Album Review: Into the Unknown by Joseph L Young

Review by Lissette Cascante

Composer and multi-instrumentalist, Joseph L Young has enjoyed a proliferous career as a musician unafraid to go beyond boundaries of genre, style, or sound. Joseph is an established chart-topping, award-winning musician whose music has enjoyed broad radio and internet airplay, spanning such genres as New Age, Ambient, Relaxation/Meditation, Native Fusion, Jazz Fusion, and Contemporary Instrumental. But not to be limited, he has also played with a variety of bands ranging from rock, blues, folk, jazz and even Celtic.

In his sixth full-length album, Into the Unknown, Young delves deeper into musical expanses, with compositions that explore the mystical dimensions of time, space, psyche, and spirit, normally related to the unexplained, mysterious, or concealed. The album features three songs previously released as singles: “Secrets of Stone” released in 2021, “Remembrance of Time” in 2020 featuring pianist Lynn Tredeau, and a remix of his 2019 single “Between Worlds.”

The album also showcases more of his talent as a composer and arranger as well as his mastery of the flute. “Every note I play comes from my heart and is how I share my love of music with others, it's how I express my passion for the flute”, explains Joseph. He interlaces ancient sounds with modern synth arrangements which prevail in world fusion authenticity.

Joseph holds a second degree black-belt in Chinese Shao-Lin Kung Fu and Tai Chi which evidently contribute to his unique approach to music. “I want my music to take listeners on a journey of discovery”, he expounds, “to help them work through their emotions, releasing the negative, as they grow and change, and serving as a catalyst to help with their transformation."

The title track “Into the Unknown” is my favorite piece as it abounds with mystique and features a myriad of exotic instruments, voices, and rhythms bathed in a Middle Eastern style melody. In tracks like “Remembrance of Time”, “Enchanted”, “Secrets of Stone”, “Eclipsed”, and “Windswayed”, the alluring flute and creative musical arrangements transport the listener to ancient times, distant lands, sacred ceremonies, and mysterious places.

On other tracks like “Beyond the Horizon”, “Between Worlds”, “Transcendence”, “The Forgotten”, and “Ancestral Crossings”, Joseph seems to venture into other spheres such as space exploration, and perhaps even the afterlife. Into the Unknown is a treasure chest of musical jewels you’ll delight in listening time and time again. The unknown calls us to live consciously. Joseph composes music that speaks to the human soul, and which infuses the silence with the sounds of life.  

~Lissette Cascante for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Into the Unknown is also available at Bandcamp, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Vision Quest 2

A spacious mix of world flute & primaeval atmospheres.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM
00:19 / Bodhi / Purple Shadows / Deep Dream
08:22 / Dean Evenson, Scott Huckabay & Phil Heaven / Edge of Forever / Healing Resonance
13:58 / Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Genesis / Whisper
18:49 / City of Dawn & Sherry Finzer / Paradise Fell From Your Eyes / Solace
24:03 / Healing Sound Project / Earth / Elements
30:56 / Sherry Finzer & Karasvana / Sacred Spiral / Centered
36:00 / Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig / Winds of Spirit Four / The Winds of Spirit
41:57 / Peter Phippen / Spirit Guides / Into the Ancient
47:13 / Sherry Finzer / Through the Veil / Connections
52:55 / Terry Oldfield / Just Before Dawn / Pure Flute

Album Review: Connections by Sherry Finzer

Review by Lissette Cascante

Phoenix-based, classically trained flutist Sherry Finzer has received many accolades and awards for her musical contributions primarily in the relaxation/meditation genre. Her branding encompasses the use of a collection of low flutes, including alto, bass, and contrabass flutes, as well as a variety of Native American-style and world flutes. Often wind instruments are mixed with sacred chants, ethereal sounds, natural and other ethnic arrangements to create her soundscapes. Sherry has recorded, toured, and performed with a variety of accomplished artists whose collaboration has also influenced her unique sound and style. She has released over twenty-seven solo and collaborative albums and numerous singles.

Sherry’s latest solo release, Connections, was inspired by the legendary American flautist Paul Horn who was a pioneer of world and contemporary instrumental music as well as a practitioner of transcendental meditation. Sherry is a firm believer in the power of music to aid in the healing process. Connections is a fitting title for this album given the uncertainty of the current times we are living in; many have suffered isolation, illness or tragedy and are yearning for the support and strength which comes from being able to share and connect with others.

After starting to livestream on the Insight Timer Meditation App in 2020, Sherry began connecting with thousands of fans and followers who shared testimonies of just how much her previous recordings, and her livestreams, were helping them through the grieving process, letting go of stress, improve sleep, or aided in lessening their physical pain. She wanted to share her gratitude and have this recording be about her listeners. All songs on the album were either created in memory of loved ones who have passed, or for someone who currently uses Sherry's music as part of their daily therapy or healing regimen. The flutes used were selected by the participants – each person selecting the flute that resonated with them most.

The album’s seventeen tracks take the listener through a continuum of healing sound and light. The first track “Resilience” serves as the impetus to elevate us to that higher place above our cares, and concerns. The song titles speak to us of familiar comforts like nature, water, new days, blessings, peace, journeying, coming home, connecting, and communing with Spirit. With each subsequent song one can cast off all encumbrances, negative energies, and unhealthy emotions.

Caught up in the gentle whirlwind of her flute sounds and melodies, one feels a sense of release and weightlessness, like a boundless floating experience. The experience is so blissful, like the end of a massage therapy or stretch/cool-down session, you’ll wish, as I did, to remain in that state indefinitely. Perhaps why some listeners say they listen to Sherry’s music 24/7. How wonderful that Sherry chooses to use and to share her musical talents with the world as a channel to bring comfort, relief, and much needed healing.

Connections is the third solo flute release in Sherry Finzer's "Naked Flute" series recorded at The Tank. Her music can be heard under her name as well as her groups Majestica and Evenfall on various international radio programming, international airlines, and overhead music channels.

Besides composing and recording, Sherry is the founder and CEO of the Heart Dance Records label featuring musicians from around the world with a mission of creating music for peace and wellness. She is also founder of the Higher Level Media promotions company, as well as one of the three founding members of the Mindful Music Association. Sherry live streams weekly on the Insight Timer meditation app.

~Lissette Cascante for Journeyscapes Radio

For more information please visit Sherry Finzer's website. Connections is also available at Bandcamp, Amazon, and more.

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Vision Quest

A spacious mix of healing flute & ethno-tribal atmospheres!

ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM TITLE
Bodhi / Every Breath / Deep Dream
Douglas Blue Feather / Finding Peace / Ascension
Cornell Kinderknecht & Martin McCall / Big Sky / Dreamtime
Kenneth Hooper / Graceful Expanse / Directions
Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Andromeda / Autumn Monsoon
Jonny Lipford / Sun Salutation / Balance
Sherry Finzer / Tempest / Renewal
R. Carlos Nakai & Will Clipman / Endless Journey / Awakening the Fire
Byron Metcalf & Jennifer Grais / The Air We Breathe / They Were Here
Dean Evenson, Scott Huckabay & Phil Heaven / Remarkable Formations / Healing Resonance

Album Review: Directions by Kenneth Hooper

Kenneth Hooper is a Texas-born composer and assorted flute player who initially started out playing bass guitar. In 1994, after moving to Redwood, California, he picked up his first flute at a penny whistle workshop, which eventually accompanied him everywhere while on a subsequent trip to the Amazon jungle. Upon returning to the states, he was gifted a Native American flute that he also learned to play. This led to the formation of a musical duo with his friend Garth D. Brooks under the name Elysium Calling, with whom he released two albums. Another creative path would open up for Kenneth when he entered a healing arts certificate program in San Francisco called Sound, Voice and Music, which led to the subsequent release of his debut solo double-album titled Directions.

Characterized by spaciously woven organic soundscapes ranging from gently uplifting to deeply lulling, the album features Anasazi and Chinese Xiao flutes as lead instruments throughout. Likewise, both Udu and Rav drums add an entrancing quality to several pieces, while melodic acoustic guitar gives a notable Americana flavor to three of the nine tracks total. Disc one is more rhythmic while disc two is more meditative, with the second half of the album especially emphasizing the incorporation of many nature sounds along the way, including whale-song, ocean waves, singing crickets, a flowing stream and windy effects.

One of my favorite pieces, “Directions”, beautifully opens disc one with a super-slow shamanic drum pulse, as flutes, shakers and thunderstorm effects soon enter the picture and gradually pick up pace throughout. Native female vocal chants further enhance the Southwest American atmosphere of the composition and collectively calls imagery to mind of a darkening sky over vast canyon terrain.

Another equally gorgeous piece, “Graceful Expanse” from disc two, conveys a nocturnal Pacific feel with its delicately sensuous flute notes played on the Chinese Xiao in tandem with a tranquilizing Rav drum melody. Likewise, gossamer synth-pads sustained throughout add to the composition’s enthralling ambient haze, which effectively paints enchanting visuals of a misty forest softly illuminated by starlight.

A highly praiseworthy album overall that touches on ambient, acoustic and ethnic fusion musical styles, Directions is the perfect listening experience for anyone drawn to the essences of the earth via beautifully harmonious sounds! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon and other music retailers. For more information, please visit the artist's website.

PGM 268: Canyon Breeze 2

A meditative mix of native flute & visionary soundscapes of the American Southwest!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Scott August / Beyond Summer / Beyond Summer
Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Canyon Ghosts / Autumn Monsoon
Kenneth Hooper / Directions / Directions
John Huling / Lost Canyons / Mesa Sunrise: The Essential John Huling
Douglas Blue Feather / Letting Go / Ascension
Sherry Finzer / Winds of Intuition / Transcendence
Michael Brant DeMaria / Between the Worlds / Ama
Evenfall / Evening Shadows / Indigo Skies
Sherry Finzer & Will Clipman / Penumbra / The Space Between Breaths
Ann Licater / Canyon Solace / Quiet Spaces: Flute Meditations for Mindfulness and Relaxation
Wychazel / On Eagle’s Wings / Spirit Flute

PGM 252: Ancestral Winds 4

Another entrancing excursion into atmospheric world and tribal-ambient soundscapes inspired by relics of the past!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Al Jewer & Andy Mitran / Sky Mountain / Music of the Earth
James Asher & Ayako Tanaka / Alignment / From Bud to Bloom
Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Journey of Life / Autumn Monsoon
Byron Metcalf & Jennifer Grais / Of Whales and Wolves / Sacrament
Sherry Finzer & Will Clipman / Kilauea Rain / The Space Between Breaths
Forrest Fang / Zone One / Ancient Machines
Steve Roach & Vidna Obmana / The Memory Pool, Part 3 (edit) / Ascension of Shadows

An Interview with Monica Williams at the Heart Dance Records Summit

Here’s an interview with flutist Monica Williams that was conducted earlier this year at the Heart Dance Records Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. In this segment, we highlight her stunning debut album, Journey of Tears, which mesmerizingly weaves classical, world and Native American-style flutes among hauntingly beautiful soundscapes.

Music from the album Journey of Tears can be heard throughout this interview.

Album Overview: Sound Currents by Tom Moore & Sherry Finzer

Sound Currents is the third collaborative release by multi-instrumentalist Tom Moore and flutist Sherry Finzer. Weaving electronic sequencer patterns among earthy shamanic soundscapes, the album seemingly evokes a sensuous intangible mystery and the unlocking of ancient secrets conveyed by the compositions’ deeply resonating atmospheres, which enshroud exotically meditative flute melodies throughout. Easily the duo’s most impressively stunning collaboration to date, Sound Currents is surely destined to be among this year’s favorite albums! ~Candice Michelle




Available at Amazon, Bandcamp, iTunes and other retail & streaming platforms.

Artist Spotlight: An Interview with Al Jewer & Andy Mitran

We’re excited to present an audio interview with Chicago-based recording duo and multi-instrumentalists Al Jewer & Andy Mitran. They’ve just released an album called Perihelion, which features collaborations with several notable musicians in the new age, world and contemporary instrumental genres. We’ll discuss the inspiration behind the album’s concept and metaphorical connection to its astronomical title, as well as play some music and touch on their past releases. So please tune-in for some conversation, fun and a musical journey around the sun!

Artist Spotlight: An Interview with Sherry Finzer

We’re excited to debut our first audio interview with renowned flutist, composer and Heart Dance Records label founder, Sherry Finzer. A versatile musician who currently resides in Anthem, Arizona, she’s released several solo and collaborative albums, with her signature style spanning ambient, world, new age and contemporary instrumental musical genres. In this enjoyable segment, we’ll learn more about Sherry Finzer, as we delve into her musical background, discuss current projects and various collaborations, as well as play some of her music!

Sherry Finzer's music is available at Amazon, Bandcamp and other music retailers.

Album Review: Ethereum by Joseph L Young

Joseph L Young is a world-flute master and keyboardist. His fourth album, Ethereum, is comprised of twelve beautiful compositions that showcase his multi-instrumentalist talents and keen ability to tap into the essence of music from various cultures. Among the instruments Joseph plays are Native American flutes, Chinese flutes, South and Central American clay drone flutes, Irish pennywhistle, and even Saxophone on one track. These exotic elements are deftly interwoven among indigenous percussion and atmospheric synthesizers, thereby lending an overall shamanic and trance-inducing quality to several of the compositions.

“Wavelength” opens the album with hazy tones and suspended chords that envelope a subtle flute melody. Serene and warmly-lit from the very first note, this piece brings images to mind of an afternoon sunset casting its beautiful glow over a rocky desert terrain. The title piece, “Ethereum”, follows next with a native-style flute that seems to echo throughout a vast canyon. This hauntingly beautiful and slightly forbidding ambient flute piece is likewise accompanied by droning synths, rainstick sounds and washes of chimes, which seem to evoke a sacred semblance of channelling an ancient wisdom or unveiling of hidden secrets. The comparatively lighter and more gossamer “Shimmers” ensues with Celtic harp and Irish pennywhistle, a delicate piece that conveys a fairytale-like medieval or renaissance flair. Changing scenery once again, “Boundless” begins with a low rumble and slithering sounds that introduce native-style flute and reverberating, slow-paced percussion, as hypnotic vocal intonations are echoed among its cavernous ambient soundscape. It is followed by the notably intriguing “Illumination”, a radiant piece that evokes images of a watery cave illuminated by sunlight pouring through. Here, piano and flute exchange dual melodies among a backdrop of chimes, Udu drums and atmospheric synths. Exuding both Celtic and Chinese overtones, “Free” is another piece particularly worth noting, which features vocals by Lenise Redding who sings a bewitching and mystical melody. Concluding the album is the beautifully nocturnal “Sapphire Moon”, which is guided along by subtle percussion and occasional shooting star effects, as a chorus of flutes seem to gently serenade the moon.

Brushed by colorful hues of various cultures throughout, it’s easy to slip into a deep zone while listening to this album. I’m especially fond of the many echoing effects and intricate textures throughout these beautifully relaxing and soulfully rejuvenating passages. With similarities that could be drawn to works by Scott August and Al Jewer & Andy Mitran, Ethereum is a wholly rewarding excursion into ethno-ambient flute music! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon and other music retail & streaming platforms. For more information please visit the artist's website.