Published on Sep 22, 1999
With the official start of fall arriving today, it seemed
appropriate to dip back into the world of Chip Davis and Mannheim
Steamroller for a look at
Fresh Aire II, the group’s second album which –
appropriately enough – was supposedly centered on fall.
Mannheim Steamroller’s first
Fresh Aire disc had some great music – including a style
that had rarely been heard at that time – but the group seemed to
rely too much on keyboardist Jackson Berkey. For their second
outing in 1977, the group touted an expanded lineup (which still
centered around Berkey and percussionist/leader Davis), but
Mannheim Steamroller wanted to make their presence truly felt on
the scene.
What they did, in effect, was reaffirm the statement that new
age music was here and was not going away – and they also worked to
bring classical music into the 20th Century. A lot of the melodies
I heard on this release I could have easily pictured artists like
Bach or Beethoven writing had they known about this musical road
they could have travelled. (The benefit of the synthesizer and
electricity would have helped matters as well.) And while this road
isn’t always so smooth, it is the logical next step for this
group.
The first half of
Fresh Aire II revolves around the theme of doors and
different feelings, many of which revolve around a central theme in
the music. Often, the feel of these pieces is very Medieval, which
I happen to enjoy. You can hear some of the same elements that made
up portions of the first
Fresh Aire disc – and if you’re well schooled in this group,
you can even hear the seeds being planted for their eventual dip
into Christmas music.
Interestingly enough, Davis and crew are able to keep things
interesting throughout all seven movements in this portion of the
album – though I will admit the theme does get a little tiring near
the end. While the classical purists might scoff at the idea, I
honestly believe that pieces such as these could be considered
modern-day classical music, even though they implement such things
as the drum kit. (I do like the addition of the chanting, albeit
briefly, in this piece.)
And while Berkey’s keyboard work is still vital to the success
of Mannheim Steamroller, it does seem like some of the pressure has
been taken off him, and thrown to the now-expanded lineup. This
proves to be a good thing, for this time around, one doesn’t get
tired of hearing Berkey’s work constantly.
Case in point: The second half of
Fresh Aire II opens with “Interlude V”, a continuation of
the interlude series started one album prior. This being the only
piece in this vein, Berkey’s work becomes a rarer commodity, and
this piece is one to be savored.
The remainder of
Fresh Aire II consists of pieces that could be considered
mood music, though I’d hardly say that any of these pieces are
indicative of the fall season. “Velvet Tear,” while a remarkable
piece, sounds like a song you’d hear either at a funeral or at the
end of a broken relationship. I always thought that fall was a time
of celebrating the joys and labors of the spring and summer, as you
experience the fruits (and vegetables) of the past months.
There are still one or two hit-or-miss pieces here; I’d easily
label “Toora Lute” and “Going To Another Place” as “personal
preference” tracks. I just happened to be a little let down by
them. Your reaction may differ completely – and that’s fine, since
Mannheim Steamroller is the kind of group from which you can get
out as much as you wish.
Fresh Aire II might not really be the most appropriate
soundtrack for fall (I thought John McCutcheon did a better job
capturing the flows and ebbs of the season), but it still is a
pretty album, and one that showed that Mannheim Steamroller were a
group to be taken very seriously.