14-11-2023, 18:41
^I'm looking for the ones that aren't just sonic wallpaper - there's a lot of that about and maybe that is why our next artist feels the way he does about the New Age label.
It is someone with whom I am familiar and rather than reinventing the wheel, I have been very lazy and copied my post from the BOTD thread - it will be his birthday on the 16th of November.
"William Ackerman was born on this day in 1949, in Palo Alto, California. He is a composer and guitarist with around fifteen albums to his credit and was the co-founder of Windham Hill Records (along with his then girlfriend, Anne Robinson), an independent label specializing in acoustic instrumental music. This seems to have been something that happened to him purely as a result of his passion for what he was doing, and was not planned at all; it began with a group of friends clubbing together to finance him and persuading him to put an album together, and therein lies a universal truth which is played out time and time again.
He does not like the “New Age” moniker and has been known to threaten physical assault on those who suggest that that is what he does - in jest, I suspect, especially since he won a Grammy in that category for his Returning: Pieces for Guitar 1970 - 2004, although I am inclined to agree with him to some degree; just because something is gentle, acoustic and melodic, it shouldn’t necessarily be defined as New Age! Don’t we just love labels?!! Can’t understand things otherwise.
He was responsible for discovering Michael Hedges and himself adopts very similar timings in his own work. I know, that when I find something with the Windham Hill label, it’s probably going to be worth listening to. Look out for it, anyone who might be interested it’s quite distinctive. The label was bought out by Sony Music Entertainment in the early 90’s and now falls under their Legacy Recordings sector, no new music being released.
![[Image: 180px-Windham1985logo.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Windham1985logo.jpg/180px-Windham1985logo.jpg)
Will, as he is known, is still producing music, now as the proprietor of Imaginary Road Studios, all of which seems to be going along swimmingly."
Today, I have listened to his Imaginary Roads album, and who should be playing on one of the tracks that made my ears prick up? None other than Mr Aaberg … there’s going to be an intertwined New Age genealogy I can tell! Ackerman is essentially a guitarist but there are other instruments here too including violin (courtesy of one Charlie Bisharat - noteworthy, I'd say), fretless bass, oboe, shakuhachi, lyricon and some synths - piano too obvs - considering Philip Aaberg's presence. It was a bit of a slow burn to begin with, but became progressively more enjoyable. I'd listen again - there's a lot to like, IMHO. On the list.
"Floyd's Ghost"
"The Prospect Of Darrow's Barn And The Blossoms Of An Apple Spring On Imaginary Road" to give it its full title! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWlpffEE8SA ... and
"Brother A Teaches 7" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuDAOozKCrI
"Innocent Moon" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MFax6t2kSg
"If You Look - Version II", for the fiddle especially - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVWLu0YKWoo
It is someone with whom I am familiar and rather than reinventing the wheel, I have been very lazy and copied my post from the BOTD thread - it will be his birthday on the 16th of November.
"William Ackerman was born on this day in 1949, in Palo Alto, California. He is a composer and guitarist with around fifteen albums to his credit and was the co-founder of Windham Hill Records (along with his then girlfriend, Anne Robinson), an independent label specializing in acoustic instrumental music. This seems to have been something that happened to him purely as a result of his passion for what he was doing, and was not planned at all; it began with a group of friends clubbing together to finance him and persuading him to put an album together, and therein lies a universal truth which is played out time and time again.
He does not like the “New Age” moniker and has been known to threaten physical assault on those who suggest that that is what he does - in jest, I suspect, especially since he won a Grammy in that category for his Returning: Pieces for Guitar 1970 - 2004, although I am inclined to agree with him to some degree; just because something is gentle, acoustic and melodic, it shouldn’t necessarily be defined as New Age! Don’t we just love labels?!! Can’t understand things otherwise.
He was responsible for discovering Michael Hedges and himself adopts very similar timings in his own work. I know, that when I find something with the Windham Hill label, it’s probably going to be worth listening to. Look out for it, anyone who might be interested it’s quite distinctive. The label was bought out by Sony Music Entertainment in the early 90’s and now falls under their Legacy Recordings sector, no new music being released.
Will, as he is known, is still producing music, now as the proprietor of Imaginary Road Studios, all of which seems to be going along swimmingly."
Today, I have listened to his Imaginary Roads album, and who should be playing on one of the tracks that made my ears prick up? None other than Mr Aaberg … there’s going to be an intertwined New Age genealogy I can tell! Ackerman is essentially a guitarist but there are other instruments here too including violin (courtesy of one Charlie Bisharat - noteworthy, I'd say), fretless bass, oboe, shakuhachi, lyricon and some synths - piano too obvs - considering Philip Aaberg's presence. It was a bit of a slow burn to begin with, but became progressively more enjoyable. I'd listen again - there's a lot to like, IMHO. On the list.
"Floyd's Ghost"
"The Prospect Of Darrow's Barn And The Blossoms Of An Apple Spring On Imaginary Road" to give it its full title! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWlpffEE8SA ... and
"Brother A Teaches 7" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuDAOozKCrI
"Innocent Moon" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MFax6t2kSg
"If You Look - Version II", for the fiddle especially - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVWLu0YKWoo
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson