Reviews for “In A Silent Place”
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Eric Roberts' new album entitled In a Silent Place is escape music, pure and simple. These are warm, reflective movements blended with smooth jazz elements that make up this fascinating New Age and contemporary instrumental CD. Roberts music gently flows like a cool Colorado stream that empties into a tiny pool in the back of your mind. You can think, drift and dream as Roberts' guitar lulls you into a world that you create. Call it facilitating music. Joining Eric on several tracks are avant-garde cellist David Darling (album Cello Blue, one of my all-time favorites), Robert Weinstein on guitar and Ed Contreras on percussion. This small ensemble puts out some grand music.
Like the simple picture on the album cover, a guitar on a chair with artwork reminiscent of Monet's Water Lilies, Eric recalls in music his carefree days in Europe. It was time he took to reflect and create. And like a Monet painting, this album of thirteen placid tracks is his creation that has come to life in brilliant music.
In A Silent Place, the title track meanders from the speakers like a brook through the deep forest. Dragon flies buzz about as the sun warms your skin and the only sound is the music, your breathing and the breeze through the aspens. Even clouds are shy on a day like this.
Like browsing through old, sepia photographs and then color pictures, the tune Journey Through Time is a passage from one era into another. The graceful music, featuring Darling's moody cello, travels along an invisible track like a quiet train. Your traveling companions are Eric's light guitar licks and Contreras' pitter patter percussion. It is one of my favorite cuts.
The River Runs, a finalist at the Independent Music Awards, is an award winning song that represents a good example of Roberts talent as a performer as well as a songwriter. With a Bossa Nova beat and Darling's sometimes eerie cello, Roberts follows the course of a river as it snakes through forest, field, and mountain pass. As in life there are calm, gentle stretches and there is white water. And, as in life, all rivers eventually reach to the sea, evaporate into the clouds and fall like blessed rain. This is the best track on In a Silent Place.
With just his guitar and a snippet of synthesizer Roberts plays Cella's Song, a tribute to his wife (who is also a talented musician). It is a sweet ballad that clearly says I love you in so many ways. Other noteworthy tracks are a series called Reflections I-II-III. More improvisational than standard songs, they are performed by Roberts in an impromptu manner. They are similar to tone poems, but a bit more melodic and relaxing.
To close the album, the engaging song Lullaby bids you goodnight and pleasant dreams. It features Robert Weinstein on very mellow guitar. You can almost hear the strains of Rock-A-My-Baby snuggled inside the tune. It is a soothing piece that produces dreams a plenty.
Eric Roberts took up the guitar as a teen. He holds music degrees from both Ithaca College and from the University of Miami. He plays bass and bandura as well guitar and his fruitful career has allowed him to perform with greats such as Chuck Berry, The Drifters and Maureen McGovern. This new album with cello wizard David Darling is destined for recognition.
Roberts' relaxing music goes way beyond most murmuring 'chill out' fare with virtuosity and variety. Eric- you can play for us any time.
Rating: Very Good
- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 3/2/2005
This is a superb album of acoustic guitar (both solo and with ensemble) instrumentals, highlighted by Eric Roberts' expressive, warm, and evocative playing (he also composed all the pieces). Cellist David Darling, who as a session player/accompanist may be one of the most sought after artists around today, plays on four tracks, and the other guest artists are Ed Contreras on percussion and Robert Weinstein on guitar. Besides guitar, Roberts also contributes on bass, percussion, and guitar synthesizer (the latter used mostly as background textures or strings). Many of the pieces are moody and reflective, even when they are somewhat uptempo (such as "New Love" which despite its jaunty pace still carries an air of delicate sensitivity) and some are downright minimal tone poems, such as the three-part "Reflections" (numbered "I," "II" and "III"). All three are solo guitar tracks. "II" is even somewhat abstract, yet not unpleasantly so. "III" introduces trace subtle elements of flamenco, but in the context of the piece, this connection could be missed as well.
One of the best tracks, indeed one of the better songs I've heard this year (although the release is technically a 2001) is "The River Runs," featuring Roberts, Darling, and Contreras. Mixing an uptempo pace with darker tonalities yields a composition strongly reminiscent of the best acoustic work on the ECM label as well as the early days of Windham Hill groups like Shadowfax and Nightnoise, although without the latter's overt Celtic influences. "Flowing" is another winner, more subdued than "The River Runs" yet equally memorable and even more evocative. Darling contributes on midi-percussion, rainstick, and "cello orchestra" while Roberts handles his full assortment of instruments. His synth work here, more overt than elsewhere on the album, is a highlight, introducing ethereal tones that weave a soft strain of melodicism throughout the slow tempo rhythm and background guitar and bass, while Darling's accompaniment is spot on. There is a lazy sunny day feeling to the piece, as it brings to mind images of biking along a forest road under a canopy of tall pines, with rays of sunlight poking through now and then.
Some songs carry more than a hint of jazz, again in the ECM vein more than anything else, such as "Journey Through Time" or the late night ballad "Remembering You" which would fit in either a cabin by a northern lake during a fog-shrouded early morning or playing softly in a 20th floor apartment high above a cityscape aglow with the evening's lights. A different mood is achieved on "Cella's Song," a soft and gentle acoustic guitar number (with some subtle synth textures) that easily stands toe to toe with anything from the best known guitarists in new age or adult contemporary music today.
Albums as solid and thoroughly enjoyable as In a Silent Place don't come around often, so when they do, I try my damndest to send up as many flares as possible. Consider the beacons lit, friends. If you fancy yourself a fan of acoustic guitar or acoustic ensemble music (with a little synth work here and there, but nothing obtrusive or misplaced), this album deserves your attention and you won't be sorry if you pick it up. How this one slipped by everyone from as far back as 2001 is a mystery, but now that we are alerted to its presence, there's no excuse for ignoring it. Easily, this one of the best albums I expect to hear in 2005.
- Bill Binkelman at windandwire.com
"Eric Roberts plays guitar with a sincerity and emotive technique that rivals the finest players we've heard. He is one of those artists who is able to mix technical ability and place it both within a contemporary melodic setting as well as an airy experimental place that rides the thin edge of jazz and newage. His partnership with cellist, David Darling, is magical - the timbres of both instruments compliment each other perfectly as is witnessed in the long mp3 cut here, "The River Runs". Darling - as compatible a musician creatively as you can want when you compare both musicians' styles - offers chaotic and kinetic lines that travel fairly far away from the typical cellist style and phrasing. Darling's artistic statement, along side Robert's, is compelling and full of life."
"Roberts track "Cella's Song" is melodic and beautiful - it will remind a few players of John Williams touch - especially Deer Hunter soundtrack familiars. "In a Silent Place" has Roberts composition modulating in jazz overtones. We hear Steve Morse like compositional chordal movements without the speed - probably purely unintentional. "Lullaby" brings us tones reminiscent of Hedges' Rickover fun (Rickover's Dream) - but more intimate and less affected. True to what appears to be Roberts' essence, the recordings are done with little reverb or effects - it's bare and beautiful. A touch of a chamber is all you'll hear - and it brings you up close to the performance. .complete with the human rhythm of Roberts' breath. Wonderful. Track 5 on the CD, "Snow" has Eric moving around with quick note flurries and harmonics. .that move into flowing arpeggios to the point that you can almost see the flakes falling from the sky. We love this CD - and Roberts' compassionate playing. Buy it." - earbuzz.com
"This is great background music for relaxing. I plan to play this in the background during my elementary class' quiet time or classwork." -from cdbaby.com
The songs most likely to impress jazz fans are "Remembering You" with its almost gypsy-like conception and the transitory "Journey Through Time." Most of the material is slow and reflective, like the title track "In a Silent Place", a tribute to his wife called "Cella's Song," and the mildly improvisational trilogy aptly titled "Reflections." "The River Runs" is the most highly celebrated song in the collection, a finalist at the Independent Music Awards. This song, as well as "New Love" feature Brazilian-tinged beats with darkly shaded cello accompaniment. "Snow" is a musically uplifting moment, portraying the swiftness and lightness of falling snowflakes. "Lullabye" tucks you in for the night with the beauty of a beloved hymn.
To his great credit, Roberts keeps his songs brief, which is somewhat rare among self-styled soloists. He says what he means to say then gets out of your face, giving his message maximum impact. The recording quality is very transparent, complete with fret noise and nasal breathing. Eerily-bowed cello, layered guitar arpeggios and fretless bass complement Roberts' low-key imagination. In A Silent Place is an entirely acoustic affair except for the occasional use of guitar synthesizer or programmed percussion which sound, well, synthetic. Sometimes it works, particularly on the otherworldy Vangelis-esque "Flowing." At other times, the effects distract from the otherwise natural music.
- from David Seymour at Jazz Review
Mr. Roberts guitar works will definitely take you to a place where "silence is to be treasured". All originals, which makes it immediately apparent to the listener how talented Eric is... his spirit shines through each gentle acoustic guitar passage, & will transport you to regions of your soul you didn't even know existed. There is far more than just cliché guitar phrasing here, too... my favorite track is "Journey Through Time", which features Eric on Guitar & Guitar synth, as well as David Darling on Cello & midi-percussion... a timeless high-energy composition that will "take you there" - across the eons, to be sure. He also does some marvelous spontaneous improvs... both solo ("Reflections I through III") & accompanied ("A Stringy Dialogue") by Mr. Darling. Other players featured are Ed Contreras (percussion) & Robert Weinstein (guitar). If your body can't relax as your ears absorb this wonderfully relaxing music, you probably belong in a "ward" somewhere, getting "the cure"... on the other hand, this music probably can provide you with a cure, for all but the most aberrant souls, that is. I'm impressed enough to rate this one as MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
- from Rotcod Zzaj at Improvijazzation Nation
"In A Silent Place" is an album that highlights intelligent yet warm guitar music with a "just right" amount of accompaniment. There's 13 nice tracks that cover lots of ground musically and emotively. Some songs have a classical - maybe Spanish styled - sense and others a more modern acoustic aura; a jazz touch is also evident in a few selections.
As far as influences, there's so many here, but clearly SEGOVIA, KOTTKE, and PAT METHENY stand out. [In] one or two places I thought of PHIL KEAGGEY and [his] older instrumental acoustic stuff. Add some Brazilian jazz and pop traces and some world and maybe even New Age touches and you have a very enjoyable album.
Top cellist DAVID DARLING formerly of the PAUL WINTER CONSORT adds a unique and quality sound. Other musical support is there, but it enhances and doesn't try to overshadow the nice work of Mr. Roberts.
I especially liked the warm playing, the clean notes, and the sound of each string - enhancing note and chords. As I listened again and again, I became quite impressed and was drawn into the nice warm musical atmosphere. For lovers of acoustic guitar, this is a must. The instrumental tracks make perfect backgrounds for reading, meditating, relaxing, and even for classy entertaining. I really enjoyed this disk and clearly recommend it.
- A. Canales from the The Critical Review
Stressed out? Feeling the pressure grab you? Here is the solution: kick back and put on "In A Silent Place" by Eric Roberts. You can't stay uptight listening to this. Even the names of the songs have that relaxing feeling to them - tunes such as "Flowing" and "Lullaby" hint at the mood of the music without giving it all away.
One thing you won't find here is your typical new age fare. Roberts describes his music as "jazzy, non-commerical new age," and that fits rather well. This CD won't put you to sleep, but it won't jar your nerves either.
Along with featured artist David Darling (cello) and musicians Robert Weinstein (guitar) and Ed Contreras (percussion), Roberts has a good thing going here. Some songs really do have a little bit of a jazzy feel without being too "poppy," and the musicians blend very well.
If you are looking for music to unwind to, but don't want just boring background tunes, check this CD out. I am crazy about cello, so I loved "Journey Through Time." An interesting musical arrangement - you almost never hear a "perky" sound come out of that instrument, but somehow they did just that.
This 13-track CD can take you from harried to happy by track five. I know - I tested it after a busy, busy day!
- Catherine L. Tully from Indie-Music.com
A finalist in the Independent Music Awards, Eric Roberts is no stranger to award-winning music. After all, he also scored himself a #1 NAR National Radio Airplay Chart hit and surrounds himself with other talented musicians in cellist David Darling, Ed Contreras on percussion, and Robert Weinstein on guitar. His music is New Age guitar jazz with airy elements that breeze the mix into your ears with coaxing delight and subtle nuances that give it a definite chill-out feel. I haven't heard great finger-picking guitar work like this in quite a while.
- J-Sin from Smother.net
He's a music educator and has played a ton of mainstream sideman gigs, but you wouldn't know it from this warm, guitar date that has classic ECM and Windham Hill moves but is firmly in the present with an eye on the future. Simply a great player that knows how to craft a very special audio escape for over burdened ears, Roberts and his well traveled pals turn in a tasty, low key adult date that has way more on the ball than you might think at first pass. - Hot stuff with a slow burning fire that is hard to ignore.
- Chris Specter from Midwest Record Recap
Many musicians and composers play and create because its their job. Eric Roberts, on the other hand, does it from his heart. In his soothing debut album, In a Silent Place , we are treated to 56 minutes on 13 tracks of purely delightful, heartfelt music. Here is music that is, all at once, soft, clean, relaxing and uplifting. Technically, Mr. Roberts' mastery of the guitar and bass is as good as it gets. Imagine, no clicks, no skids and no screech. As a matter of fact, don't imagine, listen for yourself. You will hear delightful, creative songs that are a journey to peace. When I listened, I thought of puffy clouds drifting across the sky, and lake water lapping on the shore. Each of the tracks (some played with noted cellist David Darling) will make you think of a cabin on a hillside overlooking a beautiful valley, with a fireplace and good book, feet up in a comfortable easy chair. When you are trying to find yourself...when the clatter of daily life gets to be too much, you can drift to a place of well-being and peace. That's what In a Silent Place did for this reviewer. Here is music that smiles, perhaps the kind of music we'd expect to hear in heaven. Eric Roberts has given us an aural means to find peace!
- Richard Fuller, Senior Editor from Metaphysical Reviews
Reviews for “My Brazilian Heart”
It’s not often that guitarist Eric Roberts makes a new CD but when he does it’s clearly worth a listen. Back in 2005 Roberts released his CD debut, a fine instrumental showcase for his guitar skills called In A Silent Place. Now in 2009 the Colorado based guitarist follows up with a newly recorded 6 track CD (EP) entitled My Brazilian Heart.
Everything about this new CD release speaks quality—from the studio recording sound down to the eye-catching cover artwork. Whereas In A Silent Place found Roberts in the studio recording a stellar mix of jazzy and reflective yet upbeat New Age guitar instrumentals, with My Brazilian Heart he also sounds influenced by the tropical sounds of Brazil combined with smooth jazz.
Roberts recorded In A Silent Place in the studio with former Paul Winter Consort cellist David Darling and fittingly, Roberts lists a number of players among his chief influences including Paul Winter guitarist Ralph Towner, as well huge Brazilian music legends like Charlie Byrd and Baden Powell. In addition to the comparison with the early Paul Winter Consort sound, there’s also a neoclassical jazz music sound in the mix with a sublime Jean Pierre Rampal meets Earl Klugh vibe in play on My Brazilian Heart, often mixing within the same track!
If there’s one minor aside here it’s that the disc only contains six tracks but the music is so good you’ll find yourself reaching for the replay button to hear it again more than once. If enough people get to hear it, I’m sure Roberts will consider a volume two in the future. A number of players appear backing up Roberts on these six guitar masterpieces including Paul Avgerinos (bass), Bill Harris (woodwinds), Nick Bariluk (keyboards) and Barbara Merjan (drums/percussion).
Easy on the ears, uplifting guitar based instrumentals, My Brazilian Heart makes a fine spin for jazz and Brazilian music lovers that can also serve as a cinematic and reflective musical backdrop for your weary ears.
- Robert Silverstein of Music Web Express 3000
Heading in a different direction than the introspective and more tone-poem approach that he displayed on 2001's In a Silent Place, acoustic guitarist Eric Roberts sets sail for the soft ocean breezes and sun-soaked beaches of Brazil (as interpreted through the moods and motifs of accessible smooth jazz) on My Brazilian Heart. The six-song EP does indeed contain some Spanish musical influences, notably the sensual Latin rhythms of “Flying Free” and the sexy Spanish flavors of “Swiss Samba,” but the majority of this CD is resplendent with the best elements of smooth jazz with literally none of the vapidity or shallowness that sometimes creeps into the genre. Putting it succinctly, this is a killer EP of both mellow and cookin’ jazz licks played by Roberts and his guest artists.
Those guests are well-known ambient artist Paul Avgerinos, here contributing on funky soulful bass, Nick Bariluk on keyboards, noted woodwind player Bill Harris and drummer/percussionist Barbara Merjan. Everyone involved plays with finesse, style, and gusto (when it’s called for). It’s hard to believe these cats haven’t been jamming for a long time, to be honest, as their musical chemistry and sense of simpatico is self-evident from the first listen.
One of the comparisons I kept coming up with as I listened to this excellent CD was to Chick Corea’s early incarnation of Return to Forever, circa Light as a Feather, because both recordings share a joyous exuberance mated to a refined musicianship and a carefree playfulness as well. My Brazilian Heart is a hugely entertaining recording and I never tired of it over many playings before writing this review.
“Brazilian Morning” starts things off in a spirited manner with a nice piano intro spiraling into Roberts’ guitar side-by-side with Harris’ flute. Lively but not overly so, the song sounds like a picture-perfect sunrise! “Gentle Breezes” captures the titular reference with a midtempo rhythm and perfect amalgam of assorted musical elements—Avgerinos’ bass, Merjan’s trap kit drums, Bariluk’s keyboards and Roberts’ guitar. “Flying Free” sizzles with tropical heat tempered by jazzy undertones and the resultant blend produces just enough fire to get your fingers snapping and toes tapping but is counterbalanced with a giddy effervescence to lighten the mood. “Brazilian Nights” is, paradoxically, the most “American,” i.e. urban, cut on the EP, with sexy sax and vibrant piano supported by the solid rhythm section as well as adroit soloing by Roberts.
I’ve often written of my belief in the adage “quality over quantity” in reference to EPs, and Eric Roberts’ My Brazilian Heart is another example of the veracity of the phrase. I certainly wouldn’t have minded more of the same on this recording, but if these six dynamite tracks are what the musicians settled on as being their best efforts, well, that’s more than good enough for me. If all smooth jazz recordings were this good, the genre would never have gone out of fashion. Who knows, maybe Roberts and company can even breathe new life into it? Highly recommended!
Rating: Excellent
- Bill Binkelman, Zone Music Reporter, Dec 2, 2009
Warm, salty sea breezes redolent with Latin spices and floating over light, melodic guitar ripples; balmy nights where your head sways on cool cocktails of icy jazz and samba; the sparkling laughter of children playing beside a bright blue sea.
Eric Roberts’ music is a treat for the senses, taking you wholly into exotic locations and drawing aural scenarios. His guitar melodies are beautiful: interesting enough to listen to intently, yet so unobtrusive they can also be a relaxing back drop.
“Brazilian Morning” is light and uplifting. The introduction paints a picture of dawn and the piece then moves at a moderate pace that imitates the movement and mood of morning activity. The melody is quite busy and intricate, with a pronounced flute that engages you intellectually. It has a nice, satisfying shape, building to a climax and rounding off without feeling too long or too short.
“Gentle Breezes” is very evocative of a seaside scene. It is beautifully cinematic, moving at a pace that makes the listener feel like they are panning over a landscape aurally. There are a few different melodic ideas developed, and once again various instruments are featured. There is almost complete departure in the middle section before we return to the central theme which is repeated in gentle waves towards the finish.
It’s hard not to start tapping your feet and swaying right from the opening bars of “Flying Free”. It’s probably one you’ll want to dance to.
“Children’s Song” has a fun playful feel with a very lyrical melody and a central theme that is developed through several movements. Its skip-along pace imitates child’s play and once again, draws a picture for its listeners.
“Brazilian Nights” is a change of pace and mood into something more sombre and intense - a smooth and intoxicating tune - very cocktail lounge. Again, well structured with a mellow introduction moving into a more settled pace and feel. The alternating lead instruments and improvisations prevent it from sounding repetitive and help develop the musical “story” so that we feel a sense of journey.
“Swiss Samba” with its classic jazz feel is familiar yet fresh. Nicely textured with an instrumentation that’s not too heavy, the shift to different lead instruments provides a variety of colors for the melody. It’s got an upbeat, swinging pace with lots happening in the rhythm to keep fingers and toes busy keeping time.
This is a varied and interesting collection of pieces, slotting into the jazz/latin/chill-out genre. It would be great as a cocktail party CD or mood setter and some of the tracks could easily be placed as theme music for TV.
- Songsalive! Album Review