Track Feature: Joanne Lazzaro and Susan Surftone: Lava Walker - Live at Kulak's Woodshed

Joanne Lazzaro is a renowned flutist and her partner on guitar, Susan Surftone, has made her mark over the years with the six-string. 

Their recently released single is titled "Lava Walker."  The combination of Joanne's amazing mastery of the flute and the acoustic guitar of Susan serves as an excellent marriage of two instruments.

The flute is used in many genres of music however I believe when it comes to world-new age music, it just feels like its right where it is supposed to be.

"Lava Walker" was caught live at Kulak's Woodshed and the video gives you the pleasure of being there. After hearing this track it makes you want more. I hope to hear an entire album along these lines soon!

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannleck




More About Joanne:

Joanne Lazzaro is a classically trained flutist who “accidentally released a New Age solo Native American flute album.” Under The Stars (2015) went on to win multiple awards both in the USA and globally, establishing her as an independent world flutes recording artist. In 2018 she started her own record label JoRazzal Music, releasing a World Premiere recording of Canyon Shadows by renowned classical flutist & composer Katherine Hoover, featuring her trio “Dreamcatcher”. Recognizing her first effort as a Producer,  “Searching – Desert Dawn Mix”  from that album was nominated for a 2018 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best World Recording ...READ MORE...

Instrumental New Age Review: Joanne Lazzaro-Under The Stars

Release Date: March 1, 2015

Label: Indie

Website

The flute must be one of the hardest instruments to master. I have a deep respect for any musician however there are certain instruments that seem more difficult to produce an entire album with. I definitely think the flute is one of those that qualify.

Joanne Lazzaro took on the task of mastering this mystical instrument and created a fine album titled Under The Stars.

“Path of the Departed Souls” was my introduction to Joanne’s music and it was featured on the Rate The Tracks site. There is something simplistic and beautiful about this music. The flute is the only instrument being played so you cannot help but focus on that. The difficulty for this type of recording is to pull in the listener and keep them interested. For my ears it worked as every track has a different tone and ambiance to keep it interesting. Although I enjoy rock music I am drawn to this kind of music more all of the time for its healing qualities. I find that I can get more focus on thoughts and feelings that are dismissed during the course of a busy and sometimes frenetic day.

There is a lot of great music to enjoy on this album and each track is an individual offering from the artist for you to use as you see fit. “Zuni Sunrise (extended version)” is as mesmerizing and relaxing as one track can possibly be. It has a mysterious element to it and reminded me of a time far away, perhaps ancient China. Like watching a movie as the scenes flicker by, you conjure all kinds of thoughts and images. This is what music of this sort is supposed to do and I think the artist accomplishes this consistently throughout the run of this recording.

I love the way Joanne closed out the album making her flute sing like a bird, literally. In the appropriately titled “Lark Who Sang His Song to the Sun Every Morning” she demonstrates the capabilities and power of her instrument by emulating a bird saying good morning to the sun. What a perfect way to close the curtain on a magical journey provided by a very talented flautist. If you want to feel like you are Under The Stars I highly recommend listening to this album.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Path of the Departed Souls, Zuni Sunrise (extended version), Lark Who Sang His Song to the Sun Every Morning

Tracks:
 01. Evening Star Song
02. Sky Chief   
03. Medicine Wheel
04. Moon Dances With New Star   
05. Giant Cactus-Gathering Hook   
06. Path of the Departed Souls   
07. Bear Who Wanted a Mango   
08. Rabbit Tracks
09. Spirits of the Long-Eyes   
10. Amazing Grace - Trail of Tears   
11. Zuni Sunrise (Extended Version)   
12. Lark Who Sang His Song to the Sun Every Morning
 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck- New Age Music Reviews Founder

October 18, 2015

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Focus Track: Joanne Lazzaro-Path of the Departed Souls

Joanne Lazzaro has released an album titled Under The Stars. The focus track to hear is "Path of the Departed Souls."

Joanne is an accomplished flute player and the new recording encompasses 12 tracks. This is the first one I have heard and it was recommended by the artist. It was a fine choice.

"Path of the Departed Souls" is a beautiful and haunting piece. It makes you feel like you are really walking down a long path somewhere in the mountains above the clouds where spirits wander and memories of life abound. Let the flute be your Shaman and go deep inside yourself to find answers to questions you may have.

I loved the track and felt it was soothing with a certain mystical flair that captured my attention and imagination. Give it a good listen and let it transport you to another place.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck


More About Joanne:

http://www.kokopelli.la/

Bios can be long and look impressive, but I’m assuming you’re here because you’d like to know something about me...

I started taking flute lessons in public school, when I was 10 years old. No one else in my family was a musician, although I heard rumors that there was a famous gypsy violinist on my maternal grandfather's side.

My high-school band director, Lee Harrington, was incredibly influential and supportive of me, both as a musician and a person - he's  the main reason I continued on to play the flute for the rest of my life.

While I took to classical flute very quickly, I soon became interested in world flutes, too. People would constantly bring me any wooden, bamboo or ceramic flute that they had found while traveling, and hand it to me - "Look - I found a flute for you!". I was also very interested in Native American art and culture, and taught myself beadwork and leather-tooling. I had never seen (or heard) a Native American flute until I spotted one hanging on a wall in a gift shop in Boulder, Colorado, in the early 1990s, while on a road trip across the USA. As soon as a played a few notes on it, I was completely hooked. Soon after, I heard (and bought) Carlos Nakai's album "Canyon Trilogy", which inspired me to become a much better NAF player. At that point, I developed a real appreciation for "simple" world flutes and the skill it takes to play each one really well.

Read The Rest of Joanne's Bio Here http://www.kokopelli.la/bio-faqs.html