Reviewed in Sounds From the Ground Up by Mara Applebaum - September 2004
Heaven Sent
Jessie Allen Cooper and Buddy Kithara
Cooper Sound Waves
310/392-7784, www.coopersoundwaves.com
Now re-released in CD format 20 years after its initial release, Heaven Sent is Jessie
Allen Cooper's independent debut. This simple little album was first recorded in a fourstory
hallway at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., creating an amazing
echo effect around Cooper's soprano saxophone and Buddy Kithara's plucky kalimba.
Each of 11 tracks provides a portion of the hour-long improvisation between the two
musicians. For the CD release, Cooper has added a backdrop of environmental sounds
that complement the meditative quality of the Cooper-Kithara duet. Heaven Sent is
appealing, uncomplicated easy-listening music. The album's 40-minute span is just
long enough to shift listeners from tension to relaxation. Feature this serene CD with
relaxation music and giftware.