I CAN'T LISTEN TO THIS CD ENOUGH
Phoebe Strathclyde | 10/17/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This music is well worth the careful listen. It is haunting and enigmatic, and true spirit lay behind it. "Farewell Saigon (Track 9) for example starts in at a gentle lilt, then, at about thirty seconds in, the sky quietly opens and you are briefly pulled up to your feet. Then, just as subtly, it settles you back down in your chair. The melodies here are the strongest anywhere - they are like in music what the expression of Herman Melville or Karen Blixen is to language. This is the score to film. I can only imagine what this artist could create if he were given the freedom."
Emerald CD
Andrew Hill | Los Angeles, CA USA | 03/30/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Jeff and Mychael Danna's numinous score for "Green Dragon" mixes it up gorgeously between Eastern soul and Western heart. Lush but tastefully orchestral strings cascade like a silk curtain behind an ensemble of Asian instruments, creating an exotic blend which hasn't been heard much since Maurice Jarre scored "The Year Of Living Dangerously" for Peter Weir. The themes are clearly stated and artfully interpolated. The reflective, wistful effect of hearing "Oriental" modes on Western instruments and vice-versa recalls just how groundbreaking was Elmer Bernstein's classic score for "To Kill A Mockingbird", to which this lovely piece has a distinct kinship."