Meditations on Love Reviews

Reviews for Meditations on Love

MEDITATIVE DRUMMING

Meditations On Love
David Jones & Friends
ABC
Review by Adrian Jackson
From The Bulletin, 27 July 2006

An internationally renowned virtuoso of the drumkit, David Jones began his career playing in a high-energy style that left no doubt as to his prowess. In more recent years, Jones has mellowed in his musical approach, at the same time becoming a devotee of meditation, and he combines his two passions on this album. Playing drums, gongs and bells, Jones converses with a stellar array of friends, in settings ranging from duo to quartet. The friends include James Morrison (playing bass trumpet), pianists Bob Sedergreen, Tony Gould and David Hirschfelder, saxophonists Fiona Burnett and Brian Brown, cellist Michael Conolan and vocalists Christine Sullivan and Carmen Warrington. The emphasis is on setting and sustaining a mood on each piece ; it would be easy to dismiss the music as ‘new age’ noodling, but the sensitivity and imagination displayed by all hands in their improvisations are exceptional.

MEDITATIONS ON LOVE

Martin Leslie
Libretto Magazine Aug/Sep 2006

Tracks: Village. Father. Mother. Home. Soul. Calling. Ocean. Kindness. Spirit. Healing. Celestial.

David Jones & Friends – David Jones (percussion), Tony Gould (piano), James Morrison (trumpet), Bob Sedergreen (keyboards), Evripides Evripidou (electric bass), Fiona Burnett (soprano saxaphone).

ABC Classics 476 3163 (64’06”)
There is good news for you. A recently released album contains music rich, deep and meaningful. It is an honour for me to be associated with it, in any fashion. I hope my words herein help draw your attention to its importance and its need to be shared.

Australia is blest with some of the finest musicians in the world. It is fortunate that jazz grabs the attention of some of them. But, sometimes, even that inventive art form does not always completely satisfy their creative output. They have more to share than even they are aware. Enter David Jones. One of his lifetime’s spiritual journeys was about to reach its end/beginning and he invited a few of his friends – from the aforementioned resource of music talent – to collaborate with him in realizing a dream that began when he first laid bare hands on the skin of drums as a boy, and produced first, sound and then, music! He so wanted to communicate what he felt/feels when he plays music. A feeling of sublime love!!

Over the years, even whilst establishing a highly regarded international reputation as drummer & percussionist in diverse streams of music and on numerous recordings, David harboured the concept of an album of very special music designed to awaken and nourish in us the knowledge and pleasure of a universal connection, a divine connection – love sublime.

In Meditations on Love David has realized his dream in songs focusing on simple, vital themes of our existence; for example Village, Father, Mother, Spirit. Cleverly suggested key signatures, loose guidelines in respect of tempo and time signatures and duration – these were, mostly, just formalities. The variously chosen musicians participated in creating the music in a studio appropriately set and lit to facilitate first a collective discussion and then individual meditation on the theme. They then expressed themselves – spontaneously – in music.

It is now time for our collaboration in the process of making this project of David Jones and friends completely worthwhile. Let the music envelop you. Discover what can happen; at the very least, satisfaction on many different levels. At best, your experience of love sublime.