Waybright, Leah: Dreamed

Leah Waybright is a new York based musician who has been around for a number of years. She released her debut album Beauty Gone Wild in 1999 and twenty-four years later her sophomore effort titled Dreamed saw the light of day in 2023. The artist specializes in piano and keyboards but has also delved into other areas including wildflower preservation, teaching, and floral artistry. The music is both elegant and pastoral but this is by no means a one dimensional effort as jazz, prog, folk, and classical are all touched upon.

The first track “Candlewink� features a lovely piano melody and rich orchestrations having a classical bent. Waybright’s piano playing flows beautifully throughout the entire song. Gary Blu adds some nice flute and piccolo work as well. The percussion and drums become more pronounced as the song progresses. On “Enchanter’s Nightshade� classical and nuanced progressive rock meet head on making for a dynamic sound palette. Blu’s flute and saxophone solos are exceptional. “Dreamprints� comes out of the gate a little heavier, certainly more rocking than the previous tracks and showcases Stanley Whitaker’s outstanding use of guitar. Progressive and jazz elements fuse tother in a seamless and completely natural way. Blu’s saxophone is also highlighted. In the softer “Awake Spring Beauty� spry flute and piano intertwine in unique and melodic ways and in “Earth Rattle� the listener is enveloped in an atmospheric and jazzy sound, slowly building with a delightfully nuanced approach.

Dreamed is an excellent listen. Richly orchestrated, sophisticated melodies, and finely crafted musicianship should appeal to many of our progressive rock readers. Recommended!

The musicians are:
Leah Waybright (piano and keyboards)
Gary Blu (saxophones, flutes, clarinet, piccolo)
Rick Kennell (bass, drums, percussion, orchestrations)
Stanley Whitaker (guitar on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8)
Mark Wood (violin on “Sunwise�)

Track listing:
1. Candlewink (4:16)
2. Enchanter’s Nightshade (4:33)
3. Dreamprints (4:12)
4. Awake Spring Beauty (4:00)
5. Earth Rattle (4:43)
6. Moonsparks (4:20)
7. Stardrift (4:55)
8. Venus’ Looking Glass (4:12)
9. Sunwise (4:05)
10. Love-In-A-Mist (3:12)

Added: October 29th 2024
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 307
Language: english

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