''Seven Veils'' (1998) is an album by the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

musician Robert Rich. It is inspired by

Arab culture Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. The various religions the Arab ...

and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

. This album has a heightened emphasis on rhythms,Rich, "Seven Veils". from guitar and percussion. All pieces except track 3 were composed in

just intonation In music, just intonation or pure intonation is the tuning of musical intervals Interval may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Interval (mathematics), a range of numbers ** Partially ordered set#Intervals, its generalization from numbers to ...

. Guests include

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

on guitar and Hans Christian on cello. Ranked by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

as one of Rich's best albums, it was praised as, "This Muslim psychedelia is a must for every shrinking world audiophile."Allmusic, "Seven Veils".

Track listing

# "Coils" – 6:03 # "Alhambra" – 10:09 # "Talisman of Touch" – 4:52 # "Book of Ecstasy" – 15:03 ## "A Silken Thread" – 5:07 ## "A Hungry Moon" – 4:00 ## "A Veiled Oasis" – 5:56 # "Ibn Sina" – 8:33 # "Dissolve" – 5:34 # "Lapis" – 10:19 All compositions by Robert Rich. Titles: 2 refers to the

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...

, 5 to

Ibn Sina Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic G ...

, and 6 to

Lapis Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines,D ...

Personnel

;Musical * Robert Rich –

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s, samplers, drums & percussion, bamboo and PVC flutes,

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...

, rubberband marimba, dulcimer,

waterphone A waterphone (also ocean harp) is a type of inharmonic acoustic tuned idiophone consisting of a stainless steel resonator ''bowl'' or ''pan'' with a cylindrical ''neck'' and bronze rods of different lengths and diameters around the rim of the bowl ...

, "glurp" : ''with'' *

– guitar (tracks 2 and 4) *

Andrew McGowan Andrew Brian McGowan (born 1961) is an Australian scholar of early Christianity and an Anglican priest. He is McFaddin Professor of Anglican Studies at Yale Divinity School and dean and president of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Prior to a ...

– bass (track 2) *

Forrest Fang Forrest may refer to: Places Australia *Forrest, Australian Capital Territory *Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township *Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia *Electoral distric ...

– violin (track 3) * Hans Christian – cello (track 4 and 7) *Mark Forry –

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

kaval The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (in Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, and elsewhere) and Anatolia (including Turkey and Armenia). The ka ...

(track 6) ;Technical * Recording, mixing: Robert Rich * Mastering: Bob Olhsson, Robert Rich ;Graphical * Cover photo: Robert Holmes (Sausalito) * Artist photo: Brad Cole * Art direction: Stephen Hill * Design: Stephen Hill, Jeremy Hulette

References

Sources

. "Seven Veils"* Rich, Robert (1998). "CD liner notes" in ''Seven Veils'', San Francisco:

Hearts of Space Records Hearts of Space Records is a record label owned by Valley Entertainment. The label represents several sublabels, including Hearts of Space, Hearts O'Space, Fathom, RGB, and World Class. History Hearts of Space Records was founded in 1984 as an ...

, August 18, 1998,

SKU In inventory management, a stock keeping unit (abbreviated as SKU and pronounced or ) is the unit of measure in which the stocks of a material are managed. Or to put it another way; is a distinct type of item for sale, purchased, or tracked in ...

HS11086,

EAN Ean may refer to: People * Ean Campbell (1856–1921), Anglican bishop in the early 20th century * Ean Elliot Clevenger, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter * Ean Evans (1960–2009), bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd from 2001 until his death ...

0025041108621 ( UPC 025041108621)

External links

*
''Seven Veils''
at

{{Authority control Robert Rich (musician) albums 1998 albums Hearts of Space Records albums