Diane Wheeler Dunn
Songwriter, Recording Artist, Producer, Photographer
“We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.”
A. O’Shaughnessy
Native American Style Flute
Relaxing, Uplifting Instrumental Music
Flower Art, Nature and Abstract Photography
Winner of Best Flute Album in the 9th Annual One World Music Radio 2021 awards.
Quiet Beauty
By
Diane Wheeler Dunn
Written by
Steve Sheppard
Steve is with One World Music Radio
It’s always good to hear new names to you, heading your way in the business of music, and in the genre of flute, a style where my own wife is an active participant. Now before us as the year draws to an end, is a wonderful new album called Quiet Beauty by Diane Wheeler Dunn that heads our way, and what a stunning collection of very classy compositions it is too.
From the off a pulsating percussive beat guides our way through the transcendent performance of the opening piece called Yearning, a vibrant sparkling beginning indeed.
Quiet Beauty is a thirteen track release that contains a whole plethora of gems, like this next one entitled FaerieTrippin’, a moody number that manifests a wonderful mysterious energy through its crisp presentation, and then into offerings like the title track Quiet Beauty, a piece that has a hovering sense of anticipation about its performance that I adored so much, a gentle percussive beat and a delicate keyboards, it certainly manifests something very original indeed.
Diane Wheeler Dunn’s flute is utterly magical, tracks like Wintering Woodland, a song where a pristine and cold, yet crisp performance can be found, and one that also contains a blissful ambient backdrop too.
Our penultimate piece is sublime and called Flutes n Flowers, a piece that gifts us a growing hope of a new spring dawning perhaps, this is one of my personal favourites from the album, and in parts reminded me of the UK’s Nigel Shaw and his Echoes of the Forest album, deep, but nature filled and utterly idyllic.
We finish with a track full of rhythmic promise and called Sailing on a Dreamboat, this was a very crafted and classy way to leave the album, percussion and keyboards gift a meditative intent, and the magical flute of the artist guides the way through this concluding offering.
Quiet Beauty by Diane Wheeler Dunn is much more than just another flute album, it is a pastiche of wonderfully balanced and beautiful compositions, ones that you would delight in listening to multiple times over. Here is an album that is fluent, artistic and quite natural, and one of the best flute albums of this style I have heard for quite some time.
A review from Kathy Parsons at Mainly Piano
Quiet Beauty is the debut album by flutist/composer Diane Wheeler Dunn. The thirteen original tracks are performed with Native American-style flutes accompanied by keyboards, ambient pads, hand percussion and a variety of ethnic instruments that combine to give the album a unique sound. Diane has played silver flutes since she was a child and found her first Native American-style flute while mall walking ten years ago. Recent coaching sessions with fellow flutist Jonny Lipford led Diane on a journey to composing, recording, mixing her own backing tracks, and producing this first album. The album clearly demonstrates Diane’s love for eco-spirituality and “the certainty that creating beauty through music, art, poetry, gardening, etc. can help to balance the struggles of our world.” The sound of Native American flutes can be both soothing and haunting, but Diane also expresses joy and calls attention to ways we can make the world a better place. Under the title of the album, the cover says: “A more beautiful world is possible” and then Diane proves it with her music. Also a photographer, the album cover photo is one of Diane’s.
Quiet Beauty begins with “Yearning,” the first piece Diane composed, and speaks to the yearnings we have all experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Native style flutes, ambient pad and udu express deep longing and sadness in a way words never could. The instrumentation on “Awaken” includes dulcimer – an instrument not often associated with Native American flutes! It’s a beautiful combination made even more atmospheric with ambient pad and keyboard. (The title refers to more of a spiritual awakening than getting up in the morning!) “Soaring Hawk” comes with the quote “From the hawk’s perspective, soaring on the wind, high above the earth, there are no county lines, state lines, or borders. Fences are something they perch on. Flying free from cultural restrictions, they live the life they were born to live.” – a lesson mankind should take to heart! “Joy of the Little Horse” is much lighter and more carefree. “This song expresses the joy I feel when I play the flute…. Let’s go barefoot and dance in the grass!””Dancing With Fireflies” is a favorite. In addition to the flutes and ambient pad are tabla and tambourine with an “east meets west” kind of flavor. The rhythms are subtle but very effective. The title track is built around the concept of “stillness, simplicity and serenity” and is played with Native style flutes, electric piano and darbouka (also known as a goblet drum for its shape). “Much of the beauty we experience comes to us without any action on our parts.” “Journey To the Wider We” is an improvisation on the ocarina that floats on the ambient pad sounds. A piece about inclusion and being open to welcoming ever-widening circles of connection, it feels prayerful in its sincerity. “Wintering Woodland” has a sparkling, magical quality like freshly-fallen snow. Flutes, windchimes and kalimba paint a picture of nature in its wonder and beauty. “Sailing On a Dreamboat” was inspired by the memory of a time when Diane had hesitated and a long-held dream was no longer available when she was ready to say “yes” to it. “Grab hold of that dream!” Wise words! Flutes, ambient pad and bongo express a very important message and bring this lovely album to a close.
Quiet Beauty shares many life lessons through the wonder of music. Beautiful, soothing and often profound, I look forward to hearing more from Diane Wheeler Dunn! The album is available to stream or download from Amazon, Apple Music/iTunes, YouTube, Spotify and others.
Kathy Parsons
MainlyPiano.com