CD Review: Jan Seiden - Memory Of Time

Jan Seiden - Memory Of Time
2008, Flute Journey

Jan Seiden is a pioneer: Memory Of Time is the first Anasazi Flute release by a female artist. Her flute is a replica of an 800 year old archeological find from the Anasazi Indians, one of the early Pueblo nations in northwest New Mexico. Seiden's mastery of the Anasazi is lauded in many circles, and she has shared the stage with such luminaries as Jeff Ball, Joanne Shenandoah, Mary Youngblood and Tito LaRosa. Memory Of Time is Seiden's second release.

This is one of those rare recordings that grabs you right from the first note. It's hard to pick specific high or low points here, although the harmonics in Future Past, the opening track, are good place to start. Seiden's music is mesmerizing, contemplative, mournful and hopeful all at once. It's as if the entire continuum of human emotion is wrapped within the notes and nuance of Memory Of Time. Seiden incorporates bone and clay whistles, conga and Marimbula into the recordings to lend an authenticity and period feel to it that is as haunting as it is appropriate.

It is easy to close your eyes and envision a time when only those of the First Nations walked the paths and plains of the western hemisphere. Memory Of Time is the looking glass beyond which these dreams whisper. Jan Seiden is an artist and story teller. The pictures she paints in sound are worth many thousands of words.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

To learn more about Jan Seiden check out www.janseiden.com or www.myspace.com/janseiden. You can purchase a copy of Memory Of Time at www.cdbaby.com/cd/janseiden2.