Horn Of Plenty
Living Music, 2025
9/10
The 7 time Grammy Winner Paul Winter brings guest from around the globe for 13 rich and thoughtful tracks that are full of culture and grace.
“Dolphin Morning” starts with Winter’s elegant soprano sax and Paul Halley’s atmospheric keys that radiate much beauty, and “The Well-Tempered Wood Thrush” follows with Eugene Friesen’s gentle cello and Peter Slavov’s precise bass that makes for a lush and intimate climate.
Getting into the middle, “Blues Cathedral” pairs Winter’s sax with Halley’s organ for a warm minimalism, while “Land Of The Pipers” recruits Jerry O’Sullivan’s uilleann pipes, Zan McLeod’s guitar and Jim Beard’s keyboards that unfold with color and ambience that’s heartfelt.
Closer to the end, “Triumph” moves with a distinct haze via the sax, pipe organ and Uilleann pipes, and “Icarus” exits with Theresa Thomason’s gorgeous voice amid Jeff Boratko’s well timed bassoon and Henrique Eisenmann’s flowing piano for the breezy and thoughtful finish.
A project that was assembled to celebrate Thanksgiving on NPR, this is an enlightening listen that can be enjoyed anytime thanks to the nature-esque mood, nods to animals and very earthy angle of the New Age/jazz/world music hybrid.
Travels well with: Paul Winter- Light Of The Sun; Musica Sierra- Garden