Composers and longtime friends Joel Mandelbaum and Leonard J. Lehrman present their collaborative Harmonize Your Spirit With My Calm. Each composes somewhat traditional music infused with their own originality and sometimes unconventional influences.

This is particularly true with Joel Mandelbaum’s music, which should be heard within the context of his lifelong interest in alternative tunings. Indeed, early in his career, Mandelbaum experimented heavily with microtonality, and has since employed multiple tuning systems that attempt to achieve more practically the nuances of just intonation – a tuning system popular in the Renaissance.

For me, this was something of a mixed bag and, in places, a tad too self-indulgent. For those who are more a fan of classical/operatic experimentation then there is a lot here to get excited about. Personally, I'm more of a fan of traditional, conventionally composed pieces, so this was a bit heavy going for my tastes.

There are 23 tracks (1 hr, 15 min, 52 sec) and the composers should be praised for how diverse the music is. However, it's an album you'll either love or totally not get on with.

6

Darren Rea