Back in the 1970s, there was a fad of adapting electronic sounds to classical music. “Switched On Bach” and albums by Tomita were the rage, and they gave a fresh feel to music from years gone by. Terry Manning returns to that attitude, as he brings his synthesizers, vibes, bass, tenor sax, and rhythm along with guests Christine Gangelhoff/fl, Jawara Adams/tp, Tino Richardson/sax and the Hudson River Symphony to supply strings to his own compositions that give a tip to Holst’s The Planets.
Spacey musings abound on synth laden “Mercury” and mystical hints of Brian Eno on “Uranus.” Some pulsating vibes on “Saturn” and luminous trumpet during “Neptune” keep things varied, while you might be looking for the disco ball as Gangelhoff’s flute floates on “Mars” and the synth groove gets funky on “Earth.” Lots of moods and textures abound, just like peering through the ‘scope at night.