Search - Mark Isham :: Tibet

Facinating music, full of wonder and space

Colin R. Glassey | Bay Area, CA USA | 07/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Isham created a number of wonderful records over a span of 5 years in the last half of the 1980's: "Castalia", "Tibet", and "Mark Isham". Of them Castalia is the most inventive and musically complex, Tibet is the quiet one, and "Mark Isham" has the best "songs". Tibet was originally music for a laser disk "movie" and as a result it is not surprising that it is quieter than the others. However, it is a subtle record of great beauty and unpredictability. I love it when the slow synth "washes" are suddenly interupted by the wierd guitar and horn duets (as happens in part II). The spoken haikus also just appear out of nowhere and are then followed mysteriously by a complex two minute segment of horns, guitar and percussion (David Torn on guitar, Kurt Wortman on percussion) as happens at the end of part III.To me, this is a perfect record for thinking, for contemplating the world, to lose myself in thought."

A mystical yet sobering musical odyssey with Mark Isham.

Colin R. Glassey | 12/09/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Subtlety--that's what sets Mark Isham apart from many of his peers in the New Age music category, and "Tibet" clearly demonstrates this, dispensing with many of the feel-good banalities of most music in this genre. The five tracks on this 1989 release calmly reverberate with the sacred mystery and power of a Tibetan mountain range, gently drawing the listener into a sort of musical ascent. But Isham knows the difference between calming an audience and putting them to sleep. After a soothing intro, "Part I" smoothly segues into intriguing, complex rhythms as electric guitar riffs and Isham's trumpet enter the picture, adding a kicky verve to otherwise celestial material and sounding less out-of-place than one might think. Despite some trumpet work on "Part IV" that drags on for far too long, "Tibet" deftly mixes sadness, passion and awe with a low-key sophistication that's too often missing from New Age. It's that rarest of beasts: a wandering music of contemplation that rocks."

Powerful, spiritual, beautiful, contemplative music

Colin R. Glassey | 04/12/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've listened to this CD over and over, and never seem to tire of it. The music is an artful combination of Western and Eastern sounds that is nourishing to the spirit, restful but powerful, and great for meditation. In the beautiful horn passages, I can almost feel myself among the peaks of the Himalayas, looking out over the top of the world."