Ancient Key CD

Recorded in the Great Pyramid, Egypt. Includes liner notes by Wendy Luck.

Flutist Wendy Luck recorded 14 solo pieces inside the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and while the results border on new age simplicity, Luck often adds elements of jazz and non-Western sounds to create something a touch more sophisticated. The sounds resonate eerily, and the tempos are generally taken slowly to fully absorb the resonances. Lock alternates among C-flute, alto flute and wooden flute, and is clearly comfortable with freely improvised structures. Still, she often sticks to a conservative path, and her appeal is likely to be limited. With song titles such as "Night Prayer," "Secret of the Desert," "Winds of the Sahara," and "Hidden Temple," she is clearly hoping to reach the new age market, and while the jazz element is limited, she is clearly a talented and ambitious performer, comfortable playing in several traditions. ~ Steve Loewy

WENDY LUCK, flutist, vocalist, composer/improviser, received an MA in Composition/ Performance/ Multimedia from NYU and a BFA with Honors in Flute Performance from the University of Wisconsin. Her earlier incarnation included orchestra and chamber music performing in New York (Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall), the Rome Festival Orchestra in Italy, France, the Aspen Music festival, studying flute at the Conservatory in Nice, France with J.P.Rampal , and composing music. Other significant flute teachers were: Julius Baker, Sam Baron, Ransom Wilson, Alain Marion, Tom Nyfenger, Harvey Estrin. Her interest in jazz led to venues in New York including a four year engagement as lead vocalist/flutist with the Rainbow Room Big Band, while continuing to perform with Latin/Jazz ensemble Southern Exposure. Performances include appearances at Windows on the World, The Waldorf Astoria, The Knitting Factory, Roulette, the Kitchen, Cornelia Street Cafe and many other clubs in Manhattan. Performances also include the Tropicana, Resorts International, and Caesar's in Atlantic City as the opening act for David Brenner, Dr. Ruth, and Julio Iglesis, and others.She has had experience working and recording with jazz/avant garde greats that include Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, Oliver Lake, Marion Brown, Ed Blackwell, Dave Holland, Karl Berger, Wallace Roney, Anthony Braxton, Bob Moses, Jack DeJohnette, Sam Rivers, and Tyrone Brown. A series of concerts featuring her music with Allen Ginsberg reading his poetry, took place at Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Wendy Luck has appeared in theater, and on television and radio. She has also performed regularly at New York's comedy clubs, The Improv, Catch a Rising Star, The Comic Strip, and Dangerfield's, combining music and comedy. As an eight year member of the zany, all female, musical comedy group The Outcasts, she performed the NYC comedy club circuit on a regular basis.Wendy Luck, internationally recognized flutist, vocalist, and composer, has concertized in Italy, Poland, Germany, Budapest, Morocco, Portugal, Greece, Egypt, Israel. Performing with the 20th/21st Century New York Composers Ensemble led by Dinu Ghezzo, the group has premiered many original works including Songs of Sorrow/Songs of Hope, dedicated to the events of 9/11. Ms. Luck has also worked with the New Music groups Mad Coyote, created by Jerome Kitzke, Carmen Moore's Sky Music Ensemble, as well as participating as co-creator with Jerome Kitzke of the improvisation duo Breath and Bone. Ms. Luck has released two CDs of her own original music -The Ancient Key, recorded inside the Great Pyramid, and The Ancient Journey, recorded in the temples along the Nile. In performance, she utilizes the uniquely edited video footage taken during her experience in Egypt. This unusual performance piece integrates her playing live with the footage, creating a multidimensional musical experience. She has most recently been asked by the Egyptian Embassy to become a "Music Ambassador of Peace", performing her music at the Nation