“Soul of a River” by Jon Durant
Album Review by Dyan Garris for Zone Music Reporter (ZMR), New Age CD, and “Spirit Seeker Magazine”
“Soul of a River” is the new album from Jon Durant. Jon is widely known as a guitar player whose unique use of fretless guitar has brought him distinction in that area. Jon has previously released 9 solo albums as well as 3 Burnt Belief records with Colin Edwin. Two of his solo CDs have been nominated for awards in the New Age genre.
Jon lives on the Willamette River, a tributary of the Columbia River which flows through Oregon. It is that meditative quality of watching the river flow past that inspired the music on “Soul of a River.”
This is 6 tracks and just over 46 minutes of meditative journey. The tracks are long, with “Estuary” and “Current” being the longest at 9:14 and 10:40 respectively. All the tracks are scintillating piano together with guitar played in a fretless, “cloud guitar” kind of style, giving the music a kind of “spacey” contemplative feel.
The album opens with “Tributaries,” which is a fitting beginning. There is a repetitive melody here which sets the stage nicely for contemplation, relaxation, and meditation. Following is “Estuary.” For those that do not know, basically, an estuary is a transition area. . .a place where the river meets the sea. This is relaxing, soft, peaceful, and 9 minutes of “space out” of here as we merge with both the river and the ocean. Nice.
“Glistening” paints a lovely soundscape of the reflection of sunlight reflection shimmering off the water. Just like that, this is lively (not overly), and sparkling. Another repetitive melody takes us easily into the “zone.“
The almost 8 and ½ minute “Watercourse” is ethereal and kind of haunting. The unique guitar playing shines through here. Very relaxing and peaceful, as a flowing watercourse might be. Flow along with this into dreamland.
The longest track on this album, “Current” is another good blend of guitar and piano. Here we can almost feel the currents that live and breathe underneath the river, which are sometimes slow and sometimes faster, but always moving on through. This is cool, and a favorite on this album.
The album winds down with the fluid, “Flow.” Again, the haunting guitar intertwines quite nicely with the piano, and this is another favorite. Here, one can just float out into the relaxation. Jon may have company at his place by the river very soon. Good, meditative album. Peace out.
Get it/listen here or on all major streaming platforms: https://myndstream.com/jon-durant
Be sure to check out the video for “Flow” here: https://youtu.be/Hv7636EM6NA
Label: myndstream (www.myndstream.com)
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