The MAC Report                                       December 18, 1992 ISSUE 312 - VOLUME 7
 

JAN HAMMER "BEYOND THE MIND'S EYE" MIRAMAR  MPCD 2902

There are those who will argue (very oftentimes myself included) that television is one of the most negative influences our generation has had access to. On a positive note, television has, in certain incidents, had the ability to change people's perceptions about a subject matter. Case in point—instrumental music. With the advent of the Miami Vice series, instrumental music no longer played the role of light, airy, nondescript backdrop; but now had a starring role. The person who created this scenario was Jan Hammer. Now, after a five year lapse in U.S. released solo recordings, several Grammy awards, Emmy nominations, and performances on 10 albums that have been certified gold or platinum, this master keyboardist/composer is back...and as bold and progressive as ever. The music on BEYOND The Mind's Eye was originally composed and performed for the Miramar computer animation video of the same name (a video that has already gone platinum), and with some remixes, extended arrangements, and sequencing changes, we are now able to listen to and appreciate this phenomenal body of work as an aural entity of its own. The powerful, highly-charged, rhythmic ''Seeds'' opens the recording, and you will find this memorable melody hard to get out of your head. "Magic Theater" does indeed conjure up images of the unknown, but it is an enigma that you will want to explore. One can't help but be moved by the beauty and elegance of a sunset, and the same can be said for the "Sunset" Hammer offers here. With "Nothing But Love" Hammer lets us sec a less well known side of his music— one that is soft and tender and movingly romantic. With "Pyramid," Hammer does what he has become such an expert at—creating exotic, faraway landscapes that we can experience without ever leaving the room. "Brave New World" draws on potent emotions to sweep us off our feet, holding us as willing captives. ''Afternoon Adventure'' provides a heart-racing ride with the destination set only by the capabilities and extent of your own imagination. If Jan Hammer's BEYOND The Mind's Eye is any portent of what can be expected musically in 1993, then we are all in for a happy new year indeed.
BCL


 
JAN HAMMER
Beyond The Mind's Eye
PRODUCER: Jan Hammer
Miramar 2902

Fusion pioneer and “Miami Vice” theme author unearths one of his most ambitious projects to date: the soundtrack for a computer-animated, virtual-reality video extravaganza that's being released simultaneously with the album. Hammer's instrumental compositions stand on their own melodic feet, though they do benefit from the "home theater" experience.  Lone vocal entry, featuring Chris Thompson, has pop and AC potential, and entire disc is a must for new-age outlets. 

Billboard
 


 
HAMMER’S VIDEO SOUNDTRACK IS DAZZLING

By Chris Hicks
Salt Lake City Desert News
 

JAN HAMMER: “BEYOND THE MINDS EYE”
Miramar)  * * * * 
 

   Like the self-described " video album" it supports, the like-titled "Beyond the Mind's Eye" sound- track is highly entertaining. It's no exaggeration to describe this wild mix of musical styles as aurally dazzling.
   Jan Hammer's electronic jazz/ new age/electropop—or whatever the heck-it's-called-this-week-music, a wild mix of styles and  sensibilities; perfectly matches the computer animation on the video. But it also stands alone very well.
   From soft and gentle strains that are soothing and relaxing to hyper 
kinetic themes that propel the imagination  to new heights, Hammer’s 
compositions are inspiring and make for most enjoyable repeat listening.

 


 
    MUSIC 
Uncovered 

PROGRESSIVE                                                      ECLECTIC
Winter 1993

BEYOND The Mind's Eye
Music by Jan Hammer 
Video Directed by Michael Boydstun

1992-VHS, CD

  I saw Jan Hammer once. The year  was 1973, the place was Albee Hall in Oshkosh, WI. The event was a concert by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Hammer played keyboards for this seminal jazz/rock fusion group that also mixed in East/West influences. At the time, they were the cutting edge in music. That night the quintet generated incredible synergy, built musical structures up, filling them with tuneful solos and tearing them down in racing climaxes.

  It's been almost twenty years since Your Friendly Editor (Has it really been that long? Ed.) saw that show. Even then I liked Jan Hammer's sound. Today I like it even more. Hammer never seems to have suffered from writer's block - he's been busy the whole time, with his own band, with collaborations, and with solo work in his own Red Gate studio.

  For the last ten years a big part of his work has been scoring for TV, film and commercials. His work for Miami Vice led to big-time commercial success. "Miami Vice Theme" became the first TV series theme to reach No. I since the "Peter Gunn Theme" by Henry Mancini in 1959. Hammer eventually scored 92 episodes of Miami Vice, each requiring him to compose and record twenty minutes of music a week. It was as close as Hammer got to burning out.

  BEYOND The Mind's Eye is a 45 minute video of computer animation. It's fourteen vignettes are full of surrealism with a sci/fi slant. The animation is fluid, three dimensional, and looks as if it were airbrushed. Vistas pull back into wider vistas, patterns unfold, and the imaginary view moves about rooms. Alien seeds bring life to barren worlds; robots work, fight, transform and have much "too far" juice; a Viking ship sails the solar system. Director Michael Boydstun has done a good job to edit diverse clips together coherently, including some that was used in the film The Lawnmower Man.

  Jan Hammer: "I’ve been building bridges between sight and sound for many years. In fact, I’ve always considered music to be my ultimate reality. I can submerge myself to the degree where everything ceases to exist."

  "Ultimately, it comes down to the experience of playing and improvising in the studio. I try not to think about anything too much and just let it happen, that's always the best approach."

Hammer scored the music frame by frame and the result works to draw the viewer into the movie. Comparisons to Disney's Fantasia aren't out of line, BEYOND is almost a 90's Fantasia.

For the CD, the music has been re-mixed and sequenced different, with the idea of enhancing the listener's experience. All of the pieces are around three minutes long; concise and going about their business. Hammer hasn't ever had to water down his music, so if this music sounds a lot like the Miami Vice stuff, it also has solid echoes of his collaborations with Jeff Beck, not to mention earlier solo work.

The second day I had the CD I played it twice, then had to put it away so I wouldn't play it again. I strongly recommend BEYOND The Mind's Eye. Both the video and the CD are available from Miramar. DP