http://www.spiderbytes.com/ambientrance/majj-luhm.htm

Where were you on the evening of September 25th 1999? Chris Short and Paul Vnuk Jr. were ambi-jamming with James Johnson at the Miramar Theater in Milwaukee, Live Under A Harvest Moon...

I'm still bummed because I missed it, but at least I have my copy of what was obviously a night of magical sounds

A lovely, mysterious shroud laced with faraway flutings envelopes the opening track, Harvest (3:46). Dark stirrings and sparse accents decorate the waves which flow into and become the richly solemn beauty of Embassage (10:52); semi-orchestral soundstreams bear the traces of exotic lands as they spread onward at an entrancingly paced flow. From the 1998 Ma Ja Le release of the same name, Imaginarium evolves from an ethereal whisp (with hushed vocal contributions from Vnuk) into a tribal-drum-powered exploration by guitartronics and synth.

Electronic crests and troughs ripples slowly across the Methane Sea; the piece awakens like a glowing primordial dawn, with tonal clouds expanding and reshaping overhead, seguing into the murky, wandering piano notes and chirping frogtones of Rememberance (which, if you'll recall, is from James Johnson's Surrender, amphibians and all). Ephemeral tentacles sprout from Seed, growing and creeping through a wondrously eerie fogbank world, alive with unkown sound sources. Rhythmic electronics sputter through the heart of Athelon while its outer skin glistens and gleams, writhing to a pulsing bassline amid vaporous atmospheres.

Live Under A Harvest Moon reaps a delicious 55.5-minute bounty of ambient/musical hybrids as sown by Ma Ja Le and James Johnson. Sometimes I worry that live recordings will be somehow lacking, but that's not a problem with this atmospheric 9.0-rated recording, which proves there was magic under the full moon.

Click on over to the Zero Music website to learn more about this special limited-edition release, which comes packaged in a hand-crafted pouch

Review from Groove Unlimited

A concert recording from September 1999, "Live Under A Harvest Moon" is a very synergistic
collaboration between Ma Ja Le and James Johnson. Their styles blend quite effectively, and the
result is some very good ambience that represents a variety of styles, yet is surprisingly cohesive.
Not too dark, or too tribal, or too minimal, the music flows very well. "Harvest" is a short abstract
piece, with some light flutes playing over a smattering of drones. This gives way to one of my favorite
tracks, "Embassage," which some may find too meandering, but I just love the way it ebbs and flows,
mixing very low drones with high-end metallic shimmers. Next is "Imaginarium," which I assume is the
title track from Ma Ja Le's CD, though I must confess I haven't heard the original. This is quite tribal
sounding, a departure from most of the rest of the CD, but it doesn't feel out of place. "Methane Sea"
is even softer than "Embassage," another favorite. "Rememberance" is from James Johnson's "Surrender"
CD, but this version has some thicker textures to it, with more emphasis on crickets and atmosphere, and
the piano less in the forefront than the original. Though I like the original, I think I like this version even better. "Seed" is dark ambient, but still pretty in its own way. "Athelon" ends the album in upbeat mode again,
sounding somewhat like recent work from Steve Roach and Vir Unis on "Body Electric."

©2000 Phil Derby