[.ca] (T)Cobalt Blue Live at...

Very underappreciated artist:
Generally the field of ambient music is dominated by musicians, producers, and DJ's who are able to coax atmospheric bliss from keyboards and, aside from Talvin Singh's msterful tabla exploits, not much else. > Then there's Michael Brook. Probably the mystery of Michael Brook's anonymity involves his choice of instrument and the music he makes with it. He plays guitar, so he can't be techno-ambient, but he lacks that "granola factor", so he can't be New Age, either. I had first heard of him when I bought "Night Song", an excellent collaboration with the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and one of the finest examples of East/West musical fusion I've ever heard. "Night Song" also utilizes layers of synthesized ambience, but the sound of something called the "Infinite Guitar" is also fairly prevalent (as near as I can tell, the "Infinite Guitar" is either a pet name for Mr. Brook's own customized effects rig, or else it is an electric guitar with no frets on its fingerboard, enabling a wider, "infinite" selction of tonal varieties). > This double CD provides a much more telling glimpse of the guitarist's talent. The chill-out factor alone makes this CD a must-have if you like to listen to music during meditation or other times of introspection. The guitar sound is much more dominant (and more clearly defined) than it was on Mr. Brook's earlier "Hybrid" CD, the sound of which was absolutely saturated with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois' involvement. The studio recordings on the first CD are magnificent, and the live set that appears on the 2nd CD is reminiscent of the The Orb's "Live 93" recording, in that it proves that electronic music performed live does not need to be by definition the pressing of a playback button from a reel-to-reel tape machine...very surprising. > In short, Michael Brook is the maker of very satisfying music; anyone who appreciates ambient electronica and an original guitar sound owes to themselves to give him a listen.

The infinite guitar:
I'm not sure what the infinite guitar actually is, but I am fascinated by its sound and have seeked out every album that it's on, played by Brook of course, though I know the Edge uses it from time to time too. Hybrid is also very recommendable as it is a collaboration with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and Dream from the Real World Label has Brook playing a more out of control and loud guitar on it, which I really enjoy.

Music for writing, for reading, for drifting off to sleep.:
If ratings were measured purely on how often I listen to a record, Cobalt Blue / Live at the Aquarium would be a hands-down 5-star album. Ever since I bought this two CD set a few months back, these discs have spent far more than their share of time in my CD player. Brook's textures and melodies are subtle enough to linger in the background when the consciousness is focused elsewhere, and intricate enough to be interesting beyond mere background. And I certainly cannot complain about the price; for the price of a single album this set offers two which are complentary though not repetitive. And yet I can't bring myself to give this record five stars; it strikes me as beautiful without being brilliant. For the latter, I find myself turning elsewhere. All too often I find myself setting this record aside in favor of something by (modern classical composers) Henryk Gorecki or by Arvo Part; for me, their compositions appeal to a similar mood - music for writing, for reading, for drifting off to sleep - but their records contain a spark of fire that never caught in this one.

Hypnotizing. But off the beaten track....:
I'm new to Michael Brook in the past year, but have picked up 4 CD's including this one. It is a great album (this word gives away my age) and I recommend it to anyone who is adventurous in their instrumental tastes. Hard to classify, but Brook is clearly a man who is performing on the edge of the musical envelope. The album is generally low key, in a very electric way, and very listenable, which makes the incredible, textured guitar work that much more gripping. Recommended.

A wonderfully textured ambiant delight:
These two releases are wonderfully textured ambiant delights. Michael Brook developed the infinite guitar, which The Edge played beautifully on U2's "With or Without You." His technique features long, sustained notes, with layerings and ambiant echo. Bill Frisell comes to mind as a similar musician. You will love playing these discs as background, relaxing music. So will your date... :-)

• Shona Bridge
• Breakdown
• Red Shift
• Skip Wave
• Slipstream
• Andean
• Slow Breakdown
• Ultramarine
• Urbana
• Lakbossa
• Ten
• Hawaii
• Shona Bridge
• After Image/Urbana
• Andean
• Ultramarine
• Lakbossa
• Cascade
• Red Shift