Shadowfax - Magic Theater

My Thoughts: (Reviewed by O. Anderson)

Don't even try to pretend that you've heard of this band! Shadowfax sounds a lot like something you'd hear in Starbucks, or in an elevator in a crappy hotel, but they are nowhere near crappy. I found this CD in my dad's collection one evening while looking for something new to listen to. Even though they aren't my cup of tea (at all), I can really appreciate this jazz group's livliness and energy, and I must say that I enjoyed listening to this album. I often find that when listening to music with no words, I can't tell the songs apart. This, however, was not the case for Shadowfax. Every song had different aspects, and focused on different sounds. The opening track, "Imaginary Islands", contains some sweet saxophones, and really does live up to its name. Other tracks, like "Ebony Wind" focus a lot on the effects of pipes and such, and really do make you think about wind. Also, I really appreciate tracks like, "Hey! Your Hat's On Backwards" and "How Much Does Zimbabwe?" because they tend to concentrate on every aspect of the music, like the drums and jazz piano, instead of just one instrument. At first, I didn't like the fact that there was no vocals at all, but after a while, the music of Shadowfax grew on me, and I didn't even notice. I would definitely recommed Shadowfax to any music lover.

Key Tracks:

Imaginary Islands
Hey! Your Hat's On Backwards
The Spirit Door