the project
Paul Horn has spent his life roaming vast musical landscapes, gleaning
a highly personal style from such seemingly disparate musical forms
as jazz, classical, pop, and countless ethnic traditions. His artistic
search has taken him to the farthest reaches of the planet to record
in architectural wonders like Egypt's Great Pyramid and the majestic
cathedrals of Russia. As a voyager of inner space, he has also had the
courage to leave the intellectual tenets of Western music behind to
trace musical pathways through the heart and soul.
A retrospective of some of his most significant musical discoveries
is tastefully presented on Nomad/Selected Pieces 1976-1988.
Compiled by Stephen Hill, host of a popular radio
program, Music from the Hearts of Space, this collection
features eighteen selections from eight previous releases, sensitively
programmed to flow as if no time has elapsed between earlier recordings
like Inside the Cathedral (11075) and
the more recent expressions of Traveler (11086)
and The Peace Album (11083). What you
hear is the inimitable sound of Paul Horn, whether he's playing insightful
solo flute versions of classics by Bach, Debussy,
and Palestrina, improvising in resonant halls, collaborating
with the delicate Chinese instrumentals of David Mingyue Liang,
or performing with the thick, synthesized textures of Christopher
Hedge and the bell-like voices of the San Francisco
Boys' Chorus.
the artist
Paul Horn's musical career began with rigorous studies in classical
music at Oberlin and the Manhattan School of Music in the 1950s. He
went on to play jazz with
Chico Hamilton, and also
worked as a session musician in Hollywood. In the 1960s, he received
two Grammy Awards for his
Jazz Suite On Mass Texts, and
recorded numerous albums with his own quartet and quintet.
In the mid 1960s, dissatisfied with the Hollywood lifestyle, Horn
flew to India where he studied Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi. The experience had a profound effect on his
music, and in 1968, he recorded the renowned Inside the Taj Mahal
(11062), an album of solo flute improvisations
that many consider to be the cornerstone of new age music.
