The Veil Of Whispers

On The Veil of Whispers, as on his other albums, French pianist Thierry David plays a style of largely instrumental music that doesn't quite fit into a number of styles. There is a bit too much going on to call it "ambient" or slot it as music for meditation. It is a bit too electronic to be new age, but not rhythmically aggressive enough to be electronica. It is too exotic to be contemporary jazz, and anyway, David doesn't really solo so much as play simple repetitive keyboard patterns within his soundscapes. But it isn't really world music, either. "Chill" is a word that has come up to describe David's music, and certainly the tempos, as on the leadoff track here, "Scene Through the Mist," can be glacial, while the overall mood is certainly removed and reserved. Actually, David cycles through many of the styles cited above, sampling from each as he creates his own synthesis. That results in some engaging sounds, and some soothing ones, but it also manages to give him a distinct musical identity, which can be a challenge in contemporary instrumental music. ~ William Ruhlmann