Duo AYA Deliver the Cycles Album on marimba and Flute
- R.A.G.
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
The latest release from San Antonio's Duo AYA delivers a beautiful set of sounds and is performed with such a warm but still vibrant approach between flutist Rachel Woolf and marimbist Makana Jimbu, who both showcase their personal Styles throughout the unfolding of the release.
The Cycles record features pieces composed by several people and with each piece on the album, you start to fall deeper into the experience it gives you.
There are three pieces composed by Gareth Farr. "Bali", Japan", and "India".
These are works that certainly fluctuate with melodic cultural Temperance and do so with such a beauty that you get caught up in that aesthetic.
There is a piece composed by Evan Williams, which is actually the title track, "Cycles", and this one is it perfect example of what I mean by vibrancy. This piece in particular gives you a vivacious and bright feel, and the marimba is performed so wonderfully.
The marimba is an instrument that gives a very particular experience when listened to. It brings out and has a certain sort of color to it that adds a different dynamic presence and tonality than what your ears are used to.
This piece really expresses those attributes incredibly well and how the marimba and flute can fit together like puzzle pieces when performed right.
Although they are texturally separated and different, when they come together in certain performances, like this one, it feels so natural and has a wonderfully forward-moving flow to them. The experience of having those textures come together is amazing.
A piece composed by Paul Millette called "Wildflowers" is one of the pieces that gives you more of a cinematic experience, or I should even say theatrical if you will.
This has swells and intensities that come and go and has an amazing Arrangement and build to it that again, just feels natural.
There's a lot to soak in throughout this release, but one of the most impressive tracks is one composed by Fumihiro Orio called "Water Planet", which is a song that has a completely alive and breathing approach.
The composition of this track is alluring and has plenty of surprises around its corners, giving the flute a completely different experience.
This is one of my favorite tracks on the record because of the flute performance and composition.
It is not anything like you may expect and really gives you a huge range for the instrument with outstanding performance from Rachel.
Although this is one of my favorite songs, all the pieces of music on this release have something different to say and different characters to deliver in a sense.
This was a set of pieces that you can escape into, and if you listen with headphones on, you get a wonderful experience.
The record spans 9 pieces of music, and these are all worth taking in without interruption.
This is a demonstration of the allure and dynamic presence between marimba and flute, and all of it has this heart to it from its performers.
An outstanding release that you should certainly be listening to right now, take a deep dive into Cycles so you can experience all it has to offer.