All About Jazz

In its original incarnation the music on this album was the soundtrack to the movie Boundless Light—The People of Tibet. Soundtracks have their appeal, but in most cases it is limited, serving to frame the pictures and the emotion of film. They must have a whole new pulse to succeed outside that ambit. Chorobik’s beautifully crafted compositions on Desert of Clouds work very well indeed. He meshes different musical forms, artfully creating sounds that are ethereal and captivating. Perhaps nothing is more effective than the seamless integration of Tibetan chant into the music. The credit for this infusion should also go to Choying Rinpoche, a Tibetan Lama, whose voice soothes like a balm and caresses like a dew drop.

Serenity marks much of Tibetan life. The music reflects this and the spell is cast from the opening track, on which the voice of a child is the herald for Rinpoche. His chant falls softly against the lush notes of the organ; and when the flute, violin and guitar are incorporated into the weave, the tapestry is resplendent.

The family of flutes that Chorobik uses enhances several of the compositions. There is a particular appeal to the soothing strains that come in “After the Rain,” a superbly structured entwining with the string players. Happiness is the hallmark of the jaunty “The Shadow Dance– Second Round,” a repeated motif on the bass tracing a hypnotic spell that gets the flute dancing a melodic tune on top. Prayer is an integral part of Tibetan life and “Prayer Wheels” turn on the rhythmic groove of percussion, incantation and the soprano for a magnetic whole. The concept is interesting and it works.

Jerry D'Souza

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0803_041.htm

Manifold Records

Magnificent. A beautiful release of effervescent instrumentals, Tibetan environments, airy ambient and authentic vocals by a Tibetan Lama. Desert Of Clouds evokes the feeling of floating over a sunny, pristine steppe, gliding through small eastern villages, trekking across great plains of sunlight, icebound cliffs staggered over the distance. Victor Chorobik, A Polish composer based in Canada uses electric guitar, flutes, voice, slight hand-percussion, location recordings from the East and minimal electronics to create a very echoey, ghostly landscape of light and space. The vocals of the Lama are used sparingly but with great power, delivering moments of greatness and purity throughout the record, pulling certain pieces up into a more powerful area for a listener. Each piece has it's own mind, it's own heart and tone. Enjoy SUSO SAIZ? Steve Roach's SUSPENDED MEMORIES or SHINJUKU THIEF circa Bloody Tourist? Then you should really check this out! A very surprising release from Iris Light records in the UK…

http://www.manifoldrecords.com/main.html

Ambientrance 0603

Climbing Tibetan mountaintops gets Victor Chorobik
closer to a blooming Desert of Clouds from which
ring a series of ethnic-inspired adventures.

Tantric chants (courtesy of Choying Rinpoche),
eloquently sawed strings and wheedling flutes rise
above the flatlined shifts of stately Notes From
The Journey. In spacious-yet-urbane Prayer
Wheels (7:00) pulsing drums turn over streaming
tones, topped by sinuous sax twirls. Backed by
melancholy/lovely strings and drones, traditional
Prayer for Long Life is simply stunning.

An aural tranquilizer, Mantra of Guru Rinpoche's
sonorous floes of voice, flute, synth are eventually
stirred by light rhythms. Snow of Tibet
(2:34) is Choying Rinpoche's compositional
contribution, his wavering words traipsing over low,
warping bowed guitar strands.

With a bit of a new age lilt, the saxy leads of The
Shadow Dance - The Second Round perkily
skip over hovering terrain. Naturalistic cloudcover
atmospheres seep into closing After the Rain, in
which flutes and strings perform a sedate, yet
loose, jam session. So nice!

Get your heart steadily pumping with the ear-travel
of a Chorobik workout... serious-but-light Desert
of Clouds makes for first-class transportation
via skyward ethno-symphonic pieces.

FROM DJ MAGAZINE # 344

..the most innovative music on this website is
from Victor Chorobik, who merges ambience with
chamber music with saxophone, flute and the vocals
of Tibetan Lama Choying Rinpoche! It's quite
breathtaking and, as Iris Light's Adam Sykes
points out, "a total shift from the electronic
music we have become famous for, however it
is such a powerful and enchanting album that
we could not resist it!" There are seven free MP3s
to check out".

From Side Line #44

Although living in Canada V. Chorobik is a
Polish composer who has just released his
official cd-debut! "Desert Of Clouds" has been
written initially as a soundtrack to the films of
Geoff Browne "Boundless Light - The People
Of Tibet". It directly reveals the influences of
the artist ,who realized a fascinating
concept. He tries to intermix traditional
instruments and the amazing deep humming
vocals of a Tibetan Lama together with Western
influences. The result is sometimes totally
surprising and undone! Just imagine hearing a
saxophone being merged with the influence of
the Tibetan culture! It's only one example,
but the red line remains the picture we have
in mind of the high plateaus of the Himalayas.
We're entering a moon-landscape and
meditation. This is a real relaxing trip that will
help you to forget the daily labor. It has to be
said that "Desert Of Clouds" has been
written like a pure soundtrack, but it doesn't
really bore at one single moment! (DP:6)

From John Mingay - Poet & Publisher

"Mere words would not describe the absolute beauty
I have found in this."
(May 2003)

"Possibly the most unusual signing ever to grace the Iris Light roster is Victor Chorobik".

"Victor, a Polish composer based in Canada, has recorded an album of sublime beauty entitled 'Desert of Clouds'. Written initially as a soundtrack to the film by Geoff Browne 'Boundless Light - The People of Tibet' this music takes the listener on a journey through Tibet and the Himalayas. The music, however, transcends its initial purpose as a soundtrack and works solely on it's own. Mixing ambience, chamber music, saxophone, flutes and the vocals of Tibetan Lama Choying Rinpoche this is one of the most creative, original and entrancing releases we have ever heard. All music is played; it's not a collection of samples, and in pure vision alone stands out alongside such releases as Jan Garbarek and Hilliard ensembles 'Officium'.
This album is a total shift from the electronic music Iris Light has become famed for, however it is such a powerful and enchanting album that we could not resist it!"

Adam Sykes
Iris Light Records

"‘It has been a great pleasure and honour to have Victor Chorobik's musical contribution to our Himalayan Visions and Tibetan Voices multimedia show. The moment I heard the beautiful compositions in his "Desert of Clouds" CD, I knew they were right for our show. My initial response to his music has been confirmed many times over. Virtually everyone who has seen Himalayan Visions and offered comments to me about their experience in viewing the show has expressed their delight in the music and said how well suited the music conveys the qualities of the Tibetan people and Himalayan Buddhist culture that I have photographed over the past sixteen years. I truly look forward to future collaborations."

Brian Harris
Photographer, writer ('Himalayan Visions, Tibetan Voices')
SEVA

'From time to time you come across a release that just gets stuck in your CD player and wont go away. I’m having this experience again, so I decided to share it with you.

"Desert of Clouds", a CD from Vancouver based multi-instrumentalist and composer Victor Chorobik, is an invitation to a magical land of your own imagination. During this journey, subtle streams of acoustic sounds of flutes, reeds and human voice lead you throughout places beyond time, beyond laws of physics …But don't be deceived by the serenity and flawless melodies that sound as if they were coming straight from heavenly spaces. The appeal of "Desert of Clouds” lies in something different than in being superior background meditation music. Victor’s compositions are inducements to an a universe where ingenious clouds of your own mind have life of their own and perfectly blend world music, ambient sounds, Tibetan chants, jazz improvisations and natural tones of string instruments.

The ensemble consists of Victor who plays flutes, reeds and electronics; Mariusz Kwiatkowski on reeds; Choying Rinpoche, an extraordinary singer of sacred songs; Larisa Lebeda on violin and viola; and Victor Lebeda on double bass. The interactions between the musicians are often very exiting; especially between Victor playing the lead on flutes and bowed guitar, Choying Rinpoche’s vocals and the expertly dosed improvisations by Mariusz Kwiatkowski on saxophones and bass clarinet.

" Desert of Clouds" is a unique work composed by a creative artist and delivered skillfully by competent musicians. It is a haunting, introspective journey filled with mesmerizing, calming and healing music…’

Cezary Lerski
http://www.polishjazz.com

‘…These recordings are great! It feels like a journey from beginning to end. I love the mixture of musical influences from the jazz to the Armenian sounding duduk. It is very haunting.
I specially like the transformation of the prayer wheels spinning to the rhythmic percussion. It all has a great sense of space...’

Scott Plumbe
Visual artist, painter (Vancouver 2002)

"Your music lifted my spirit."

"...You had a great hand in making the festival a success with your wonderful opening. Thank you very much..."

Joseph 'Pepe' Danza, Artistic director, Westcoast Sacred Music Festival - Vancouver 2000

‘…Jest w tej plycie wyrazna inspiracja kultura Dalekiego Wschodu, ale przede wszystkim prywatna, slowianska, wzruszajaca melodia, ktora wiatr gra w Himalajach i w Tatrach, dla ktorej nie istotne granice ani szerokosc geograficzna…’

Andrzej Sikorowski – Dziennik Polski, Krakow 2002

‘Muzyka przestrzeni - to pierwsze skojarzenie jakie nasuwa sie po wysluchaniu plyty "Desert of Clouds". Powiew wiatru, oddech gor, i spokoj, zatrzymuja nas na chwile w innym swiecie i innym wymiarze.
Muzyka wyobrazni, to inne okreslenie oddajace nastrój i klimat tej niezwyklej muzyki.
Bo tez sfera wyobrazni przeniesiona na plaszczyzne dzwiekow jest tu najistotniejsza jak sadze. A moze wlasne przezycia i doswiadczenia autora?
Fascynuja go podroze, a pasja jest kolekcja egzotycznych instrumentów.
Victor Chorobik mieszka w Kanadzie, ale jeszcze w Polsce w studenckich zespolach gral na fletach
Tym instrumentom pozostal wierny a ich brzmienie nadaje szczegolny wyraz wypowiedzi tworczej.
Ta muzyka plynie delikatnie lub unosi nas pradem swojego dyskretnego rytmu. To opowiesc o doznaniach, przezyciach, marzeniach, ktora w miare wsluchiwania sie w nia staje sie czastka naszego wewnetrznego swiata. Swiata naszej wyobrazni i naszych marzen’.

Antoni Krupa – Polskie Radio Krakow (2002)

'Kompozytor i multiinstrumentalista Wiktor Chorobik wykreowal muzyczne krajobrazy laczac delikatny spiew mnicha z Tybetu z nastrojowa muzyka elektroakustyczna, improwizacjami jazzowego saksofonisty Mariusza Kwiatkowskiego i klasycznie brzmiacymi instrumentami strunowymi Larisy i Wiktora Lebedow. Koncowy efect, te niezwykla plyte, gdzie mieszaja sie echa Tatr i Himalajow, gdzie spotykaja sie rozne formy muzyczne, odbiera sie jako spojna calosc.'

'Takie Zycie' - Vancouver, BC