By the 2000s, the term for the kind of mystical acoustic music that Brazilian pianist/composer
Kenio Fuke created on this collection was no longer known as new age. His label, Real Music, which has been releasing albums from these kinds of artists since the '80s, now calls it "music for relaxation and renewal" -- which is also a perfect description of the gentle, graceful seduction it creates for the listener. A welcome addition to a roster that has long included one of the masters of this genre,
Kevin Kern,
Fuke graduated from the Dramatic and Musical Conservatory of São Paulo as a classical pianist, composer, and conductor. He applies his gift for (low-key) drama and melody to a set of beautiful, elegant pieces that he plays either as solos or with light layers of strings and well-placed guitar and oboe harmonies, in addition to some sweet forest-based nature and bird sounds. This type of atmospheric accompaniment is in line with the liner notes that suggest that listeners imagine themselves lying in soft grass under a canopy of trees. But titles like "Spirit of the Water," "Garden of the Roses," "Portals of the Universe," and "Dance of the Dolphins" make it clear that
Fuke's music is adaptable to wherever the listener wants to imagine. It's beautiful for what it is, and because the songs all have a similar simple rhythm, the collection is best experienced as a whole -- while out in nature or on the table at the spa. ~ Jonathan Widran