Reviewed by Kit Burns
Stephen Peppos/Vertigo
This CD of jazz and New Age instrumentals often gives off an ’80s vibe. No, not ’80s as in the Top-40 trends of that era or even anything from the college-radio underground. Rather, it’s the sophisticated, upwardly mobile set, artists such as Chick Corea, Spyo Gyra, and Herbie Hancock. The breezy “In the Piano” could’ve graced New Age playlists in the late ’80s with its engagingly poppy electronics. “Beach Baby” generates summer heat with its soaring sax and pleasantly propulsive keyboards. Peppos swims in more accessible forms of fusion, making would’ve been difficult music for Joe Q. Public into something akin to crossover Adult Contemporary.
There are a couple of truly moving compositions here, the best of which are “Summer’s End,” with its caressing waterfall sounds, and “The Way Home,” suggesting a scenic view of a lake. The images, of course, are up to you and what your imagination can conjure up. And what better way to stir it than music that is blessed with feeling and a positive spirit such as Peppos’?
