Regular Columnists

Artist: Suki Rae
Album: Water & Fire
CD Review: Water and Fire is a mostly instrumental composite of jazz, fusion and world music themes, with guitars, drums, piano, flute, violin and some vocals (especially on the last track).

It is indeed eclectic, and has an old world charm about it that is hard to pin down and even harder to escape. In some ways, as in the case of the flute-heavy 'Neshamah (Breath of God, Soul)' there is a stronge sense of performance art about the disc. In other areas, as in the beginning track 'Magic Circle,' it's very jazz influenced. In fact, that's really the prevailing muscle that flucts this release.

As it should. Rae is from Chicago, resides in NYC and has performed at everything you can name with JAZZ in the title: Universal Jazz Coalition's Women in Jazz Festival and MUNY's Texaco Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival are but a few. And she's won ASCAP awards and had nominations in the NAR Awards. She was a musician in residence at Cornell University, the Arad Arts Project in Arad, Israel, the Fundacion Valparaiso in Mojacar, Spain, and etc. Her music's universal feel has gotten her a lot of work in this life, or vice versa.

All she really has to work on is a website (one isn't listed with the info she sent), and build more than a homemade-looking cd. Of course her real bag seems to be performing. But since most of us can't be where you are, Suki, a nicer package would be appreciated. The music itself is lovely stuff for the open minded.

sukiatry@yahoo.com