Jazz Articles

Ashera: Ambient Selections

by AAJ Staff
February 1, 2001

This 2-CD album, produced in Australia by Anthony Asher Wright and a couple of guest performers, is well within the “traditional” spirit of Brian Eno’s original concept of ambient music. It is designed not to intrude, but to exist in the aural background of the listener’s consciousness, and enhance calm or meditative moods. The album cover says “Play at lower level; do not operate machinery or drive vehicles.” This sums it up pretty well. “Ashera’s” sounds feature, in different tracks, ...

Ashera: Cobalt 144

by AAJ Staff
February 1, 2001

“Ashera” is an Australian artist whose ambient productions are very much in the “classic” spirit of Brian Eno. You will hear the by-now-familiar sounds of Ambient in Cobalt 144 : rhythm-less floating synthesizer or electric guitar tones, sighing and whispering wordless female voices, tinkling or rattling percussion accents, heavily filtered electric piano notes, bells, and environmental sounds. All the tracks are soft in volume, designed to be a kind of “audible incense” to perfume the environment.

Even though the style ...