**** David Shea

THE TOWER OF MIRRORS

(Sub Rosa)

Shea is a former student of Morton Feldman whose newest effort is the boldest musical experiment I've heard all year. The title refers to a 17th-century Chinese novel that Shea loosely evokes through two dozen musical episodes. Drawing upon sounds created by a large body of new-music and jazz musicians (including trumpeter Dave Douglas), as well as through scores of sampled snippets from film soundtracks and lounge LPs, Shea redefines "ambient" music. This is less static sonic wallpaper than a provocative soundtrack for surreal daydreaming. And like Julio Cortázar's novel Hopscotch, the episodes can be re-arranged endlessly to create myriad narratives -- Shea suggests you use the "random play" button on your CD player -- and a coherent structure remains apparent. Even as the software industry continues to empty all meaning from the word "interactive," Shea's music keeps the concept alive in this highly listenable collage.

-- Norman Weinstein