Life Seasons Reviews
Deeply positive musical expressions Richard Shulman – Life Seasons
Deeply positive musical expressions Richard Shulman – LIFE SEASONS: My, but time just flies, folks… it’s almost two years since I reviewed pianist/composer Richard’s inventive “Turned Into Lemonade” album, which got high marks from me, to be sure. To get an up-close and personal taste for Richard’s piano mastery, watch this video for “Early Spring” from his new album…
…since you’re right there already, be sure to SUBSCRIBE to his RichHeart Music – Richard Shulman channel on YouTube, where you’ll find a LOT more excellent video performances.
On the new release, Richard’s superb piano and compositional skills are complimented very nicely by Zack Page – bass; Rick Dilling – drums; Wendy Jones – soprano and flute; Paula Hanke – alto; Sherman Hoover – tenor; Bob Bencze – bass/baritone and Ron Clearfield – cello, especially on lovely tunes like “Bohemian Summer” (samples aren’t ready yet, as the album doesn’t go live until late June, 2020)… the contrast of vocals against Richard’s piano are simply stunning… DJ’s will be spinning this song OFTEN!
The combination of flute and piano on the intro for “Spinning into Winter”, as well as the tasty vocal, made this an absolute winner for me; another thing that is totally striking about Richard’s compositions is that they “paint” imagery that will stay in your head for a long time to come.
My choice for personal favorite of the thirteen seasonally-flavored sonic journeys Richard offers up is (without question) the cheerful and forward-looking “Hope for Spring”… these turbulent times make songs that are vibrantly alive ever more valuable – and this tune is top-of-the-line!
I give Richard and his high-talent crew a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) score of 4.99. Get more information on Richard’s Richheart Music label as it becomes available. Rotcod Zzaj
#Deeply #positive #musical #expressions #Richard #Shulman
“Life Seasons” by Richard Shulman
Album Review by Dyan Garris for Zone Music Reporter, New Age CD, and “Spirit Seeker Magazine”
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Life Seasons by Richard Shulman is a “brazzy” celebration of life and love. – Dyan Garris
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Richard Shulman is a well-known keyboardist and composer who has recorded, to date, 28 albums along with an impressive amount of collaborations. Richard began playing the piano when he was seven years old and was trained in the classical and jazz fields. The music he creates is intended to be heartfelt and positive for audiences, himself, and for the world. One of the main focuses of his music is on meditation, healing, and inspiration.
Shulman’s new album “Life Seasons” is a vocal and instrumental “journey,” intended to express not only the seasons of life, but the depth of love possible from sharing life over many years.
The album, “Life Seasons,” (13 tracks, 6 of which are vocal tracks, and just over an hour), is not what we would call traditional New Age. It’s contemporary, but hard to classify or label. It’s a “brazzy” celebration of the beauty of life and love. What I mean by “brazzy” is this is an eclectic combination of what feels like Broadway showtunes along with some beautiful, relaxing, smooth jazz and a spoken word piece.
The album opens with the title track, “Life Seasons.” This is a vocal song featuring Paula Hanke, with Ron Clearfield on cello, plus Richard Shulman with a heartfelt piano performance. Lyrics were written by Brenda Lee Morrison. A good opener, the song is an invitation to the remembrance of a lifetime filled with love.
“Life seasons come and go,
We’ve each learned ebb and flow,
Somehow we grew together,
I will love you forever. . .”
Following is the mellow, soft jazz instrumental, “Summer Solstice,” which is the perfect segue into the most languid of seasons. The song features the trio of Richard on piano, Zack Page on bass, and Rick Dilling on bass. Very nice and relaxing.
Things heat up a bit with the trio performing a cool jazz samba, “Summer Night.” This is fun, upbeat and, yes, “summery.” Great bass, piano, and drums. Let’s dance.
“Bohemian Summer” is a vocal quartet piece (lyrics by Brenda Lee Morrison), that evokes an imaginary summer gathering, which I believe is a tribute to celebrating not just the season of summer, but summer solstice.
“We will gather here once more
On this familiar shore to be part of Bohemian lore,
Far beyond the saffron Sun
A journey has begun,
A cast of souls have dared to come
Returning to the One. . .”
Another pleasant, calming, jazz-based instrumental (trio) is “Pre-Autumn.” Featuring great piano, soft bass, and really good drums, this is nice, and gives us that feeling of wistfully bidding farewell to summer and beginning to embrace autumn. There is a carefree ambiance of wind-blown leaves twirling and dancing in the still warm autumn breeze.
Our hearts fully open to welcome the inevitable change of seasons in “Sweet Autumn.” New energy is ushered in by the trio again with a memorable piano melody and a gently flowing up-tempo feel. Excellent piece.
From the autumn season, we often DO just go “Spinning into Winter.” That’s a good way to put it. This is an action-oriented vocal piece with lyrics by Paula Jeanine Bennett and the great addition of subtle flute performance by Wendy Jones.
“Forward motion,
The time digs in and eases forward
The season of hope and new success,
Action!”
By the time we get to “Winter Solstice,” the darkest time of year, we are invited to pause for a moment to contemplate inner light. This is beautiful solo piano by Richard Shulman. Gentle and poignant, with a good balance of the upper and lower registers of the piano, this is memorable and quite relaxing.
Have you ever walked in pristine white snow? It must be like having soft velvet shoes on your feet. The piece, “Velvet Shoes” captures and conveys the unique enjoyment of quietly walking in the snow. This is a pleasant vocal (quartet) piece with lyrics (poem) by Elinor Wylie.
“Let us walk in the white snow in a soundless space,
With footsteps quiet and slow, at a tranquil pace,
Under veils of white lace. . . “
It’s challenging to pick a favorite on this album, but I think the spoken word journey that is “Winter Solstice Dream: Keepers of the Light” may be it. Upon awakening from a dream, the quite touching words were written by Ron Young. This is a journey of “lightkeepers” moving from winter to spring. The excellent spoken word performance is by Wendy Jones, with Richard Shulman on perfect piano underlay. Here we are seeking a harbinger of spring within the deep depths of winter. So interesting, truly. We awaken from our own dream as we emerge from our own winter and get ready to embrace the optimism of spring. Reverent and special. “. . .Spring is coming. . .”
Spring is always a hopeful season with the inner knowing and promise that abundant life will not only return, but blossom and thrive. The songs, “Hope for Spring” and “Early Spring,” both performed by trio are two more lovely, perfectly balanced jazz instrumentals. Both, as one might expect, have an optimistic vibe. The land is awakening and “springing” into new life.
The album closes out with the blessings of new life in “The Fairy of Mystery Blue: Springtime Blessings.” This is a lighthearted, expansive vocal (quartet) that leaves us feeling happy and playful.
“Here’s what I have to say,
Start living your life today,
Let yesterday fade away,
Washing yourself in the morning dew. . . “
And here’s what I have to say: This is an interesting, different, refreshing sort of album that is kind of “all that ‘brazz.’”
Get “Life Seasons” here or wherever music is sold/streamed: https://RichHeartMusic.com
Credits:
©℗ 2020 RichHeart Music, BMI
All music composed by Richard Shulman
Lyrics/Words by Brenda Lee Morrison tracks 1, 4, 13, Paula Jeanine Bennett track 7, Elinor Wylie track 9, Ron Young, track 10.
Richard Shulman – piano, all compositions and arrangements
Zack Page – bass on all except #8, 10, 13.
Rick Dilling – drums on all except #8, 10, 13.
Wendy Jones – soprano #4, 7, 9, 10, 13, and flute on #7
Paula Hanke – alto #1, 4, 9, 13.
Sherman Hoover – tenor #4, 9, 13.
Bob Bencze – bass/baritone #4, 9, 13.
Ron Clearfield – cello #1, 7
Broadcast Promotion:
LAZZ Promotions
Ed & Stacey Bonk
(905) 470-1230
Richard Shulman – Life Seasons Review
Waltzing out of Town Reviews
The Richard Shulman Trio
Waltzing Out Of Town
RichHeart Music 2019
By Mark Sullivan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-world-of-piano-trios-by-mark-sullivan.php#.XUnVaGqJKZs.twitter
In addition to his solo projects, Asheville, North Carolina-based pianist/composer Richard Shulman has been heard on the Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band‘s Welcome To Earth (Greenville Jazz Collective, 2019) (also contributing one composition). Here he leads a trio with frequent collaborators bassist Zack Page and drummer Rick Dilling on a program of all-original compositions. Artist Marsha Hammel invited the trio to an event where she would paint a portrait while they performed: so the cover art actually inspired the creation of the album.
Opener “I Don’t Know Yet” (his imagined answer to a question about the name of the song) begins the album with a propulsive straight eighth rhythm. “Waltzing Out-of- Town” delivers the promised waltz with style and swing, and features a fine double bass solo. “Toasted” is a jazz blues with a pronounced Thelonious Monk accent (nice quote from Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen’s standard “Swinging On A Star”).
“Freedom” provides a dose of funk, while “Walkin’ to Your House” has a hooky ostinato pattern which proves to be a fine accompaniment to bass and drum solos. “For Chick” uses a sprightly Latin groove to honor pianist/composer Chick Corea. Closer “Afternoon Memory” brings the album to a close with a gentle bossa nova. A lovely ending to a varied program of piano trio music.
Richard Shulman – Waltzing Out of Town 74
O’s Notes: Richard Shulman (p) forms a trio with bassist Zack Page and drummer Rick Dilling. They perform a set of twelve Shulman original compositions. The program includes gentle blues instrumentals like “Toasted” and the free flowing “Climb Up”. The all-instrumental selections continue for over an hour of relaxing listening. Waltzing out of Town was inspired by a session at The Gallery in Flatrock, NC where Marsha Hammel painted the trio while they performed. That painting is the cover artwork!D. Oscar GroomesO’s Place Jazz NewsletterP.O. Box 38430 Charlotte, NC 28278
PIANO TRIOS! Ernest Turner: My Americana, The Richard Shulman Trio: Waltzing Out Of Town
The core of jazz, the piano trio, is in good form on these two recent releases.
Ernest Turner shows his church roots on this soulful post bop session with drummer Jon Curry and bassist Lance Scott Jr as he mixes and matches sources. The team shows sophisticated complexity that swings hard on the burning “Return Of Thanos” and the sizzling “In Or Out.” Turner’s hands stride well as he has fun on the Thelonious Monk tune “Monk’s Dream” and gives a warm nocturnal mood to Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” while getting reflective with Scott on “Dienda.” Most impressive is his gospel solo spiritual refection of “Precious Lord” while giving an urgency with the team on “We Shall Overcome.” Sunday Morning power with a Friday night pulse.
Pianist Richard Shulman joins together with Zack Page/b and Rick Diling/dr for a dozen swinging originals. Shulman’s touch is uptown classy, elegant on “I Don’t Know Yet,” sweet on “Afternoon Memory” and bluesy for “Toasted.” The team gets into a modal mood on driving tunes “Climb Up” and “For Chick” and have some fun with a Monkish “Stop and Blow” while getting funky on the back beating “Freedom.” Straight-ahead and no chaser.
RICHARD SHULMAN TRIO/Waltzing Out of Town: The piano man serves up yet another delightful slice of jazz piano trio work. Easy going and enjoyable enough that it doesn’t even need a Friday evening bar on the water to compliment it. While he might yet again evade the jazz police, everyone else will have a great time with this upbeat, buoyant and bright set that just shimmers along so rightly. Well done.
(Rich Heart 1927)
Volume 43/Number 199 May 8, 2019 MIDWEST RECORD 830 W. Route 22 #144 Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher Copyright 2019 Midwest Record
A New Awareness Reviews
ComarcasNaRede
SPAIN
JULY 2019
Richard Shulman
A New Awareness: Music Of The Twelve Rays
2018
https://richheartmusic.com/
Richard Shulman is a versatile composer with dozens of albums behind him in which he has played various genres such as new age, ambient, neo classical or jazz.
“A New Awareness: Music of the Twelve Rays” is a work created in collaboration with the writer Michael G. Love, author of the book “The Reality of Your Greatness: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Rays”, a disc that was conceived to listen while reading the mentioned book, since each of the themes of the album represents each of the chapters of that book.
Musically speaking, we are facing a work of calm, meditative music, a work in which each ray, which is the same, each theme, plunges us into a sea of tranquility, with sounds of the best new age, those deep and magical sounds that help our spirit find rest that the hustle and bustle of daily life does not allow us to achieve.
Beautiful work to follow those rays of light that allow us to take life with more tranquility.
MARCH 2019
A New Awareness: Music of the Twelve Rays – Richard Shulman
This two-disk set by new age keyboardist Richard Shulman was made in collaboration with Michael G Love and inspired by his book, “The Reality of Your Greatness: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Rays.” It’s intended to help listeners connect to the power, energy and awareness of the Twelve Rays. The music centers on hope, healing, and encourages the listener to embrace new potential and experiences.
The tracks are intended to accompany the chapters in the book. Love’s spoken-word renditions are available at the book’s website (TheTwelveRays.com). The music works as a stand-alone product for meditation and healing modalities. Shulman improvised or channeled each composition as the author described the purpose and power of each Ray. He feels that the music emanated from Spirit and is meant to give practical empowerment to the listener.
The first three tracks are dedicated to “Rays of Aspect,” and are connected to the Creator and creation. Tracks 4 to 8 explore the “Rays of Attributes,” and explore the range of human characteristics that trigger life experiences. Tracks 9 to 12 comprise the “Rays of Soul Integration,” and the music for these enhances higher states of consciousness for achieving a fresh awareness. Each Ray offers a positive benefit for the listener.
The music was created with electronic keyboards and synths, and includes strings, horns, flute, drones and chimes. This gentle, uplifting music enhances any kind of meditation or healing work, and a wide range of other spiritual pursuits that benefit from the accompaniment of softly floating inspirational music.
~review by Elizabeth Hazel
Artist: Richard Shulman
You Are More, Inc, 2018
12 tracks, 1 hr 27 min total
AUSTRALIAN NEW AGE LIFESTYLE PUBLICATION
A New Awareness: Music of the Twelve Rays
RICHARD SHULMAN
Richard Schulman has on this divine work, demonstrated his absolute genius within the New Age genre of music, a talent, honed over the past decades, of which he considers is channelled from the Divine, to bring to the listener the awareness, on this album, of the Twelve Rays: a metaphor for the Twelve vibrations to encourage self-development and empowerment.
Composed to compliment the book by Michael C Love, The Reality of your Greatness: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Rays, Schulman has simply taken his Musical Soul Portraits, for those who wish for music to be created for them for the higher good and broadened it to encompass the energies involved within the Twelve Rays.
Soul Portraits are composed on the spot; he meets with a group or person, feels their energies than sits at his keyboards to create a portrait for them. Creating the album was based on a collaboration where each of the Twelve Rays, as described by Michael Love to Richard Schulman who would then sit in a receptive state, allowing the music to arrive, to be transcribed onto the keyboards in pure form.
Schulman considers this music to be straight from God or Spirit, offering empowerment to make change, to discover that the basis for change is already within, and that spiritual change and growth can be achieved through ‘conscious creation’, through understanding and acceptance not pain and suffering as so many believe: these are the fundamental principles behind the Twelve Rays.
The work is absolutely beautiful, designed to be a part of the healing journey as presented in Michael C Love’s book. As each Ray is studied, the music particular to that Ray and set to that vibration, is there to relax, guide and encourage change to be undertaken.
As a standalone work, it is perfect for relaxation, meditation, empowerment and the conscious or unconscious invitation to allow joy and peace to enter to settle the turmoil within.
The first disc contains the 1st to 7th Rays which encompasses the Rays of Aspect and the Rays Attributes. The second disc commences with the 8th ray containing the five Rays of Soul, completing the journey at the 12th Ray where the listener is encouraged to understand that “We are Spirit and step into your power”.
Powerful and completely Spiritual this is a comprehensive body of work sent without doubt from the Divine to help connect to power, energy and awareness, encompassing healing, love, meditation and rebirth.
Richard Schulman equals Divine perfection on A New Awareness: Music of the Twelve Rays.
Buzz Music
A Springboard to Great Music
NOVEMBER 2018
SELF-HELP BOOK BEGAT LATEST RICHARD SHULMAN SYNTHESIZER ALBUM
The new Richard Shulman synthesizer album combines new age, ambient, space and neo-classical music, but the inspiration for the music began with a book! Self-betterment guru Michael G. Love wrote the book THE REALITY OF YOUR GREATNESS: A PERSONAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE TWELVE RAYS. The Rays are like steps to making your life better, more fulfilling with more awareness. Then Love meditated on each Ray and fed those thoughts, spiritual feelings and energy-bolts to Shulman who let them enter into his being while he composed the music on this album — A NEW AWARENESS: MUSIC OF THE TWELVE RAYS. Trippy, yes, but it resulted in some great music. This is a powerful musical creation that can help the listener on many levels from healing and meditation all the way through the Twelve Rays process.
ELECTRONIC MUSIC PORTAL
THEGATEWAYTOELECTRONICMUSIC
OCTOBER 2018
REFRESHINGLY PURE SYNTHESIZED NEW AGE MUSIC BY RICHARD SHULMAN WORTH A TEST DRIVE
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ELECTRONIC MUSIC PORTAL
THEGATEWAYTOELECTRONICMUSIC
NOVEMBER 2018
LEADING SYNTHESIST RICHARD SHULMAN RAISES LISTENERS’ CONSCIOUSNESS
Check out the new double-album, A NEW AWARENESS, by Richard Shulman. He has become one of the leading musicians in the new age genre over the past several decades, and since 1984 he has dedicated his music to Divine connection and the awakening of inner joy. Shulman has more than two-dozen albums under his own name as well as another two-dozen recordings for which he has provided compositions, performances or production (such as Bliss of Being by his group The Pure Heart Ensemble). He studied at the prestigious Eastman School of Music, got his Masters Degree in musical composition from State University of New York at Buffalo, and was a composer-performer for a decade with Theatre of the Heart — a New York City-based performance group working to bring higher consciousness and environmental awareness to audiences. Now he offers up great new age music on A NEW AWARENESS, created on synthesizers but also including the sounds of instrumentation such as piano or flute. The main thing is that the music ties in with a spirit-soul-and-consciousness-raising program called The 12 Rays (there is a book out as well — THE REALITY OF YOUR GREATNESS by Michael G. Love — that explains it all if you want to go beyond the music). Regardless, this music works like so much great new age music in that it promotes healing, growth, relaxation and well-being.
KEYS & CHORDS
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE MUSIC-LOVER WITH A BROAD TASTE
BASED IN BELGIUM
Music was our first love… and it will be our last…
OCTOBER 2018
Richard Shulman: A New Awareness – Music of the Twelve Rays
Twelve tracks that go together with the book ‘The Reality of Your Greatness: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Rays’ by Michael G. Love. Beautiful and soothing.
Keyboard player and composer Richard Shulman wants to use his music to have a positive influence on himself, his audience and society. He himself has released 26 albums, and has collaborated on countless others. Richard received training in classical music and jazz, but also spent a considerable part of his output on meditation and healing music. As a composer he created more than 80 pieces for jazz quartet, as well as songs for chamber ensembles, choirs and symphonic orchestras. He was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and took piano lessons at the age of seven. Then he played the organ in various churches, was a musical advisor at a summer camp in Canada, and played with a rock band. Richard graduated from the University of Rochester, with two bachelors degrees (in music and psychology), and played with drummer Previte and bassist Bill Savino in the jazz-fusion band Thermopylae. He also studied jazz improvisation at the Eastman School of Music and later moved to New York City. There he founded the The Richard Shulman Group. But meditation began to claim his attention, and he released several meditational albums. Now he has set up a spiritual and musical collaboration with Michael G. Love, as a sequel to his book ‘The Reality of Your Greatness: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Rays’. The result is twelve instrumental tracks with meditative music, to help the listener connect with the power, energy and consciousness of those twelve rays. The music is formed by ambient soundscapes on synthesizer and should lead to a journey of self discovery, growth, healing, etc. More on this at www.thetwelverays.com. But the music can also stand alone, and the first three tunes are aspects of the creator, followed by four tracks that represent the diversity of human characteristics, and concluding with five songs to reach a new awareness through higher states of consciousness. This album consists of two CDs. It is recommended that you do not listen to these while you are driving a motorized vehicle. Beautiful and soothing!
— Patrick Van de Wiele (4)
Spirit Passages e-dispatch
A New Awareness: Music of the Twelve Rays by Richard Shulman is a two-CD set that was created as an accompanying soundtrack to the book, “The Reality of Your Greatness.” However, this music is also perfect as a stand-alone musical companion for meditation and prayer. It is music that is uplifting, hopeful and supports the spiritual work of evolution you are already engaged in. The CD and the book may be both be ordered here: https://richheartmusic.com/store/new-awareness-music-twelve-rays/ (The site also has a link to listen to the entire CD on Youtube.)
The Bookwatch
Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers
This review appears in our printed newsletter mailed to many libraries, on our website (for 12 months) and the Gale Research Company’s quarterly interactive CD-ROM “Book Review Index” also furnished to libraries.
The Library CD Music Shelf
OCTOBER 2018
A New Awareness: Music of the Twelve Rays
Richard Shulman
Privately Published
RealityofYourGreatness.com
$TBA CD / $11.88 MP3 amazon.com
A New Awareness: Music of the Twelve Rays is a spiritual music album, crafted in collaboration with author Michael G. Love and inspired by his book “The Reality of Your Greatness: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Rays” (9781943070343, $19.95 pbk / $12.99 Kindle). The twelve meditative songs promote reflection, inspiration, hope, and healing. Highly recommended, especially for new age connoisseurs!
The tracks are “Divine Will”, “Love and Wisdom”, “Active Intelligence”, “Harmony through Conflict”, “Concrete Knowledge”, “Devotion and Idealism”, “Gateway into Awareness”, “The Cleansing Ray”, “Contact with the Soul Level”, “The Body of Light”, “The Bridge to the New Awareness”, and “The New Awareness”.
MAGLE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FORUMS OCTOBER 2018
RICHARD SHULMAN CREATES NEW AGE MUSIC
TO GUIDE US TO A NEW AWARENESS
Just when you think the contemporary instrumental music pendulum is swinging toward acoustic instrumentation, another new age keyboardist comes out with an all-synthesizer album that shows the versatility and creativity available in the field of electronic music. The latest to cross my desk is the album A New Awareness by Richard Shulman, who has been making great new age music for something like four decades. I have heard scattered albums of his for many years, and every one I have ever heard has been right on the money.
This new one is a new age music project made in heaven. Shulman has created a dozen tunes with each one corresponding to a specific Ray, sort of a Ray of Life, I guess. He likens these Rays to “emanations from God.” The Rays are delineated in a new book, The Reality of Your Greatness authored by Michael G. Love, who helped Shulman zero in on each Ray to make the music. This is self-help at the highest level, or, if you believe all of this is Higher-Power-inspired, then this is God-help. Go to Reality of Your Greatness dot com to get more info about the book and the Rays. Regardless, if you are into self-discovery, personal growth and increased awareness of the universe around us, and want steps to help you move to a higher level of energy and “greatness,” this is something you might want to check out.
Zeroing in on the music, which is what brought all of this to my attention, this is melodic ambient (not necessarily a contradiction in terms — melodic in short bursts but ambient because of the meandering improvisational aspect of the music). The music contains the sounds of a variety of synthesizers intermingling (occasionally used to sound like something else, a flute for example, for a few moments), by mostly floating, soaring, dreamily cascading, cloud-hopping, space-gliding and water-droplet cleansing. This is most definitely pure and powerful new age music. Highly recommended for lovers of new age and ambient music, for synthesizer and improvisational music aficionados, and for new age lifestyle and exploratory self-improvement gurus. What a long, strange trip it’s been…
The voice of the entertainment retailer and broadcaster
SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 RICHARD SHULMAN/A New Awareness-Music of the 12 Rays:
If you’ve kept your four promises to the four Marys, it’s time to explore the 12 Rays. The newest new age thing to connect you to your powers inside, you have vet Shulman with one of his most inspired works as your sonic interpreter with the work lavishly spread across two discs. An ambitious work loaded with sincerity, he brings all his chops to the fore to take real new age music to the next level of the game in a most professional manner. Sure to be one of the modern bellwethers of the underground sound.
Turned into Lemonade Reviews
CD Review:
Richard Shulman – Turned Into Lemonade
3/2 59
O’s Notes: Pianist, composer Richard Shulman makes music to heal the listener! He’s based in Asheville, NC where his style is readily embraced. His quartet includes Jacob Rodriguez on saxophone, bassist Zack Page and Rick Dilling on drums. Most of the 14 songs are soothing, contemporary instrumentals except a few that feature vocalist Wendy Jones. We enjoyed her vocalese on “Homage to Pharaoh” and more traditional vocals on “Finding Peace”. While Turned into Lemonade is not all meditative music, it is certainly a relaxing session.
Oscar Groomes
O’s Place Jazz Newsletter
P.O. Box 38430
Charlotte, NC 28278
http://www.OsPlaceJazz.com
Great article in the Asheville Citizen-Times about Turned into Lemonade 9/14/18
A review from Matt Hook in All About Jazz 9/5/18
Album review: ‘Turned Into Lemonade’ by the Richard Shulman Group
MORE SWEET THAN SOUR: The fourth collection of original jazz from the Richard Shulman Group features 14 tunes in a mostly upbeat (yet understated) style.
Posted on August 23, 2018 by Bill Kopp
https://mountainx.com/arts/album-review-turned-into-lemonade-by-the-richard-shulman-group/
Same review on Bill Kopp’s Blog
Conveying a spirit of hope and optimism without the use of words is a challenging goal. But on Turned Into Lemonade, the latest from the prolific jazz/orchestral/new age composer Richard Shulman (he’s released more than two dozen albums), that ambitious goal is realized.
This all-original jazz outing is credited to the Richard Shulman Group: Shulman plays acoustic piano, backed by the lush yet understated musicianship of Rick Dilling (drums), Zack Page (bass) and Jacob Rodriguez (saxophones). Noted vocalist Wendy Jones lends her talents on three of the album’s 14 tracks. Shulman’s brief liner notes offer a bit of context for each tune, but in most cases, the vibe comes through without the need for additional explanation.
“Atmosphere” is carried by Rodriguez’s lovely, memorable and intimate saxophone melody; Shulman decorates the arrangement with subtle piano work, but he and the rhythm section largely leave open spaces for the sax lead. “I Claim My Day” has a quiet demeanor, with a hint of a hip, urbane (and urban) feel. The tune develops into more of a group arrangement as it unfolds. Throughout the album, bassist Page is the quiet engine of the quartet; he moves the music forward in such an understated fashion that it’s easy to overlook his important contribution; listen closely and don’t make that mistake.
As he mentions in his album notes, Shulman’s “In Between the Blue and Green” is an older composition that went unused for more than three decades because the composer felt it too much like Bill Evans’ immortal “Blue in Green,” first heard on Miles Davis’ landmark 1959 LP Kind of Blue. While there does exist a surface similarity, Shulman needn’t have worried; there’s a vibrant, uptempo feel to his work that recalls Vince Guaraldi at least as much as Evans.
Wendy Jones begins the emotive ballad “The Gifts You Gave to Me” unaccompanied; it’s a breathtaking and highly effective approach for the torchy tune that recalls some of Barbra Streisand’s best work. Rodriguez judiciously inserts brief responsive phrases to Jones’ vocal lines. The soulful, vaguely bossa nova stylings of “For Mom” need little explanation beyond the title; again, it’s Rodriguez who’s the star here, with his breathy and supple melodic lines.
“No Matter What They Say” seems to follow on seamlessly from “For Mom,” working almost as a medley. Initially, the piano melody of “Homage to Pharoah” has a Bob James feel, but Jones’ wordless vocals — often in lockstep with Rodriguez’s sax — take the song somewhere else entirely. Shulman opens up and takes an extended solo, and it’s a thing of grace and beauty. Rodriguez’s solo on the extended piece is equally impressive.
The composer describes “It’s All Inside” as a musical prayer, and it’s built around a simple yet elegant melodic line delivered on saxophone. Rodriguez is front and center for the entirety of this tune. “Finding Peace” is the last of three songs on Turned Into Lemonade to feature Jones. The track features an introspective lyric delivered in impeccable fashion. Dilling’s brush work gives a soulful, swaying vibe to the song; Shulman’s delicate piano lines are the perfect complement to Jones’ vocals.
The loping and playful “Buried Diamond” represents another old tune that Shulman dusted off and completed for his latest album. One suspects he was listening to a lot of Guaraldi in the early ’80s And that’s not a bad thing; not at all. The title track applies cool jazz style to what’s essentially a pop melody. Some carefully placed stops and starts add nice texture, while Rodriguez’s soprano saxophone dances around the upper register.
Brazilian textures dominate “Sunny Samba,” easily the most uptempo track on Turned Into Lemonade. Rodriguez and Shulman take turns soloing, and the joy the quartet is experiencing radiates through the entirety of the nearly six-minute tune. It’s followed by another samba, the faster and very different “Write Again.”
The fourth album from the Richard Shulman Group concludes with “Nostalgia,” described by its composer as a duet with Rodriguez. The elegiac song is a lovely, melancholy meditation.
Flawlessly recorded at East Asheville’s Seclusion Hill Music, Turned Into Lemonadeis a sweet and gentle jazz collection, featuring crystalline performances by all involved.
Author, music journalist, historian, collector, and musician. His first book, “Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon,” published by Rowman & Littlefield, is available now. Follow me @the_musoscribe
Highly inventive original jazz The Richard Shulman Group – Turned into Lemonade
By Dick Metcalf, editor, Contemporary Fusion Reviews – May 21, 2018
Though this is my first review of Richard’s energetic jazz piano work, it’s actually his fourth original release… as I listen to tunes like the 5:01 “I Claim My Day“, it helps me to renew my spirit in most positive fashion… full of life & the living of it – to the MAX.
Joining Richard are some of the hippest jazz players on the planet… Jacob Rodriguez – tenor & soprano saxophones; Zack Page – bass; Rick Dilling – drums, and Wendy Jones doing vocals on tracks 4, 7 & 9… Wendy’s vocal on the 6:19 “Finding Peace” is (without question) one of the most comforting jazz vocals I’ve heard (yet) in 2018… a perfect match with the other players!
The highly-charged “Write Again” will have you up on your feet & swaying ’round the room… I totally dug Zack’s bass work on this one… excellent recording as well.
If truly “solid” jazz is what your ears are yearning for, you’ll find “In Between the Blue and Green” to be one of those tunes you’ll play over & over & over again… it’s “stuck” in “replay mode” on my iPhone playlists, to be sure… Richard’s piano on this track is right up-front & shows talent beyond compare.
I’m a lover of Latin-flavored jazz, to it was easy to decide on my personal favorite of the fourteen songs offered up for your listening pleasure… “Sunny Samba” is about as tasty as it gets… I think you can expect to be hearing this one on jazz stations across the nation – frequently!
I give Richard and his talented crew a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98 for this lively and entertaining album. Get more information on the Rich Heart Music label page for the release. Rotcod Zzaj
The Richard Shulman Group, “In Between Blue and Green,” from Turned Into Lemonade
The Richard Shulman Group’s Turned Into Lemonade is a blend of melody, fire, water, groove, mutual exploration and beauty. Pianist and composer Shulman’s sixth jazz title is described “highly inventive original jazz” and rated “Most Highly Recommended” by jazz reviewer Dick Metcalf.
The tune “In Between Blue and Green” pairs a sturdy hard-bop groove with a sleek, noirish melody, making for a refreshing study in contrasts. Shulman and his ensemble keep the energy pulled taut from beginning to end, while allowing plenty of room for creative interplay.
Feature photo credit: © Frank Zipperer
RICHARD SHULMAN GROUP
TURNED INTO LEMONADE
(Jazz Promo Services, 2018)
Cet ensemble est dominé par le pianiste Richard SHULMAN accompagné de Jacob RODRIGUEZ saxophone ténor et soprano; Zack PAGE basse ; Rick DILLING batterie et Wendy JONES qui chante sur trois titres.
Le leader définit lui-même sa musique comme influencée par celles de Pat METHENY, Lyle MAYS, Keith JARRETT, Jan GARBAREK: on suivra son appréciation, au niveau des colorations de sa musique, unpeu moins lorsqu’il invoque John COLTRANE et Phaorah SANDERS. Car la musique de Richard SHULMAN se montre pour l’essentieldouce et feutrée, cultivant la beauté des sonorités et certaines subtilités harmoniques.
On est loin des expériences progressistes, expérimentales des deux saxophonistes précités et des sonorités déchirantes et abrasives de leurs instruments. Dans ce nouvel album, TURNED INTO LEMONADE publié en mai 2018, THE RICHARD SHULMAN GROUP s’ingénie à créer unemusique qui pulse, marquée par de riches et classieux arrangements, le saxophone et le piano mêlant harmonieusement leurs sonorités propulsées par une section rythmique au groove indéfectible.
On rejoint la grande variété populaireaméricaine lorsqu’ intervient la chanteuse Wendy JONES à la belle voix soul tout en décontraction, comme sur The Gifts You Gave To Me.
La ligne d’un piano chantant et d’un saxophone langoureux qui s’entrecroisentmaintiennent une certaine splendeur instrumentale. On écoutera avec uneattention particulière l’épique Homage To Pharoah qui se développe sur 11’44, dont onappréciera les digressions pianistiques, hélas affadies par des vocalises inutiles trop présentes.
Turned Into Lemonade résume la quintessence musicale de cet album: piano chantant aux douces sonorités, saxophonedoucereux, tempo feutré. L’assurance depasser un bon moment à défaut derencontrer l’aventure musicale qui ne viendra pas. (***)
Didier GONZALEZ
(Translation by Google Translator) This ensemble is dominated by pianist Richard SHULMAN accompanied by Jacob RODRIGUEZ tenor saxophone and soprano; Low Zack PAGE; Rick DILLING drums and Wendy JONES who sings on three titles.The leader defines his own music as influenced by those of Pat METHENY, Lyle MAYS, Keith JARRETT, Jan GARBAREK: we will follow his appreciation, at the level of the colorations of his music, a little less when he invokes John COLTRANE and Phaorah SANDERS. For the music of Richard SHULMAN is mostly soft and felted, cultivating the beauty of sonorities and certain harmonic subtleties.
We are far from the progressive, experimental experiments of the two aforementioned saxophonists and the harrowing and abrasive sounds of their instruments. In this new album, TURNED INTO LEMONADE, published in May 2018, THE RICHARD SHULMAN GROUP strives to create a pulsating music, marked by rich and classy arrangements, the saxophone and the piano harmoniously mixing their sonorities propelled by a rhythm section at indefectible groove.
We join the great American popular variety when the singer Wendy JONES intervenes with the beautiful soul voice while relaxation, as on The Gifts You Gave To Me.
The line of a singing piano and a languishing saxophone that intertwine maintain a certain instrumental splendor. We will listen with particular attention to the epic Homage To Pharoah which develops on 11’44, which we appreciate the pianistic digressions, alas faded by useless vocalizations too present.
Turned Into Lemonade summarizes the musical quintessence of this album: piano singing sweet sounds, saxophone sweet, felted tempo. The assurance of having a good time failing to meet the musical adventure that does not
will not come. (***)
Didier GONZALEZ
Highlands Magazine 95
Bliss of Being Reviews
Bliss of Being
The Pure Heart Ensemble
“This CD is a beautiful blend of piano, cello, flute, crystal bowls and vocal sounds. Unlike many “New Age” piano CDs, this recording has a depth and presence that is usually missing from other offerings. The arrangements seamlessly blend the instruments into a cushion of loving sound. This album would be a fine addition to enhance any heart-centered meditation practice, for those healing from emotional pain, as support for energy healing sessions or for simply quieting the mind at the end of a stressful day.”
-Evelyn Rysdyk – Spirit Passages E-dispatch
“The perfect late-night, candles, incense, red-wine, meditational album.”
-Elizabeth B. – 8notes.com
“Do your body and mind a favor and listen to this warm, blissful, all-acoustic music.”
-Buzz Music – A Springboard to Great Music
“The aptly titled “Bliss of Being” makes you glad to be alive. It lulls you into a state of peace and serenity with its skillfully woven melodies composed of a delicate balance of piano, vocals, cello, and flute.
The Pure Heart Ensemble, which is collaboration between Richard Shulman, Kate Steinbeck, Dielle Ciesco, Adriana Contino, and Bob Hinkle, has crafted a soulful and resonant album that evokes a state of contemplation and restoration. It transports you into that rare mental place where both outer and inner disturbances melt away and all you are left with is the stillness of your own mind.
Richard Shulman’s piano acts as a guiding light throughout the composition, centering and leading the other elements in the group. The soft, tinkling piano has a mellow, familiar essence and feels like the soundtrack that should accompany a light spring rain. Dielle Ciesco’s vocals are ethereal and are a lovely complement to the piano, cello, and flute, often echoing their moving and meditative melodies.
The crystal bowls on ‘Divine Connection’ resound with an amazing healing energy that only crystal bowls can produce. They immediately encourage your mind and body to release tension and tune into the uplifting energy that is being offered.
‘We go together,’ the last track on the album, is more invigorating and upbeat than the rest of the tracks. It encourages listeners to come back from their meditative journey and return to the outer world, although not without bringing a little peace and stillness back with them.
On his website, Richard Shulman states his mission as being to “assist listeners in embodying and expressing their Spiritual essence and potential.” Shulman and his collaborators certainly accomplish this mission on “Bliss of Being,” a divinely-inspired and spiritually transformational piece of music.”
-Jenny Smiechowski – NEW AGE JOURNAL
Jenny Smiechowski received a B.A. in Environmental Writing and Environmental Policy from Unity College in Maine. She is a freelance writer who specializes in the areas of natural health, spirituality, and the environment.
“If we haven’t heard from this band’s leader, Richard Shulman, in quite a while, does that mean we’ll be hearing from his old pal, Don Slepian, next? Shulman has been at this awhile, and whether fronting a new age band or going it alone, he’s a brand you can trust not to water things down. A top shelf example of healing music that sounds like it really comes from the heart, this really sounds like a non-violent version of what it must have sounded like when the Earth came together, big band be damned. A lovely album for grown-ups that need a break in the worst way, this set will give them that break, in the best way. Check it out seekers.”
-Midwest Record
“The pure heart ensemble make blissful music. Bliss is a special feeling, an important state to seek, and The Pure Heart Ensemble has created an album, BLISS OF BEING, to assist listeners in attaining that place of calmness, peace, happiness, relaxation, healing/health and spirituality.
The Pure Heart Ensemble — acoustic piano, cello, flutes, wordless vocals and crystal bowls — takes the listener on a trip to find bliss, and, upon arriving there, celebrates blissfulness (the song titles describe the journey, healing, transitions, making a divine connection, and loving others and the world around us). The group is led by pianist and longtime new age musician Richard Shulman (who has more than two-dozen previous recordings).
This all-acoustic album is warm, heartfelt, moving and deeply resonant. There are pieces from a minute long to more than 11-minutes in length. There are highly-melodic passages along with free-floating soulful and spiritual sections. Listen and find the bliss.”
Rating: Excellent
-Zone Music Reporter
“Bliss of Being is a beautiful music CD collaboration from The Pure Heart Ensemble (New Age pianist Richard Shulman, cellist Adriana Contino, flutist Kate Steinbeck, vocalist Dielle Ciesco, and crystal bowl player Bob Hinkle). Together, they have created an expression of exuberant joy, that reminds the listener of the divine spark that gives life to all. Bliss of Being is a treasure for anyone who enjoys uplifting New Age music to experience, and makes an excellent gift for any occasion!”
The Bookwatch – Midwest Book Review
“Renowned new age pianist, Richard Shulman, has brought four remarkable musicians, formed The Pure Heart Ensemble and recorded the very special album entitled “Bliss of Being.” The extraordinary nerve of creating musical sounds that bring total relaxation where you feel chills as you listen is a glorious thrill. You can hear your own breath and enjoy it. There’s the pure feeling of nowhere to go.”
-John Shelton Ivany
Top CD’s of the Week
AUSTRALIAN NEW AGE LIFESTYLE PUBLICATION
Bliss of Being
Stand back and take plunge into some truly liberating, spiritual liberation that is, music when you take a listen what is basically Richard Schulman and friends enjoying themselves creating something rather special in the medium of healing through the gift of music.
This eclectic collection of musicians in vocals, crystal bowl, cellist, flautist and pianist have moved past their perceived limitations stepping into a world that has no boundaries, letting the music absorb and travel where it will
Although the album did not start out as a series of improvisations, eight of the tracks became just that adding a difference to the essence of the pieces, which while subtle, is also very powerful.
For the more structured amongst us there are pieces in the collection that have retained their original intent but have also been delivered straight from the heart.
Shulmans intent was to create an album of music to help people relax and heal but along the way discovered that through the process of creation he was receiving as much if not more in the way of release and gratitude, peace and healing.
This has come through in the final product which, while not only delightful to listen to, does exactly what it sets out to do, encourages you to open up to a process of inner healing, acceptance and release.
Publisher | The Pure Heart Ensemble |
Website | http://www.richheartmusic.com |
A testimonial from our concert at the UR Light Center, 5/9/14 by Pat Christy: This was an amazing performance with new compositions coming from Richard Shulman and his new group, who blend like overlapping ripples in clear blue water with voice, flute, cello, crystal bowls &, of course, piano that is often played like the harp that it really is. The top of my head tingles just thinking about it. THANK YOU!
Sky Jazz Reviews
Sky Jazz
The Richard Shulman Trio
“Pianist Richard Shulman is best known for his New Age and classical-influenced piano works, so I was as surprised as anyone when his new jazz trio project release, Sky Jazz, landed in my hands. Unlike some others from the New Age music genre who have tried their hands at jazz, it’s obvious that Shulman has the chops to back up his aspirations—with room to spare. Working with bassist Mike Holstein and drummer Sonny Thornton, Shulman offers no allusion to fusion or pop leanings, instead making it perfectly clear from the opening “Pictures in the Clouds” that this is a jazz recording in the classic sense. Standouts include the bluesy “Getting Over Lost Love,” the gently swaying “Goodbye to Fantasy,” and the nearly 10-minute tour de force “Still Young at 95.” These cats can play, no doubt about it!”
-Bill Binkelman – Inspired Retailer Magazine
General Reviews
“Recommended: The Music of Richard Shulman. If you are ready for some music that will ooze into your soul, relax you, uplift your spirits, and remind you why you are here, Richard Shulman’s gifted music will do all that and more. His original compositions are stirring, touching, and soothing. I love his majestic touch that melds humility and authentic power. I have been listening to these unique renderings for a long time, and once you hear them, you will feel better, no matter how good you felt when you started!”
-From Alan Cohen’s July 2009 Newsletter
About the CD 11:11 Piano Meditations for Awakening
“I have been loving Richard Shulman’s music for years. When I first heard 11:11 Piano Meditations for Awakening, I knew immediately from the first notes that I was about to have a very profound spiritual experience. Richard’s 11:11 awakens conscious presence and brings my spiritual awareness back to the center point of my true being in ways that even the most cherished music in my collection cannot. I play this album while reading, writing, preparing food, driving, and while otherwise sitting in silence. Thank you Richard, you have somehow managed to surpass even the best of your best. And you have struck an eternal chord in my heart.”
-Dale Hoffman – Facilitator of Aramaic Healing Circles
“Richard: I was so excited that you won an award for your 11:11 cd. It has touched my heart since receiving it at INATS last year. It was well deserved. A Fan…”
-Sharon Cihiwsky
“I LOVE THIS CD! It is deceptively simple, …. Like resting in angel wings, a warmth without temperature, elegance without expectability, delight without ditziness, softness without boredom, levitation without dissociation, power without bombast.”
“Another masterpiece! He never ceases to amaze me with his musical mastery. His music comes straight from the heart and awakens our souls. It touchs us in the very heart of our being. This particular CD has 13 tracks of meditative, exquisite music. I highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to relax, feel peaceful and get in touch with your innerself. I now have 21 of Richard Shullman’s CD’s and will continue to add to the collection as new ones are released. I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do.”
-Music Review by Isis
“I just listened to Meditation 1 and 2. (Isn’t this new technology amazing??) So I thought, “Oh yes, love it. A dance expression to this, sometime, somewhere would be wonderful.” Then I listened to Meditation 2. I loved it even more, and my thoughts followed along a meandering flow as follows: “Its the emotionality behind the simplicity. Great instrument too…different from eastern meditation music and chanting because of this subtle, exquisite emotionality. Oh, how it curves gently around, right into the heart. The bodhicitta. I could do a movement/meditation to this. Darkly lit…so moving and beautiful. Thank you.”
-Celeste Graves-Hoyal, Dancer/Choreographer
“What a peaceful, transformative album, Richard. Thank you SO much for following your Guidance to create it. I feel like my aura is being combed and balanced with these sounds.”
-Kim Hughes – singer, healing sound practitioner and co-owner of www.whitehorseblackmountain.com
About the new Theatrical Musical “A Dream of Camelot”
“The show was amazing, astonishing, uplifting, made me laugh, made me cry and reminded me of all the great good stuff that any practice I have ever done, points to. The show has come such a very long way from conception to the read-through at the Light Center to this lovely evolution. Tony, Jen, Breazi and Dielle were even more incredible than last time (and that is saying a lot). And the new cast were also so well chosen. The dominator scene was so potent (song and interaction between actors), Who You Are Is Beautiful again just melted me where I sat — my absolute favorite song in a show of many favorites. And on and on …. And staging it there at the Masonic Hall was a great choice. What a jewel of a little theater. And also seeing you in black tie was a treat – that was a really great choice, Richard. Am so very happy to have had this experience of your life changing work, Richard, one more time. You all have to have been so happy with what you did together. You are a great ensemble and I hope that the seeds that got sown this weekend, flower into other shows elsewhere because this production is a great blessing in the life of this world. Thanks so much for always following the Muse and the Call, Richard. Love and blessings.”
-Debra (and Joe who also really thoroughly enjoyed it)
Comments on A Dream of Camelot performance at the Masonic Temple 3/12/11 from Debra Roberts.
“I loved the production. It was so beautifully put together. The music, all the songs, those I’d heard before and all the new ones were amazing, as was your marathon playing. The audience participation in the meditation session was brilliant. Extremely helpful to me (as you know) was the explanation of the Camelot background. The director made magic. The choreography skillfully kept things moving along …. I was riveted. The actors and singers were warmly engaging and their performances appeared genuine and heartfelt. They seemed emotionally connected to each other. Love was all around.”
-From Janet Gold who saw the Masonic Temple performance on 3/12/11.
“The show was Amazing! I laughed…I cried…..You captured the essence of human emotions and spirit. I see kids dressed up as woodland creatures dancing to “I like it here in the Woods”.Will see you on Broadway!”
-From Dianne Lancaster, having seen a March 2011 performance
“Richard, I just wanted to tell you your musical at the Light Center is still with me, weeks later. I was so thrilled to have been witnesss to something so profound and would love to support any new projects or at least know of upcoming performances. You are brilliant, and I am so grateful for your contribution. Thank you.”
-Jennifer Kelting
“I loved the story line and the three numbers from the show: I don’t see why this shouldn’t be on Broadway–not Broadway Asheville–well you can preview it here–but I see it making New York theatre.”
-Rena Wright, Author
About the Camelot Reawakened CD and DVD
“Camelot Reawakened: A Vision Fulfilled” presents the beautiful melodic lines and orchestral harmonies of Richard Shulman’s music alongside poetic, revealing commentary by the composer himself. Shulman carefully illuminates his symphony movement by movement, providing the context for, and history of, his wonderful, inspiring “dream of the heart.”
-Ray Hemachandra, Editor in Chief New Age Retailer Magazine
“Many people have inspirations, insights and visions but do not act on them. Richard Shulman encourages viewers to “Remember your dream” and “Keep it alive.” Shulman did just that when he received a vision and felt guided to create a specific piece of music. In Camelot Reawakened, Shulman describes his personal journey, from the moment he experienced his vision in 1996 until his dream became fulfilled, to inspire other people to keep their dreams alive and to fulfill them.
At times, while working on “Camelot Reawakened,” Shulman had moments of doubt and decided the task was impossible. “No – it’s not going to happen!” he thought. Then he connected with his own center deep within and realigned with spirit.
Divine inspiration finds expression through human endeavor, Shulman says. He overcame his anxiety and continued working on the project. He recruited musicians, and rehearsals followed. The final result, an exuberant concert held in 2002 that in included in the video, is an outburst of joy and festivity. The symphony “Camelot Reawakened,” performed by Shulman and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, is available from RichHeart Music on a CD of the same name.
Point out the Camelot Reawakened video as a source of inspiration for artists, writers, and people seeking direction in life.”
-Molly Trimble, New Age Retailer Magazine
“Shulman’s masterful compositions on this CD make the dream feel like it can become real. The recording is flawless!…. “Camelot” gets our HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating for lovers of sonic beauty everywhere in the world.”
-Dr. Jazz, Improvijazzation Nation (Dick Metcalf)
A Higher Dimension
“Reaching A Higher Dimension . . . we are all looking forward to right? I highly reccomend Richard Shulman’s new CD “A Higher Dimension.” There was a feeling of wonder, beauty and a peaceful well-being as I listened to his once again masterful performance of the soft relaxing music being played. From the first “Gates to the Quiet Place” to last “Home.” Music to take you to that Higher Dimension in meditation.”
-Isis
“If I were going to sit in the middle of a pine forest and wished to hear some perfect music for the surrounds, I would…choose A HIGHER DIMENSION.”
–Don Slepian, Starlight Times.
Reprinted from New Age Voice – April, 2000
“Spirit of the New Age” By Carl McColman
“Richard Shulman is a consummate New Age musician. A gentle man with a down-to-earth manner, Shulman balances his gift as a musician with a clear commitment to spiritual evolution–both his own and that of his listeners. As a musician he does far more than merely entertain. His compositions and performances also soothe, enlighten, and transform. This can be seen throughout his catalog. RichHeart music, his artist-owned label, has released such albums as Ascension Harmonics, Light From Assisi, and Keeper of the Holy Grail. The two most recent CD releases from RichHeart–one new recording and one a rerelease of a title previously available only on cassette–continue in Shulman’s tradition of music with a spiritual center.
The new title, Music to Walk the Labyrinth: Synthesizer Music for the Inner Journey, features a live recording of Shulman last year during a community labyrinth walk. In communities across the country, large reproductions of labyrinths (such as the one in Chartres Cathedral) are available for churches and other spiritual groups to use as a focus for meditation and prayer. Walking along the circuitous paths of the labyrinth is a metaphor for the twists and turns of life itself. Performing at one such event, Shulman improvised an extended musical passage which serves as a meditative work in its own right. Peaceful and slow-moving, the music evokes a sense of calm and spaciousness, perfect as a backdrop to meditation, although enjoyable to listen to by itself. However, this is no sonic wallpaper- different keyboard arrangements keep the music interesting, and 30 minutes into the improvisation, the music suddenly blossoms into a lovely synthesizer drone around which a playful melody dances. It’s as if the dedicated meditator suddenly has been rewarded with a glimpse of ecstasy.
Newly available on CD from RichHeart is Light Music – To Clear and Align the Chakras, originally released on cassette in 1996. Recorded at the United Research Light Center in North Carolina, this suite of two meditative programs features music beginning in the key of C (representing the root chakra) and progressing up the scale to the key of B (the crown chakra). The human body has seven major chakras (energy centers) along the spine, each one corresponding to a specific color, a particular part of the human body, a set of emotional and spiritual issues, and a musical key. In progressing up the scale, Shulman’s music clears and aligns each chakra in turn. Liner notes include instructions on how to use the music during meditation to help facilitate the process of chakra alignment.
Sound hokey? Although these concepts are unfamiliar to many westerners, they are core principles of eastern metaphysics, and increasing numbers of Americans recognize the value of working with the chakra system, for both spiritual and physical well-being. Best-selling authors like Deepak Chopra and Carolyn Myss have shown that healing therapies based on the chakra system are moving into the mainstream. Musicians like Richard Shulman have taken the wisdom of the East and given it a lovely soundtrack of contemporary New Age music.
Like many independent musicians who own their own labels, Shulman works tirelessly to bring his excellent product to a market sagging under the weight of cookie-cutter major-label product backed by expensive marketing budgets. It’s David and Goliath all over again. I believe in this David, because his music has a genuine heartfelt spiritual resonance that metaphysical-minded consumers consistently respond to. One soul at a time, people are falling in love with RichHeart Music.”
Light from Assisi
“…The music seems to alter the very atoms and take us into a place of inner mystery and beauty. Intensely personal, it explores the humble and the Divine with equal sincerity. Shulman holds nothing back. His honesty creates a doorway through which spirit enters. This is music for blissing, for contemplating the meaning of God and one’s relationship to the Highest.”
-Shelley Koffler, New Age Retailer
“Light from Assisi is an album of intense spiritual and meditative synthesizer music born of a direct communion with the Supreme Self–the God that dwells within. Many of Shulman’s compositions have ecclesiastical overtones and the emotional impact of a Bach mass, created by deep bass lines and soaring harmonies. However, other parts of this masterwork maintain a lighter, more angelic quality. … Some of the best liner notes I have ever read…. Shulman gives the fascinating details of his experiences in Assisi along with several guided meditations which help the listener to become one with the light of the inner truth as well as the Light from Assisi.”
–Ken Gruen, New Frontier Magazine
New Beginnings
“New Beginnings spills over the bounds of classification… [It’s] melodic and soulful… from Shulman’s hopeful, happy title track to the tender “Gustav’s Lullaby,” the building passion of “Native American Prayer,” and the poignant “Mom,” which is so expressive it’s practically verbal. Contino has a warm, strong velvety tone; her opening to “Song for Smitty” is particularly stunning, while Shulman’s thoughtful, delicate solo has echoes of Keith Jarrett. These two fine players achieve the perfect balance between independent and communal creation, as their introspection and joy flow seamlessly around and with each other. New Beginnings is heartfelt and infinitely soothing – warmly recorded and very well-paced, it will satisfy anyone who appreciates wonderful music that transcends category.”
– Dr. Judith Schlesinger, All Music Guide. Rating 4 1/2 stars.