21-12-2016, 13:57
ONE OF THE BEST HANG AND GUBAL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD OFFERS THE RHYTHM OF LIFE
CD REVIEW - MATT VENUTI - THE RHYTHM OF LIFE
This music is being marketed to the new age music audience and that is a pretty good fit, because where else would you put a guy singing about the fact that âwe are all connected,â and we all need âa place to breathe,â and everyone is âAfraidâ at times, and we should follow âThe Rhythm of Lifeâ because âweâre all in this together.â Then top that off with the fact that Matt Venuti may come from the former hippie-haven, San Francisco, but he has become one of the leading players of those very modern all-metal instruments, the Hang and the Gubal, the Switzerland inventions that look like a flying saucer that you hold in your lap and tap with your hands. No, not just a drum, although you can make rhythms on them, but what makes them space-age is that they also are a melodic instrument that can play various notes and carry a tune. Wow! That is another reason this music works in the new age arena, because of the modern sounds behind the vocals. And there are some other unusual combinations of instrumentation with appearances by pedal steel guitar, guitalele, Trilli-Bass, Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI), kora (from Africa) and muted trumpet. Somehow it all works together magnificently. The lyrics are sort of self-help, actualization/realization, yes-you-can-live-a-better-life-if-you-try. The music and singing is soft and gentle and pretty. Itâs the full package. And we hear Venuti tours the country fairly regularly so you might get lucky and have the opportunity to go see him live. Seize the chance!
CD REVIEW - MATT VENUTI - THE RHYTHM OF LIFE
This music is being marketed to the new age music audience and that is a pretty good fit, because where else would you put a guy singing about the fact that âwe are all connected,â and we all need âa place to breathe,â and everyone is âAfraidâ at times, and we should follow âThe Rhythm of Lifeâ because âweâre all in this together.â Then top that off with the fact that Matt Venuti may come from the former hippie-haven, San Francisco, but he has become one of the leading players of those very modern all-metal instruments, the Hang and the Gubal, the Switzerland inventions that look like a flying saucer that you hold in your lap and tap with your hands. No, not just a drum, although you can make rhythms on them, but what makes them space-age is that they also are a melodic instrument that can play various notes and carry a tune. Wow! That is another reason this music works in the new age arena, because of the modern sounds behind the vocals. And there are some other unusual combinations of instrumentation with appearances by pedal steel guitar, guitalele, Trilli-Bass, Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI), kora (from Africa) and muted trumpet. Somehow it all works together magnificently. The lyrics are sort of self-help, actualization/realization, yes-you-can-live-a-better-life-if-you-try. The music and singing is soft and gentle and pretty. Itâs the full package. And we hear Venuti tours the country fairly regularly so you might get lucky and have the opportunity to go see him live. Seize the chance!
