Deer Park is a quintessential 1980's solo piano record, from the period when Keith Jarrett, George Winston and others were popularizing the genre. You might hear echoes of Abdullah Ibrahim's playing in Tom Schmidt's rolling left-hand ostinatos, but Tom has his own style. The record has introspective, quiet moments, as well as passages of sheer power. Tom is a composer of charismatic melodies, and he is also rhythm master and multi-instrumentalist who plays bass, percussion, and an array of instruments from around the world. Back in the 80's Tom was truly one of the pioneers of what we've come to think of as "world music". With its propulsive layers of rhythm, this record is always engaging, and far more creative than much of the New Age piano music that came out during that period.