AMG Review of Pure Shadowfax

James Christopher Monger
All Music Guide

Part of the Pure Windham Hill series, Pure Shadowfax boasts material culled from the Grammy winning instrumentalists expansive canon, with an emphasis on their early-'80s work. The Chicago-based collective transcends the new age moniker with a heady mix of worldbeat, chamber jazz and folk, relying more on musicianship than electronic transcendental ambience -- though there is some of that. Their breakout track, 1983's "Shadowdance," introduced a great number of listeners to the smooth sounds of jazz-rock and ethnic fusion. 1991's 12-track What Goes Around: The Best of Shadowfax may offer a better timeline of the group's career, but fans of the genre looking for a easy entry point would do well picking up this concise, 14 track overview.