CG Deuter: Song of the Last Tree
CG Deuter

The genesis for the creation of Song of the Last Tree was the death of CG Deuter's mother, which led, I'm guessing, to the writing of “Anna Luisa, In Memory of.” Yet the tone of the album—the latest of more than sixty he's recorded during four decades as a New Age specialist—is not despairing but rather life-affirming. A scan of the set-list reveals as much, with titles such as “River Timeless” and "Sea of Tranquility” reflecting their creator's philosophical acceptance of life's natural stages. No doubt the experience of creating the material proved cathartic for Deuter, but the rewards it offers extend beyond bringing comfort to those suffering personal loss. Other themes enter into the hour-long recording too, with the title piece, for example, originating out of his sensitivity to our fragile relationship with nature.

Born in 1945 in the German town of Falkenhagen and currently based in Sante Fe, New Mexico, Deuter released his first album, D, in 1970 and traveled extensively through Asia in the decades following to deepen his grasp of Indian music. As a boy, he taught himself guitar, flute, and harmonica and eventually augmented that with sitar, koto, shakuhachi flute, Tibetan singing bowls, santoor, bouzouki, piano, keyboard, and drums. His remarkable skill-set and awareness of musical styles from around the globe enable him to compose multi-faceted pieces, play every instrument on his recordings, and handle all aspects of production.

In a typical Deuter creation, numerous layers are assembled into a multi-tiered production that isn't so dense it leaves the listener feeling overwhelmed. Seven compositions appear, the shortest four minutes and two stretching to eleven and twelve minutes. Each piece shares certain properties with others while also separating itself through details of sonority and melody. Enveloping synthesizer textures merge with flutes throughout “Evening Gratitude” to rapturous effect as Deuter expresses yearning via instrumental means. Surrounded by choral breaths, an erhu-like string instrument and flute act as the crying voices within “Song of the Last Tree. ”Time slows for the celestial splendour of “Blue Horizon” and its ethereal interlacing of flutes, strings, piano, and wordless vocals. Heavy in strings and piano, “Garden in the Clouds” and “Anna Luisa, In Memory of” individually exude the solemn air of a memento mori rendered into stately musical form.

Many of the values associated with New Age—serenity, warmth, peacefulness, etc.—are here, transcribed into emotionally expressive form with sensitivity to timbre and arrangement. Reuter's talents don't stop there: his gift for melody, mood, and tonal colour are just as evident in these accomplished productions. If Song of the Last Tree is New Age, it's New Age at an exceptionally high level of artistry.

June 2021