Cheap Unusual Weather (Music) (Michael Manring) Price

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Customer Reviews of Unusual Weather

WAY ABOVE OTHERS IN THE GENRE
I have owned this CD for over fifteen years and it has to be one of the best New Age albums I have ever heard. Manring is a bassist whose talents push the other instrumentalists to reach for excellence the way Jack Bruce used to do in his Cream days. This CD is always interesting and well played. There is nary a bass solo as such which illustrates Manring's conception of the bass as an instrument that drives the music rather than an overlooked part of the ensemble. Don't expect any notions of "sword and magic" here common among many New Age artists. This is simply wonderful instrumentals presented with intelligence and taste

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Seemingly Effortless
Michael Manring is one of the most listened to bass players in the U.S. music scene. While many wouldn't recognize his name, almost everyone has heard him. Not only does he have a strong body of his own work, but he has played with an extensive list of musicians, including Michael Hedges, William Ackerman, Montreux, John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Ira Stein & Russel Walder, Carlo Reyes, Darol Anger & Mike Marshall, Philip Aaberg, Holly Near, Opafire, Danny Heines, Trapezoid, Schoenhertz & Scott, Paul Machlis, and Enzo Altazor. He is capable of diverse approaches and had greatly enhanced the role of the bass quitar as a solo instrument.

Unusual Weather demonstrates his ability to change tunings and evoke harmonics right from the first track. 'Welcoming' is a typical sound for Manring on this album, a mellow bass sound that runs the gamut from rhythmic percussive sounds to a more edgeless tonality. Above Manring plays Bob read, most often on a sax with a fine, trumpet-like voice. Backing these two up two up is Steve Bloom on percussion, with intermittent performances by Bruce Martin on Marimba and Ken wortman on drums. As a treat, Michael Hedges enters on 'Manthing' the only guitar track on the album.

One of the things you will notice on repeated listening is that Manring is as comfortable doing complex background weaves as he is taking the spotlight. He uses the bass to tie together the whole group both instruments and vocals (check out 'Huge Moon). As you move through the tracks you will find that for all the commanality of song, the musicicans bring something new to each track, changing instruments, rhythms and harmonies so that nothing is ever in a rut. Yet there is nothing gimmicky here, just plain musicianship that displays the highest integrity.