My tribute to 2002

From their website, http://www.2002music.com :

“2002 specializes in music with classically tinged melodies, dreamy flutes, crystalline piano, tender strings, celestial choirs, harp and acoustic guitar. This award-winning, progressive new age band has placed 11 albums on the Billboard Charts and made the list of top new age artists in a Billboard Magazine “Year in Review” issue alongside Yanni, Mannheim Steamroller, Jim Brickman, George Winston and Enya. Their ever-evolving sound encompasses a wide range of genres – from wistful ambient soundscapes all the way to light progressive rock.”

This is something I've wanted to write for many years.

I was first exposed to the music of 2002 back in the late 1990s.  I was in a spa where they were playing the CD “Land of Forever”.  Something special happened within me as I listened to their dreamy music that sounded like what an angel’s choir might sound like.  As the song “Heavenly Cities” was playing, I spoke out loud, “I have got to buy this CD!”  My life’s musical experience has never been the same since that day.

Randy and Pamela have been making music for some time, most of it in their own personal studio.  They seem to have the uncanny ability to capture spiritual depth in their music like nothing else I’ve heard before.  Not only is it truly peaceful music, it also plays on the strings of the soul.  It paints a wonderful picture of the majesty of this universe and this life and what an incredible gift they are.  I can say without question that the music of 2002 is among the most spiritual music I have ever heard.

Here’s an example of why 2002’s music is so special to me.  I spend as much time as I can in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.  I find the Sierra to be one of the most majestic places I’ve ever been, most especially Yosemite and the Eastern slopes of the mountain range.  Whether it’s the snow, the granite monuments, the rivers and streams, the afternoon thunderstorms over 13,000 foot peaks, or the wildlife that calls it home, for me it is truly a special place.  I liken it to “God’s living room”.  I am a fly fisherman, and I experience tremendous enjoyment fishing the streams of the high and eastern Sierras.  As a catch-and-release fisherman, I also find myself enjoying a surprising connection to the creatures that I get to "meet" in the water.   It is one of my favorite places of spiritual retreat.

Others do visit these places as well, and I am often surprised by the music they bring with them.  It is sometimes music that seems so out-of-place with the majesty of the environment they are in, music that (it seems to me) doesn’t allow them to connect with the beauty they are experiencing.  For me, the music of 2002 brings these magnificent places to life!  That is why I encourage others to listen.  It definitely enhances my spiritual connection to the beauty and majesty all around me (and even at home).  

I often hope that Randy, Pamela and Sarah have had or will have the opportunity to visit this wonderful place.

While I own all of their albums, my favorite is “Wings II - Return to Freedom”.  You know when they say "If you could only take one CD with you?"  Well, that's the one.  It’s almost always playing in my ear buds when I’m on the river.  Other favorites include “The Emerald Way”, “Deep Still Blue”, “This Moment Now” and “Believe”.  But I honestly enjoy them all.  The addition of their daughter Sarah to their work has produced one of their best CDs ever, “Trail of Dreams”.  She is really fantastic and the perfect addition to their work. I so look forward to what they will come up with next.

So, I want to say thank you, Randy, Pamela and Sarah for your amazing talents and your continued gifts to me.  I am truly grateful and will continue to enjoy your music wherever I am.