AMG Review of Pianoscapes: The Deluxe Edition

Heather Phares
All Music Guide

Pianoscapes: The Deluxe Edition reissues Michael Jones' 1985 work in a lavish double-disc set, gathering the original 87-minute set with some previously unreleased versions of compositions that ended up on the following album, Sunscapes. The flowing, immediate nature of pieces like "Tapestries," "Dancing Waters," and the title track makes sense, considering that Jones recorded the entire work in in one take at his home studio; even more impressive is the album's gentle warmth when compared to the often chilly, saccharine feel of many solo piano new age works released more than 15 years after Pianoscapes. Fortunately, the deluxe edition's remastering sacrifices none of the album's intimacy. While earlier versions of the Sunscapes material -- "Echoes," "On the Road," and "Night Wind" -- aren't strikingly different than the finished pieces, they're a more than welcome addition, bringing this collection to nearly two hours' worth of relaxing yet complex piano instrumentals. As both the first Narada release and one of the definitive and most successful solo piano albums, Pianoscapes: The Deluxe Edition gives Michael Jones' groundbreaking work the treatment it deserves.