A Clarinetist’s Musical Postcard from the Rocky Mountains

<p>(Photo courtesy of the artist)</p>
<p>Clarinetist Kellan Toohey</p>
Photo: Aspen trees Rocky Mountain National Park iStock
Aspen trees in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Here’s a collection that feels like a photo collage of majestic Colorado scenery.

Photo: Kellan Toohey clarinet
The music is refreshingly direct in creating a sense of place. The most bracing piece is Conor Abbott Brown’s “Early Winter Spires.” Brown knows the dramatic possibilities of jagged peaks against a wide open sky from growing up in Boulder, and the nearby Flatirons feel very present in the bold musical gestures.

Toohey pulls off an impressive feat on this disc. Like a great nature photograph, this music evokes a deeper emotional connection to a special place.