience. Now I had the opportunity to settle in and take an entire album in. Dyan allows us to get outside ourselves, and become willing to remove the thoughts and distractions of the day, and focus on the beautiful music she provides on Orenda: Breath Of Angels.

The primary instrument from which each composition is created then performed is her keyboards. For those of you that want to be informed of what equipment she used to record, there are three configurations of keyboards including the Korg Triton Extreme, Korg Krome EX, and Yamaha MOX8. In addition to all the amazing sounds, you will hear the very popular in demand Rebak Eden, who provides the ethereal wordless vocals to give it that special heavenly touch.

What is there not to like on Orenda: Breath Of Angels? The answer is nothing. All ten tracks were wonderful and gave me such solace and regeneration of my mind, body, and spirit, that it was over before I knew it. That is a good thing from my viewpoint, if the music is good then it goes by fast. The sounds while electronically generated, are amazing, to say the least. The combination of all the keyboards and additional instruments makes for a classic contemporary new age music album that will be a joy to hear. It is, as I always say, a great healing tool and will help you get into a meditative state. If you seek relaxation, meditation, either deep alpha or minimal to focus, it works.

If you are ready to take flight on the wings of an angel, then Orenda: Breath Of Angels will make a path of restoration that you will want to visit more than once.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder
April 19, 2021

Tracks:
01. Every Time You Breathe (3:34) (feat. Juliet Lyons, VOX and Sherry Finzer, flute
02. Another Place (3:32)
03. Forest Whispers (5:20) (feat. Sherry Finzer, flute)
04. Orenda (2:59)
05. Moonlight Breeze (6:30)
06. Gentle Traveler (5:05) (feat. Rebekah Eden, VOX and Tony Garviz, guitars)
07. Water For The Soul (Remix) 2:56)
08. Timeless Traveler (6:21) (feat. Rebekah Eden, VOX and Sherry Finzer, flute)
09. Home (Remix) (5:19) (feat. String arrangements by Louis Anthony deLise
10. 5th Eye Trance (5:27) (feat. Rebekah Eden, VOX)

Total run time: 47:23

All music written and performed by Dyan Garris

Classical Instrumental Piano Review: Charles David Denler-Portraits In Season Live

Release Date: April, 9, 2021

Label: Independent

Website

My love for music goes back to when I was a child. It has been an exponential growth since then to the present day. My listening is broad and continually evolving. In the context of evolution, Charles David Denler has shaped and molded a previous version of Portraits In Season, virtually released as a synth instrumental suite which premiered on November 30, 2015, with the Boulder Philharmonic. The latest release that came out this month is Portraits In Season Live. Charles plays acoustic piano and is accompanied by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

The end result is absolutely stunning. When I hear music like this, I hear the “truth.” To illustrate that further…I hear how all music was founded, via the great concertos and genius of Bach et all. Although it all started hundreds of years ago and even though it has evolved immensely, musicians continually reach back to the essence of that music to become inspired either reproducing it in their own image and creating it with their own personal stamp or taking their own creations and building on them as Charles has with this new release.

I imagine the synth version would have been enjoyable as well. Even though I do not have that to compare to this newer version, my appreciation is beyond words (which I am never short of when it comes to music). The one factor that came as a surprise was the length of these tracks. I believe the simplicity of the acoustic piano as a lead instrument and the embellishments of a live orchestra changes everything. With that in mind, your expectations may be a bit beyond the process here and what was intended for a listening audience. And while this recording moves along quickly from piece to piece, my appreciation and wanting to hear more was magnified. This could have easily morphed into a magnum opus and a lot of improvisation. That was held in check and what you get is the absolute beauty of the piano and a magnificent orchestra to make each track a thing of art to be admired.

As one track was flowing into the next, it did feel like a suite in two parts as presented. It is similar to opening a book and reading through each chapter. The difference was the embodiment of an aural escape rather than a cerebral journey through the reading of pages. One can become detached in many ways through the sound of music. For myself, I felt an overflowing of gratitude and a reverence for all music and from whence it came. Individual perception is the freedom of music and you choose what path to take upon listening.

The theme of nature is always a celebration of our connection to mother earth and all its inhabitants. I get this from much of the music I hear and actually do not think we hear it enough. As a civilization that looks bound to destroy the beauty and bounty of our planet, we need the calmness and inward thoughts that music can engage and help us to realize. While this sounds philosophical and as a belief system, and it is, I look at it for what it represents, the reality that needs our attention before it's too late.

Portraits In Season Live is an elegant representation of all the things that are quintessential to the human spirit and life itself. This is music unencumbered by computers and technology, a presentation that is live and spontaneous, and subject matter that we all should hold dear to our hearts for our continued existence here on the globe. I would like to thank Charles David Denler for such an engaging recording and triggering all of my thoughts and feelings on how connected we all are to our planet and the music that can sing us a song without words, the truth.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

April 17, 2021

 

Tracks:

 

SIDE ONE: Portraits In Season Suite for Piano & Orchestra:

I. Season's Overture II. Return of Spring III. Woodland Flowers of June
IV. Mid-Summer's Intermezzo V. Autumn's Last Leaf VI. A Winter's Memory
VII. Season's Finale

SIDE TWO: Seasonal Variations for Solo Piano:

Spring Variation: Spring Meadows • Summer Variation: The Water Garden
Autumn Variation: Leaf on the Wind • Winter Variation: Winter’s Repos