Reviews

 

Reviews of Peace Pieces, which has five of the same songs


"Armed with a doctorate from the cutting-edge electronic music program at the University of California's San Diego campus, Willey serves up a classic new age brew on his CD, Peace Pieces. The sheer beauty and careful programming of his music makes this worth a listen."
--Titus Levi,
Keyboard


"In his words, this disc is 'new age jazz bossa nova folk electronic instrumental experimental.' Actually, it's more than that:... It's also Norway, Casteneda, and other places and writers, and it puts a hi tech approach in the service of easy listening."
--Joel Chadabe,
Electronic Music Foundation


"A grand collection of pieces ranging from Jan Hammer like ballads to sound collage, with spoken lectures on theory, to driving uptempo jazz flavored pieces like "High Lights", just a few of the highlights from this superb diverse collection of songs. An evocative, eclectic work that spills over into varied musical genres. The soaring atmospheric melodies come from a variety of influences, a seamless blend of western pop, progressive jazz fusion, art rock, experimental, and even classical. For Willey, the only limits to his music are those of his imagination which appears absolutely boundless. This is an innovative musical treat. Highly recommended."
--Ben Kettlewell,
i/e and Dreamsword


"Many of his most accessible works do fit right into the light jazz and new age listener's comfort zone. But where most of the music in those genres goes down with the nutritive value of mineral water, Willey's pieces deliver real caloric content." --Alan Reder, San Diego Reader


"Putting a finger on exactly the kind of music this is poses more problems than simply enjoying it. Its synthesizer-driven melodies glide across the ears in billowing, round sounds suggesting the Roland sound of the 70's fusion set to drum machine. Like a good deal of New Age keyboarding, it borders at times on elevator music and other times experimental jazz, but always promises the possibility of achieving the alpha state. Willey avoids the self-indulgent, cloying synthesizer syndrome. 'Out of the Blue' is as beautiful as a snowflake, while 'Welcome to the Trondheim Composer Group Concert' overlays a rhythmic soft jazz beat over a short speech about Norwegian music. The whole compilation, which Willey calls 'more a series of discoveries than compositions’ stays fresh and intimate. Willey has poked his hands into the clouds and brought back magic elixirs, perfect for cases of over-seriousness."
--Brennan Washburn,
Heartsong Review


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