James Newton - Echo Canyon (1984)

Echo Canyon, as its name implies, provided its own magical reverberation for the recording. The crickets, the birds, and the small rock slides combine with the natural acoustics of the canyon to create an incredible mood, enhancing the remarkable solo performances of the renowned James Newton. Newton journeyed to the remote Echo Canyon in the Carson National Forest of north central New Mexico in September of 1984. It was a daunting location for a recording. The nearest civilization is the little town of Abiquiu, where American artist Georgia O'Keefe made her home. No power was available for recording devices, so the producer, employing a technique never before used, hiked into the canyon with a digital recorder powered by motorcycle batteries. Over several moonlit nights, Newton let the haunting and spiritual Echo Canyon inspire his improvisations. His inspirations led him from his classical training, through his own African American jazz traditions, and across the globe to Oriental influences reminiscent of the Japanese bamboo shakuhachi. Newton says he was "thinking about the flute as an instrument found in all world cultures, and in relation to many kinds of world folk music."