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Binkelman's Corner by Bill Binkelman |
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Bill Binkelman is a long-time icon in the industry. |
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| Opening The Gate |
| By Gentle Thunder |
| Label: Self Released |
| Released 9/25/2007 |
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| Opening The Gate tracks |
1. Opening The Gate 
2. Ripples in the Pond
3. Ancient One
4. Song of the Spring
5. Summer Soulstice
6. Guardians Respond
7. Focused Expanse
8. Midsummer's Mist
9. Spirit Fire
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10. Buffalo Dance
11. Timeless Presence
12. Little Man Blue
13. Heart of the Eagle
14. Feather's Flight
15. Woven Essence
16. Impish Pathway
17. Whale Becons Owl
18. Full Spectrum Lightning
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Opening the Gate |
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Recording-wise, the last time I heard from multi-instrumentalist (wooden/Native flute, hammer dulcimer, percussion/drums) Gentle Thunder (hereafter, GT), she was fronting a dynamic world/progressive fusion trio (comprised of herself, percussionist extraordinaire Will Clipman and pianist/bass guitarist/sax player AmoChip Dabney) on the GRAMMY nominated album Beyond Words. While there were quiet passages on that album, most of it was revved up high-energy music. On Opening the Gate, she not only goes solo, but she also dials back the intensity on this hour long album, containing no less than eighteen (!) tracks of peaceful yet sometimes playful selections, showcasing her considerable talent on her instruments. There is a fair amount of variety on the CD (tempo, mood, instrumentation e.g. which flute she plays), but not at the expense of a lack of continuity. The mood can shift from calm and meditative to more up tempo and life-affirming, but regardless, GT steers this ship with subtle yet firm control. Having seen her in concert (which I’d highly recommend, by the way), I can attest to her passion for her music as well as her obvious sincerity in attempting to elicit the same love of melody and rhythm in her audience as she feels.
With eighteen tracks on the album, you’re not going to get the usual Binkelman blow-by-blow, so I’ll just hit some of the (many) high points (truth be told, there is nothing even close to a low point here). The album starts with the title song (Opening The Gate), a flowing solo flute number with a sweet catchy refrain. GT displays her deft hammer dulcimer talent on Ripples in the Pond, a bouncy, lively yet not overpowering tune that does a great job of conveying the "random patterns" of the titular reference. Song of the Spring features lilting lively flute, doubtless meant to celebrate the earth’s re-awakening from slumber. Another memorable melodic refrain can be heard (via dulcimer) on the catchy Summer Soulstice [sic]. Focused Expanse is a mildly abstract flute meditation (abstract in perspective to some of the other tracks here) while Heart of the Eagle has a sense of urgency and power, despite the fact the GT’s dulcimer playing is never over-the-top or over-mic'ed (the album’s mix by GT and Brian Todd is spot on, featuring good recording of the instruments without boosting the volume in such a way as to lose the more mellow mood of the recording, which could be played all the way through even if one was in a "quiet" frame of mind, despite the presence of up tempo pieces). Particular mention should be made of Woven Essence since it features GT playing dulcimer and flute AT THE SAME TIME (a feat she also performs live - and I’ve seen it!), whereas most of the other tracks on Opening the Gate are solo instrumentals on either flute or hammer dulcimer. Likewise, Whale Beckons Owl features the artist on haunting lower register bass flute and the more usual wooden Native flute. The contrast captures the essence of the song’s title, with the lower bass flute crying out, answered by the flitting of the higher pitched instrument.
Not meaning to sound trite or cliche but Opening the Gate is one of those albums which is purely indicative of an artist's sheer joy of practicing her art and doing her best to impart that joy to her audience. Perhaps I'm a bit biased having met her in person, but you can trust me on this: Gentle Thunder is not only talented (to say the least) but she really wants to share her love of this music with you and to resonate to the call of her flute and reverberations of the hammers on her dulcimer. She is a uniquely talented artist (you should see her go to town behind a drum kit!) and you can’t go wrong with this album if you enjoy Native-influenced flute or the pioneer/Appalachian sound of the dulcimer. Highly recommended.
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Rating: Very Good +  |
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- reviewed by Bill Binkelman on 1/17/2008 |
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