Medicine Wheel

Track Listings

1. Native Sunrise: Sunrise Vision

2. Native Sunrise: Hey Ney Yana

3. Native Sunrise: In Sunrise I Walk (Shundiin)

4. Native Sunrise: Neesa Neesa (Winter Moon)

5. Native Sunrise: Kiowa Round Dance

6. Native Sunrise: Woa Woa

7. Song of Chief Seattle

8. What Is Lost

9. Buffalo Entrance Song

10. Medicine Wheel

Medicine Wheel,Robert Gass,Spring Hill,Ambient,Choral,Neo-Classical,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Spiritual

Medicine Wheel

Tracks:

Respiration
Buzz
Green Al
Mauritania
Erato
R&B Fantasy
Across the Universe

Customer Reviews:

First exposure to Ben grabbed my attention ..........2005-06-07

Amazing -- a bassist leading a session without a single solo. A great mix without four contact mics attached to the big fiddle. This guy gets a major "bravo" just for that.
Allison still puts himself out front, but only in the best possible way: with his fabulous compositions! Made me think of Charles Mingus a couple of times as I listened. Great stuff, and truly progressive without getting into obnoxious dissonance or "free jazz." That, friends, takes some talent.
Any drawbacks? Well, the playing time won't blow you away; but personally, I'd rather have quality than quantity.
I've withdrawn a full star, however, for the clunking anti-climax to this great recording; it's a real letdown of an attempt (apparently) to find some high artistic merit in "Across the Universe." Why do even the most ingenious musicians wreck their own work by indulging some Beatles fixation? I've never understood why so many people cling to this ancient junk.
Oh well, If I were putting out the kind of killer music Allison is, I suppose I'd expect an occasional indulgence myself, so big props to the guy and his whole band.

Composer of new jazz.......2005-03-06

I first heard about Ben Allison from Amazon. I had a chance to see the group at Birdland while I was in town last year. The musicians and performance were great, but that was only part of it. The real story was the construction of the pieces. Ben Allison is one of the most inventive composers on the scene today. The structures of these tunes are original and eternal. My wife the classical scholar says it is chamber jazz/ Bach, but that to me suggests more sedate music. If comparisons can be made, I agree with the earlier reviewer that there is something of Radiohead as Brad Mehldau plays them. The potential of jazz is boundless. The players are incomparably talented, and there are no limits to the ideas and idioms they can express. Some of the other great players of today have brought the music forward with their own contributions, Danilo Perez with his melodies and rhythms from Panama and the Caribbean, Joshua Redman with his inventive blues progressions and dynamic compositions, Roy Hargrove with the amalgam of hip-hop and gospel with fusion, Pat Metheny with his soundscapes, Walt Weiskopf with his arrangements of 12 piece ensembles. Ben Allison and his New York Jazz Composers Collective peers are creating compelling accessible music. I have great love and enthusiasm for all of his albums; Buzz the most recent is a good place to begin.

They Are At It Again.......2004-06-16

I have vey little to add to the other reviewers excellent remarks BUT as a listener to the Jazz Composers Collective for about 10 years I encourage you if you enjoyed this challenging yet accessible music to explore other excellent "partnerships" under their individual names.Anything by Ben Allison is great but check out Peace Pipe.Ted Nash' latest Still Evolved is excellent and includes Wynton in a cameo.Michael Blake's Drift is his best and Frank's Kimbrough Quickening is excellent piano trio stuff. Another of of their "clan" is Matt Wilson who released an inventive quartet cd Humidity last year.Lastly they put out theier masterpiece in my opinion with The Herbie Nichols Project[the best] Finally please SUPPORT these guys they ARE modern jazz.No cliches.Just taking chances creatively.

Accessible but forward thinking ..........2004-06-14

Buzz opens with an electric piano riff that wouldn't sound out of place on either a Radiohead or Brad Mehldau record. No coincidence that Mehldau's piano trio covers Radiohead tunes frequently then, is it? This is modern jazz, albeit jazz more often influenced by its pop contemporaries than it is constrained by bygone traditions.

A plethora of styles abound on bassist and leader Ben Allison's new album. There are up-tempo cookers, sumptuous ballads and world music fusions, but they never drift into the sort of eclectic genre hoping that ruins many a similar effort. Allison's writing is very distinct and that comes across very strongly in these pieces. Playing music that is both beautiful and intense is not easy, yet for this ensemble it almost seems like second nature.

A key point can be made with the closing track, a cover of the Beatles tune Across the Universe. Allison has gone and converted this familiar tune into a fuge. The melody is stated by the horns, accompanied by the rhythm section and repeated, with minor melodic variations, over and over again. Does this make it jazz? Or is it some sort of classical hybrid? Or is it instrumental rock? It doesn't matter, it's simply gorgeous. It is one of the few Beatles covers performed by a jazz ensemble I've ever wanted to hear more than once. And that is a rare treat indeed.

Thanks Ben, for the Buzz you created........2004-06-10

Beautiful music from Medicine Wheel featuring innovative and sophisticated compositions by Ben Allison, artistic director of Jazz Composers Collective. These guys are definitely at the peak of their career, producing better and better music with every new release. "Buzz" as an album is totally approachable, yet intriguingly detailed and masterfully crafted. All the solos are smart, musical, not self-centered and they blend perfectly into the arrangements. (I wouldn't mind some more from Michael Blake though, I think his solo in "Peace Pipe" from Allison's previous album is one of the best pieces of improvised music I have ever heard)

The more I listen to Ben Allison's music, the more I think of Charles Mingus. Well, he is a very advanced bass player with sharp composition skills, so the resemblance is obvious. But there is also a textural similarity, the occasional two tenors and especially the recent addition of trombone in the ensemble plus the contrasting dark and light nature of the tunes keeps reminding me of "Ah Um", one of my favorite albums. So if you like that period of Mingus then you will most probably like this album.

Tracks:

Sunrise Vision
Hey Ney Yana
In Sunrise I Walk
Neesa Neesa
Kiowa Round Dance
Woa Woa
Song Of Chief Seattle
What Is Lost
Buffalo Entrance Song
Medicine Wheel

Customer Reviews:

Moving and relaxing.......2000-06-20

My favorite track on this CD is "Song of Chief Seattle", in which Robert Gass put Chief Seattle's famous speech to music, performed beautifully by On Wings of Song. I applaud his efforts of trying to stay true to what Chief Seattle really said. I remember the first time music made me cry... I was in elementary school and the teacher had us sing a song we'd never heard before. The words I can remember were "Up on a mountain high, wounded eagle wants to die. He was free... when they let him be. In a land without a friend, will there be an empty sky, where the eagle used to fly, in the wind?" At the end of the song, not a single 5th grader, male or female, was dry eyed. The teacher simply turned off the music, looked over us, and said quietly, "That is what happens when you mix words with music." It wasn't until recently I realized just how powerful chant and music can be. Robert Gass captures that power. Whether you listen for spiritual reasons or just for the beauty of the sound, Medicine Wheel is a beautiful album, and more than one song will touch you deeply. My second favorite, or perhaps vying for first place, is "Woa Woa", the song of a male wolf calling, and the she-wolf's answer. I love this album.

Average customer rating:

Sounds to delight and intrigue, plus music that swings
This Is What The Future Sounds Like

Medicine Wheel
Ben Allison
Manufacturer: Palmetto Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Third Eye
Riding the Nuclear Tiger
Peace Pipe
Buzz
Cowboy Justice

ASIN: B000006BG7
Release Date: 1998-04-07

Tracks:

Spy
Mousetrap
Buzz
Apostles Of The Ugly
Blabbermouth
Spy (Detail)
Quirky Dungeon
Tiny C

Customer Reviews:

Sounds to delight and intrigue, plus music that swings.......2001-06-11

Very early on in this music my ears became sensitized to the range of sounds being made by these seven musicians. In particular it was the rhythm instruments that dominated, cello, bass, drums and piano. Whether it was hints of Indonesian, Indian, or Middle Eastern, the music still sounded of a piece, never fragmented or eclectic. Echoes, as behind the bass solo on track two, are created by a bowed piano. Multi-phonics on the saxophone are reminiscent of John Coltrane's Harmonique. Intriguing city sounds on Buzz remind one of Bud Powell's Parisienne Thoroughfare and Duke Ellington's colouring. In other words this is music very much in the tradition, but original and exciting enough to warrant many listenings. I've had this CD for some time now and though it may not create a great impact on you on first hearing, it is music that you will return to time and again. It has the "sound of surpise". Some highlights by the horns include Ted Nash's sax solo on Buzz. Mr Horton's trumpet solo on Apostle of the Ugly is thoughtful, well structured, passionate and full of clarity. All the compositions and arrangements are by the leader and bassist Mr Ben Allison. It is a very well programmed and well thought out hour of music. For some really deep grooving swing, dig the last track, Tiny C. All the musicians are at the top of their game and really do justice to the writing. Beautifully recorded with the bass not too forward with excellent balance between the instruments. Well worth acquiring.

This Is What The Future Sounds Like.......2000-04-27

This album is quite possibly the best example of 1990s post-avant-garde-jazz. It breaks down the boundaries between the orthodoxies of the uptown neo-traditionalists and the downtown free jazzers in a completely un-selfconscious fashion, moving comfortably from funky bass motifs to howls and squeaks to Basie-inflected brass riffs. In fact, sax man Ted Nash plays with Wynton Marsalis _and_ Allison, and Marsalis and Eric Reed have guested with Allison's Jazz Composers Collective. Allison and friends know the tradition inside and out, and they know it includes a spirit of invention and fun.

Average customer rating:

...the future of jazz
One of the best jazz albums of the 1990s

Third Eye
Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel
Manufacturer: Palmetto Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Medicine Wheel
Riding the Nuclear Tiger
Peace Pipe
Buzz
Cowboy Justice

ASIN: B00000J89L
Release Date: 1999-06-01

Tracks:

Four Folk Songs
Love Is Proximity
Kush
Random Sex And Violins
Mantra
A Life In The Day Of Man Ray
Andrew
Hot Head
Pot Head

Amazon.com

Bassist Ben Allison is one of a few jazzers who has successfully reinvigorated interest in long-gone bop-era enigma Herbie Nichols. His playful mix of catchy melodies and structure-testing excursions makes him good company for Nichols, and here Allison presents a great sextet of musicians who share his fondness for the wavy line separating "inside" postbop melodies and solos and the more "outside" elements of expressive soloing, hidden harmonies, and high-energy execution. The combination of saxophonist Michael Blake and Ted Nash's horns with Tomas Ulrich's cello and Allison's bass makes for great chatter, with the horns dancing through each other as the strings lay down a grain--or go spastic--in proportion to the overall mood. Third Eye starts coolly enough, with a Lounge Lizards-ish set of "Four Folk Songs." But then the band's off, galloping and halting and pouncing through tunes that have all the architecture of the post-Wayne Shorter melodicists and all the abandon of players schooled equally in the import of intricate composition and maximal expression. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

...the future of jazz.......2000-04-16

Ben Allison is unique and dynamic musician. His compositional concept is fully developed on this disk. His melodies are substantial, though untraditional. This music does not really sound "outside" at all. But it encompasses a world of musical styles. Its individuality lies in that it is coherent (despite its eclecticism)and sincere (despite its novelty). This could be be owing to the amazing group of musicians on the record. These are not "session" players--this is a band. Which is something modern jazz is lacking. These guys have played together for years, and have developed a real sound, which does not come only from Allison, himself. Ben is the master of the bass ostinato, but usually with a twist, whether an odd time signature or an unorthodox playing technique. (I swear he's hitting the strings with a drum stick on "Mantra.") Frank Kimbrough is a genius, and a real "color" player. You might have to hear him play to know what I mean. I love his left hand in particular. Ted Nash plays like no one else. He seems to be an "open channel," so fluent is his improvisation. Nash's playing, like Allison's, is never what one would expect, but it always makes sense. Nash understands that the energy of creation is not always pretty, but uses dissonance and ambience masterfully. Ulrich is tastefully sparse on the cello. Jeff Ballard's dynamism and musical sensibility are perfect; he always serves the tune. If there is a weak link in this band, it is trumpeter Horton, who--while his playing is enjoyable--doesn't seem to be on the same page as the rest of the band. As hackneyed as the phrase has become, Ben Allison has something to say. And it is well worth listening to.

One of the best jazz albums of the 1990s.......1999-12-22

This is a great album--the compositions are interesting and appealing, the playing is inspired. It is enjoyable listening even as it pulls no punches and goes "outside" from time to time. This is the type of album that takes the listener on a journey, which is what albums used to be like.

Average customer rating:

Superhits: 1973
Dobie Gray , Tony Orlando and Dawn , Todd Rundgren , Maureen McGovern , Stealers Wheel , Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show , B.W. Stevenson , Skylark , Art Garfunkel , and Helen Reddy
Manufacturer: Time Life Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000SXFWNO

Product Description

Song list: 1. Helen Reddy: Delta Dawn 2. Jim Croce: Bad, Bad Leroy Brown 3. Tony Orlando and Dawn: Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree 4. Three Dog Night: Shambala 5. Dobie Gray: Drift Away 6. Al Green Call Me (Come Back Home) 7. James Taylor: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight 8. Aretha Franklin: Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) 9. Carly Simon: You're So Vain 10. Todd Rundgren: Hello It's Me 11. Maureen McGovern: The Morning After 12. The Four Tops: Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got) 13. Stealers Wheel: Stuck In The Middle With You 14. The Spinners: Could It Be I'm Falling In Love 15. Gladys Knight and the Pips: Midnight Train to Georgia 16. Seals and Crofts: Diamond Girl 17. Diana Ross: Touch Me In The Morning 18. Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: The Cover of "Rolling Stone" 19. B.W. Stevenson: My Maria 20. Skylark: Wildflower and 21. Art Garfunkel: All I Know.

Average customer rating:

No Day Like Today
Luke O'Shea , and Medicine Wheel
Manufacturer: ABC
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00006RY2K

Tracks:

No Day Like Today
Jigsaw
Telephone Lines
Little Bit More
9 Out Of 10
Will Heaven Understand
Bourbon Coloured Sky
Rocking Chair
Clear Blue Day
Cigarettes For Sale
Wild Pony
Standing In The Rain

Album Details

Australian Country Artist with a Gritty and Funky Twist on Contemporary Country Music.

Average customer rating:

Fractured at Eden

Manufacturer: Medicine Wheel Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000IF9IE6

Product Description

14 tracks

Average customer rating:

Medicine Wheel
Dubrovniks
Manufacturer: Moabi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00000AUQ4
Release Date: 1996-09-01

Average customer rating:

Fantastic Music...A Great Christmas Gift

Medicine Wheel

Manufacturer: Strip-Ed Ape
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

International Folk | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000075BFB
Release Date: 2002-05-03

Tracks:

Medicine Wheel
Kiss the Sky
Gateway
The Girl From Ipanema Gets a Haircut
A Tale of Two Souls
Grandfather's Tears
Rush Hour Waterfall
Ayrton
All In The Gang
The Song That Jack Wrote
Pieces Of The Heart
One Of These Days Wabbit

Album Description

Derek Mortland's "Medicine Wheel" is a great, soothing, and exhilarating piece of work. All the songs have a certain vibration that connect to the heart and soul. Mr. Mortland's compositions showcase the experiences of one person and every person. In a swirling groove of 12-string acoustic guitar rhythm and intricacy, Derek leads listeners along a path to reflection, introspection, and heartfelt discovery. The sounds of life have never resonated so true.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Music...A Great Christmas Gift.......2002-11-15

Derek Mortland's "Medicine Wheel" CD is, through and through, a true work of creativity. Thing is, Derek's musical talent really makes you think in a good way about all that life holds.

Derek has explained that with his tunings, some strings are tuned to harmony, which enables him to play more notes at the same time. This adds to a full and crisp sound you won't want to miss.

Treat yourself to Derek's music. Or, treat your friends to his wonderful gift for touching the clouds, your thoughts and your heart -- all at the same time -- with his remarkable acoustic talent.

Cherish the Children for They are Sacred - Songs & Teachings for Children by Travis Harden & The Feather Necklace Singers
Average customer rating:
Cherish the Children for They are Sacred - Songs & Teachings for Children by Travis Harden & The Feather Necklace Singers
Travis Harden & The Feather Necklace Singers
Manufacturer: Medicine Wheel Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000R2ZKBA