Islands In Paradise
Dancing Man Music
It's been nine years since drummer/percussionist
extraordinaire Michael Fitzsimmons released his superb album, Water Flows Over Me. Sometimes, you just
have to wait for the good stuff and exercise some patience. Well, that patience
has been rewarded big time with his new album Islands In Paradise. While retaining some of Fitzsimmons' musical
feel, the album is a marked departure in one immediately apparent fashion, that
being a considerable elevation of tempo and mood. Islands In Paradise is a musical excursion to sun-washed tropical
beaches and festive seaside late-night cafes and clubs. The album brims with a
jubilant sense of joy, exerting an inexorable pull to surrender to a mood of
celebration, fun, and a sensual love of life.
As he has did on Water
Flows Over Me (2007), Fitzsimmons has the hang drum (a tuned metal
percussion instrument) take center stage many times, but unlike on Water…here he explores the instrument's
ability to produce uptempo, cheerful, and danceable rhythms through
delightfully exuberant tuned percussive melodies. Besides the hang durm, the
artist also plays handpan, which is somewhat similar in nature to the hang,
kalimba (African thumb piano), and Latin percussion. Joining Fitzsimmons on the
album is Tom Ware who contributes mightily on an assortment of instruments:
bass, keyboards, drums, and synthesizer. These two cats sure sound like they
had a blast recording this album (well, honestly, after listening to it a few
times, how could anyone think they had anything but a great time playing
such festive, happy music?).
Islands In Paradise
certainly merits its title as there is an unmistakable tropical musical
influence at work. While the hang drum (and kalimba) certainly can sound like a
Jamaican steel drum, they actually have their own unique sound if one listens
closely (especially when you compare how steel drums are played – with a mallet
– whereas the hang is played by slapping it/tapping it with one's hands). It's
hard not to envision any of the Caribbean islands when Fitzsimmons and Ware hit
their groove and begin to unfurl the funky, sensual, and infectious beats and melodies.
Ware uses his synthesizer shadings and textures to great effect, coloring the
melodic rhythms with a pleasing undercurrent of subtle melody and ambiance,
like a cooling breeze off of the Gulf as the sun sets in the west.
Not every track is an all-out party, but overall, the mood
is one of playfulness and unrestrained festivity, beginning with the opening
cut, "Earth Sea and Sky." The title track stays in that same
fun-filled mood albeit dials things down just a notch. Just when you might want
to catch your breath, the next song, "Fire Dancers," erupts with an
emphasis on assorted drums and beats and less centered around the hang drum
melody (at least to my ears). On this track, the influences cross over more
distinctly into Latin/Spanish territory, perhaps even displaying a glimpse of
the flamenco genre, as well as some noticeable Cuban stylings as well.
"Elysium" slows to a midtempo pace, but the heavy presence of drum
rhythms still will likely get into the listener's blood and induce some
toe-tapping or finger-rapping. What sounds like a jawbone opens
"Celebration," one of the most light-hearted tracks on the
album—music for parasailing high above aqua/blue waters on a sunny day.
If one closes one's eyes and absorbs the ten tracks on Islands In Paradise, I would imagine one
might easily envision the sandy beaches, the colorful flora and fauna, and of
course the abundant nightlife of St. Lucia, the Caymans, St Kitts, St Maarten,
or Barbados, to name just a few of the Caribbean Islands. Let Michael
Fitzsimmons guide you on a "virtual" vacation to a land of no
worries, lush vegetation, warm days and starlit nights, as you let your stress
melt and hair down. It's all good, mon. Have fun and embrace all the joy and
happiness that life has to offer in the "Islands."
Islands In Paradise is available directly from the artist here.
