Cope RecordsWorld On A String (DK,2004)****

World On A String is a professional Fusion group with 4 great artists : Bjarke Falgren, electric violin, had received the Danish Music award as the best jazz musician from 2003. He is a great violin jazz player indeed. It’s mostly his slightly Indian music flavoured jazz fusion playing violin which strangely enough reminds me of John McLauglin (on "India" the Indojazz Fusion is complete). Here and there some Irish flavours or elements occur, mostly in a more jazzy and lyrical way. For such a violin play John Sund (guitar) can’t be much more than a perfect addition. John’s interests in World music Fusions are equally noticeable. Both artists co-lead the group. And of course tabla player Ole Theil empowers the Indian fusion feeling. Ole has played before with many Danish musicians, but also with Van Morisson and Alpha Centauri. Double-Bassplayer Morton Lundsby adds something like a warm finishing touch to the music.

Audio on http://www.cdskiven.dk/default.asp?view=album&albumid=123862

Info on this project (with audio) : http://www.worldonastring.dk

Info on John Sund : www.johnsund.dk

German review : http://www.jazzdimensions.de/reviews/jazz/2004/world_on_a_string.html

Label entry : http://www.coperecords.com/artists/worldonastring.htm

Other album by John Sund,pretty all-World Fusion-alike is reviewed on the Fusion review page->

Ad Perpetuam Mem.      In The Labyrinth : The Garden of Mysteries (SW,1996)***'

Record Heaven            In The Labyrinth : Walking on Clouds (SW,1999)***°

Record Heaven      In The Labyrinth : Dryad (SW,2002)****

While the first still very good album is slightly "gothic" (DCD) in a progressive music sense, with lots of acoustic chamber music and folk instruments orchestrations, interesting to Dead Can Dance lovers as well as progressive music open to any fusion, the style of the two follow ups is different, even the same kind of attention to the instrumentation. In these two other CD's the arrangements of the music's variation improved..

On "The Garden of Mysteries" the interest for Middle Eastern (Persian) tunes was already very clear. But possibly after more visits to the East and middle East (India,Turkey,..) the melodic themes enriched with that middle eastern vibe, with at its most pure and convincing in mood in his last CD. I prefer to hear In The Labyrinth's work starting from that last CD. I can only say one the cover of the last album does not reveal the music too much. Because it is mostly a rich Persian/Indian driven relaxing progressive acoustic music, opening musical environments like the cave of Ali Baba, with no Nordic neo-pagan mystification reference at all (as I thought it would be after having see the cover), except for a few small Tolkien like fantasy moods with mellotron,...

A very recommended release to anyone interested in basically quiet songs (-even when driving electric guitar solo's appear-) accompanied by varied instrumental progressive music fusions with often these Indian/Persian linked moods.

Audio on http://www.inthelabyrinth.com/ListenTo.html Contact : inthelabyrinth@swipnet.se

Label : http://www.tap-records.com/  Webpage : http://www.inthelabyrinth.com/

Reviewed on a seperate page : the related Orient Squeezer albums

See at http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/east.html

Anc.-Future.com Rec.Ancient Future : Planet Passion (US/var.,2002)****

Incredible how Ancient Future as one of the first delvers into the genre succeeds in describing musically the world music fusion in its completeness. While before they varied more in different world music and contemporary fusion ideas, here the music is like traveling throughout the whole world, from one rhythm/county/world music genre to another with a basic structure. They now have become a perfect chamber world music band (basic nice rhythms, ethnic flutes and a fantastic acoustic guitars duo, enriched with various other acoustic instruments.

This band counts 19 members all mastering in their world music starting point from Indian, Nepalese, African, Cuban, Celtic ,Middle Eastern, Indonesian, Chinese, East European and American world fusion music origins, and some female accompanying vocals. A beautiful release to travel the world, a listening experience without leaving your starting place.

Anc.-Future.com Rec.Ancient Future : Natural Rhythms (US/INDO,..,1981,rev.2005)****'

This album, which was reissued last year, was one of the first world music blending fusions. The year before this recording Mathew Montfort and Mindia Klein travelled to Bali to study gamelan music. Noticing the relationship between the natural environment and Balinese music they started make recordings of gamelans, frogs and crickets as a fundament for their own acoustic blend. This fundament of rooting into the essence of the ‘natural environment’ as a source for music, and world music, couldn’t be a stronger choice as an essence for inspiration, especially not when the participating musicians were all also gifted to improvise very well together, and having been pupils with important world music teachers (like sarod master Ali Akhbar Khan, tabla masters Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain, sarangi master Ram Narayan, flute master G.S.Sachdev, vina master K.S.Subramanian, world jazz trumpetist Don Cherry and gamelan master Pak Sini).  Lots of the compositions have a fundament of acoustic guitar and flute improvisation, with tabla besides other participations, creating extremely moody melodic compositions. More than once you can notice the original core of their inspirations. Especially “Frogorian Dance” with a kind of jungle-recalling rhythms fit perfectly with the small animal sounds, who almost sound to be adapted as if they’re musical reactions. Also on “Valley of the moon” the frogs more than being the background sounds almost seem to lead the music. Brilliant, and fitting perfectly with the album cover.

This album cover was done by a local Balinese artist who was inspired by the concept. He did not want to get money for it, but afterwards the cover received a best cover award for a world music release in the US, and there are several other connecting stories.

A highly recommended CD. (See also remarks on playlist)

-Participants were Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar, classical guitar, gangsa, kukul, tinklik, beer can, sitar and zither), Mindia Klein (flute, bansuri, gangsa and tinklik), Benjy Wertheimer (tabla, beer can, esraj, and hand claps), Phil Fong (sarod and classical guitar), Kazuyo Muramoto (koto), Teja Bell (12-string guitar), ayan Ludra (kukul), Nyomen Kawiana (kajar), Christina Harmonia (vocal), Jim Loveless (marimba), Jeroen van Tyn (violin), Mark Fuller (cymbal), Balinese rice paddy frogs and Pacific tree frogs.-

PS. Matthew Montfort : "I should let you know that the reason the Pacific tree frogs sound as though they are leading on Valley of the Moon, and the reason that the calls of the Balinese rice paddy frogs sound as if they are musical reactions is because that is exactly what happened. These aren't sample/loop frog computer creations (that wasn't possible then, and the fact that it is possible now isn't leading in most cases to better music): we actually played live with the frogs. In the case of Valley of the Moon there are no overdubs and that is exactly the music that was made at the pond live. In the case of the Balinese frogs, we used the frog/percussion tracks as basic tracks and did some overdubs. But the musical interaction in both cases was real."

Group picture from around this time : http://www.ancient-future.com/images/af2.jpg

gangsa :  Indonesian gong-like metal instrument : http://www.reflectionsofasia.com/gangsa.htm

(see also mid of page : http://www.pia.ops.gov.ph/philtoday/pt03/pt0313.htm)

tinklik : double Balinese bamboo xylophone ; kukul : bamboo resonator to keep the beat steady, kajar : Indonesian medium-size gong

Info : www.ancient-future.com  Contact : info@ancient-future.com

COMPLETE OR "WHOLE" WORLD FUSION ARTISTS :

Worldsoul RecordsSuperString Theory : exotic duets and improvisations (US,2003)**°'

"Worldsoul records" is a label name which fits perfectly with this release. The interaction and colouring of different instruments and tunes is marvelous. The CD is rich and fluent. Although generally the electric violin  -often in duo improvisations- leads the themes, in a super-string way, I hardly find the time to describe the themes, before the next one comes in. Derrik Jordan's violin improvisations seems often to be somewhat inspired by a Indian raga mood, where the contribution of other instruments make it full and round like a rich aroma. He added himself some terrifically skilfully interwoven colourful percussion with his own violin improvisations on the first tune, "Food Chain". Then we have Steve Leicach with his beautiful balaphone instrument playing. Then "jazz" singer Lisa Sokolov succeeds as well with a beautiful interaction with the electric violin, a combination of experimental voice, almost with ethnic touches. We also hear neat interaction and contributions with John Hughes on kora, Jared Shapiro on cello and Barry Hyman on sitar and tampoura. The CD is especially recommended for those who like Indian moods, here with a slightly world fusion touch.

Webpage with sound : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/superstring

Band leader : http://www.derrikjordan.com/

Aurora MusicNatural History : Native tongues (US,2000)**°

Natural History is Jared Shapiro, Bary Hyman and Derrik Jordan. According to the booklet, together they explored together for some decades many music ethno trance styles, including raga, shamanistic music, improvisations with singing animals !? and tribal fusion. This music is some kind of individual tribal trance folk fusion, with influence from raga like explorations and tribal music, with a great variety of voice inspirations from various ethnical sources (sometimes in a psychedelic or better shamanistic way), a good use of combinations of western acoustic instruments combined with some exotic instruments (African and Indian mostly ?), with a more "sober" kind of hippie feel throughout (not inspired by psychedelica but somewhat occasionally, an accidental similar effect). The recordings are always relaxed and modest. For those who would like to hear Indian raga like improvisations, in a very different aspect, as being created from a different location and perspective, (African, Australian, Western or whatever geographical location might be imagined) this release will be most (en)joyful. Also for those, who think all sorts of African & American native etc.. sort of tribal music is inaccessible on CD-recordings, for it misses the completeness of an actual ritual purpose, here "tribal music" gets a "musical" aspect,  that works very well on its own. You can use it for relaxation therapy, listening pleasure (for it's always musically interesting & evolving) or as a psychedelic trip through different vivid tribal and shamanic orientations in the world. The music works like "native tongues".

Soundfiles : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/naturalh

Derrik Jordan's website : http://www.derrikjordan.com/

Na RecordsNana Simopoulos : Gaia's Dream (GR/US,rec.1992)** 

Na Records       Nana : Daughters of the sun (GR/US,2001)**°

Categorizing the "Gaia's Dream" album ?  Haha, this is not Celtic, no World Fusion,  it's an independent style with adaptation of various sources, with a Celtic Mood without having any Celtic element, with the nice use of sitar, 12-string guitar, and some African string instrument ? and much more. The music is laid down relaxed, independent as a, let's say, an 'all world fusion' music. In two tracks, "Many Moons" and "Like You" she uses New Age-like synthesisers, a primitive instrument, ( New Age by the way I consider as an anti-genre..). In general it's a fine and enjoyable, a somewhat prudent or cautiously made album.

Nana's latest CD, "Daughters of the sun" is much more Indian Fusion flavoured, but I also hear middle eastern touches, often in a combination with an "all world" western approach, and a few Greek elements on two tracks. While the singing on "Yin Yo Mai" sounds Indian, a bit like Sheila Shandra, and of course the sitar, and the style in general on most of the songs, holds a bit the middle ground between Indian, Western and middle eastern music, with most influence from India. There's use of  Indian and middle eastern percussion, fitting well with the sitar melodies. For the sitar playing, I very much like the warm playing, like especially on most of the tracks of the second half of the CD, but also I liked very much the captivating melody on sitar on "Shiva's Moon Dance". This sitar on the other mentioned couple of tracks are combined nicely with various other instruments, respectively flutes, violin, or bass, and dulcimer, violin, and bass percussion, etc. "Aphrodite's style" is a different track, a nice song with pan flute, percussion, tampura, voice with some Greek influences and narration. Also "Come now", a surprise with pitched crystal droning sounds, has some beautiful Greek narration (with lyrics by Victoria Theodorou) and multilayered vocals. The last track, "True to the Land" expresses almost all elements used before, assembled in a fine conclusion.

PS. I have seen Nana has much more in reserve than what she has expressed through these two CD's. Please check out her Website for more information & soundfiles.

Info : www.nana.net

More sounds & reviews : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nana/

Other reviews : http://www.altarnative.com/2002/march/reviews/music/nana.shtml

PrivateJessie Allen Cooper : Sound Travels –world Jazz Fusion- (US,2003)*

Of course I’d like to encourage each honest and serious attempt for a World Fusion style. For this item I needed more time. First of all, for me having a degree in graphic art, I can hardly stand cheap art(ificial) CD-covers with a clear mainstream goal like this one, so one reason for me to put it aside first before getting over it. Secondly the various tracks also fall back on more obvious or even over-obvious rhythmic and melodic solutions (like the first track, “full moon”). Never the less this is a compilation of collected tracks over the past few years and is recorded with a variety of musicians, and some variety in mostly more mainstream fusion syles. The leading sound of the soprano sax on its own and as a mood creator works well. I enjoy tracks like “Waltz for an artist”, or “Awakening” with an Indian touch in drone and rhythm. Mostly the music uses too much entertaining solutions to be interesting for people who look for progressive fusions.

Info with more soundclips) : http://sowilu.pair.com/zoom44/CooperSound/

& http://www.nowgetcreative.com/911musicclips.htm

Soulstar     VA : Asian Garden, the world of Asian Grooves

       compiled by Gülbahar Kültür (va,2004)-

Having read the introductory notes on this compilation, it seemed at first this double CD was a kind of introduction to “a section of a lesser known Asian music-world” also presented as a “compilation of Asia’s living music scene”, and “an inside review of the “Asian groove” ". Now,

this depends on what is called “Asian grooves”. The beats we hear are all MTV-kind of related productions as if all coming forth from the same mixing desk studio. Voices and sound-fragments from all over Asia are featured with exploitative mixes, all hanging very well together for a sampler of western and secondly mostly modern Turkish pop club-mixes. No inspired music, but just technically well-mixed western grooves with Asian elements, which is of course something different as “an introduction to an unknown musical world”, and is  mostly representative as “Asian grooves” because a Turkish radio had a lot to say in this compilation. It’s a television image of colours mixed with their Eurasian commercial and mainstream goal, to sound perfectly “nice” in a technical way. This means almost all results are pop music, with some hip hop, with the use of rhythm boxes, modern production techniques, and with mostly turntable mixes of more original music. Various tracks have interesting elements, are mixed well enough together, but get a very primitive repetitive structure of an oversimplified one-beat handclap rhythm-box rhythm, where all other sounds are nothing but exploited for the easy-takers on the dance-floor. This is all very consistent, and might work for a superficial public desperately looking for more colours in their primitively structured lives.

Examples of tracks with good elements but such primitive easy going rhythms and loops like elements are many. For instance the track by The Pleb’s which has interesting Indian elements, but when I look up the reference this seems to be done by some DJ club work somewhere in the US, and all Indian elements were nothing but stolen. The Night Session’s "Mirage" (Turkey), for instance, has nice Turkish elements, but has again this 1-beat handclap and a monotonous loop-sampler of Arabesque orchestra that keeps it together. The same can be said for Eastenders with Sultan-Tunc, and I can go on and on. At least Zulya seems to be an original recording, still a bit too easy compositionally, but is at least one real thing (outside the DJ mix work and the Turkish pop territory).

If we listen to the more known figures from which I thought they participated here, most of these are also only listed in a bastard like exploited mix, often done afterwards, perhaps even without the will and any input of these musicians. Trilok Gurtu is remixed with easy solutions. Also the nice Tibetan voice of Sainkho Namtchylak gets modern mixes, which might have been a serious attempt of fusion with a "modern" feeling, but which is without any feeling for the content her voice and for what the song musically expresses. Also the nice Korean voice by Hyong Thanh gets a similar attempt of a treatment, but also here the easiest repetitive patterns carry the song and kills it. Also Kodo (Japan) is exploited so cheaply, and Huun-Huur-Tu (Russia/Tuva) get harsh rhythms as if their contribution is nothing but an accidental sampled instrument. Last but not least I also have to say that the way the more known groups like Transglobal Underground present themselves, perhaps as one of the main inpirations to make such music, also make cheap mixes of their World elements. I think their presentation is another example of the end of real creativity with Indian music elements. If Ananda Shankar would have known this tendency in mixing eastern and western elements this way, he might have stopped with his goal of trying to achieve the same effect for real.

I don’t think I have to confirm that this double album is a disappointment. It does show a tendency in Turkish music evolution, which I regret. It’s nice to see some aspects of the original Turkish music are still present but the structure that presents itself is too easy-going and superficial, and only has a commercial viewpoint, and not a musical one, and has a lack of deeper lying intelligence in rhythm, has no intuitive, emotional or any kind of philosophical content other than economy driven entertainment for the bland global market.

As a musical goal and as a representation of what can be expressed in Asian music it is also completely the opposite of what groups like Secret Chiefs 3 (see middle easter rock & Fusion page) are trying to present, even when they (-the SC-) sometimes become aggressive because they have almost too much to say.

Info with complete album sound-samples :

http://clubstar.deeep.net/catalogue_detail.php?id=3610

Label : www.soulstarrecords.com

Tangram Didier Malherbe & Loy Ehrlich : Hadouk (F,1995)*****

Perfect All World Fusion comming forth from ethnic instruments itself.

A reinvention from World Fusion from within. One of the best items in the genre.

Highly recommended !

For those who does not know yet : Malherbe played with the psychedelic group Gong for almost 20 years. This is very different. Earth Soul music I prefer to call it. (The best release of the duo).

Info : http://www.malherbedidier.com/

Contact : malherbe@cybercable.fr

Voiceprint                     Harry Williamson and friends :

       Life in the world unseen (AUSTR,2000)****

Another recommended beautiful (Complete World Fusion, or) folk fusion item with not much specifications. Highly recommend.

info http://www.voiceprint.co.uk/voiceprint/vp232.htm

In 1991 Vladiswar Nadishana founded his first group 'Soulbuilding Society' together with Lavrenty Mganga. In 1996 he played in a duo called 'Ensemble Ri', with Laventry and Youl. He also launched two other projects with Youl: 'Phonic Duet' (1994) and 'The Fourth Race' (2001). In 2000 he founded a trio called 'Russian-Tuvinian Karma Knot' with a throat singer from Tuva, Ayas Holazhyk. Vladiswar also plays in the group 'Capercaillies at the Treshold of Eternity'. In Berlin he works with ethno DJ 'Genetic Drugs' and with Ramesh Weeratunga, a musician from Sri Lanka. Since 2000 Vladiswar lives in Tibercul, the biggest ecovillage of the world. There he established 'The Department of Sound Microsurgery' (DSM), a creative research laboratory, with projects going from mastering unknown ancient musical instruments to investigating the influence of modern sound electronics on the human energy structure. I review four of his releases :

Sound Microsurgery Dep.  Vladiswar Nadishana : Takku Ta Tei (RU,2000)****'

Vladiswar Nadishana plays on this release a whole number of instruments of which many I’ve never heard, and some not under their original names. He plays bansuri, or Indian flute, tabla, manjira, or Indian hand cymbals, "yeioing" bamboo flute, a self built flute in semitone scale, kalyaka, or Russian overtone flute, zhaleka, or Russian reedpipe, gayda, or Yugoslavian/Thracian bagpipe, khomus, or Ancient Jew's harp, nidlaphon, a self built instrument consisting of a needle and pen used to drum the cymbal,  wind and stringed ghost catchers, or some self-built overtone instrument, morchang, or Indian jew's harp (see here), dzuddahord, or a self built kind of sitar-guitar (see here), bananng, or preparated beer- and coffee-tins, pruzhingum, or a self-built prepared gamelan-like instrument, and many more percussion instruments, cencaki, or "junkphones", musical instruments made from junk, computer, and I also heard a few vocal samples. Some sounds of instruments I cannot recall, like the strange pipe-like sound as if sampled to play with keys or programming with a computer as some arrangement on “Umbetombi Embio”. Vladiswar shows a very specific flute style which might be influenced by Slavic traditions (they have lots of different flutes in their traditions, fitting with the wide landscapes and huge forests and mountains), but just a few times the flute playing leans to Irish themes, even when the context is different. And he also is a talented colourist on percussion. The music on this CD is said to contain influences of Bulgarian, Indian, Arabian, Kuzhebarian and Russian musical traditions. I heard for instance a mixture of Middle Eastern with jazz and other ethnofolk on "Something behind" with rather progressive touches. In general one can say that Vladiswar's music has much of an all-world attitude and he succeeds to make even a modern blend, gaining even more identity through his approach, inspired through the creative core from several traditions. Really interesting, enjoyable and also surprising..

More info on some Russian folk instruments (with sounds) : http://kuznya.ru/en/instruments/index.php

Info with sound on Morchang : http://www.mouthmusic.com/trumps.htm#India

Info with sound on Dzuddahord : http://www.archive.org/details/Dzuddahord

More info on all the instruments with sound : http://eed.udm.ru/nadishana/Rus/InstrumentsEng.htm

Audio : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nadishana2 & http://nadishana.com/Rus/AlbumsEng.htm

Sound Microsurgery Dep.  Vladiswar Nadishana : Penetration into substance (RU,2000-2001)****°

His second release starts with seemingly a few traditionals, ("Intro" & "Song of the Far Lands") as being more recognisably based upon real traditions, in a style recognisable for especially those countries that have that kind of folk music that was basically fusion and a crossover bridge between cultures (like in Turkey,..). The notes describe the music is an experimental fusion of Asian, African, European, Russian, Ancient Kuzhebar traditions mixed with experimental jazz and contemporary sampler surgery. “The recording method for this album was overdubbing”. Instruments used were mandola, dzuddahord, kalyuka, bansuri, zhaleyka, overtone flute, khomus, acoustic guitar, fretless bass, voice, various ethnic flutes and percussion, computer. The dzuddahord holds the middle between a sitar guitar, guitar and a sitar-like sound. There are also vocal experiments like on “Kuo Ke (an ancient Kuzhebar mantra)” combined with one computer deformed voice and a semi-acoustic electronic sound that fits and combines in overtone colour perfectly, highly original! (Kuzhebar refers to "a vanished Siberian tribe" to which Vladiswar often refers, with artwork, musical elements, dance and deeper ideas of movements, of which I don't know how much is scientific, fantasy or some interesting shadow image of an older memory transferred from a trance consciousness of information, with roots to at least real associations with the areas around Siberia, and how much is a great creative idea and how much goes even much deeper and is more harmonizing than that it only brings incomplete dream elements into a pleasant bridging to a complete conscious form in the area of true art on the edge of shamanic lead of deeper blending)°°. "Indian flood in Europe" starts with flamenco guitar, combined with and flute with tabla, and some multiple percussion colouring and moody bass. "Dance in a curved area" is a great mix of a folkdance played with the effect and talent of a jazz group.

Audio : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nadishana3 & http://nadishana.com/Rus/AlbumsEng.htm

Info on Kuzhebar (several pages) : http://www.eed.udm.ru/nadishana/Rus/AncientKuzhebarEngFL.htm

°° I heard I was right that is is the combination of inspirations. Some of the things on the webste can even be considered as jokes, which were fun to do, while some objects were seen in a dream, and so on..

Sound Microsurgery Dep.  Ayas Kholazhyk & Vladiswar Nadishana or

   'Russian/Tuvinian Karma Knot' (RU,2001-2003)****'

Russian/Tuvinian Karma Knot is a trio with Tuvan throat singer Ayas Kholazhyk, wind player and keyboard player Youl', and Vladiswar Nadishana who plays all other instruments. The songs sound mostly like self-penned personal songs (from a singer-songwriter tradition, but expressed like and by a throat singer) into a acoustic fusion arrangement. The fundament that was built up in Vladiswar's solo earlier work now is very useful as a tool for arranging. "Terlih Haya" I found the most interesting and compelling fusion with jazz, and with sitar (used as a guitar) mixed with acoustic guitar and percussion. "Undersnow girl" is completely different : a funny track with fitting mainstream popdance rhythms, and a jazz trumpet, sounding like an old village folk traditional. "Vostok Dwa", after that, the concluding CD track, continues with this jazz trumpet, in a beautiful instrumental improvisation. Another CD with a certain underlying musical spirituality.

Audio : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nadishana4 & http://nadishana.com/Rus/AlbumsEng.htm

Sound Microsurgery Dep.  Vladiswar Nadishana :

   The Traditional music of Ancient Kuzhebar Aborigines (RU,2005)****°

The most recent CD of Vladiswar starts from the idea of a Kuzhebar musical heritage but performs it rather loosely and beautifully into something spontaneous of his own. This Kuzhebar association refers to an ancient time that dug into the real meanings of things, taking spiritual health and a harmonic place in the environment as an important fundament. Time is not linear in such a society that is able to look back on each object to see if its essence is still there. The music overall is a more independent acoustic jazz fusion using a whole range of instruments with the occasional use of anything from the world's heritage of musical elements from ethnic origin, but without deliberately pushing anything, and with some exceptions digging deeper into some other element of musical style.

On the "water song" the singing and vocal harmonies have African elements and a positive celebrative vibe, while the irregular dance has something of a raga fusion, played with his self-build sitar-guitar (?). Highly original is also his "Traditional cat's love song" where he sampled his cat's whining voice and then transforms it into a fake-ethnical instrument. A great modern technique trick that works. The rhythms here are ethnic and modern at the same time, like Peter Gabriel or David Byrne could have worked it out. "Winter Song" is a beautiful and moody minor key track, with sitar (sounding a bit like sitar-guitar), flute and a recognisable jazzy chords building up evolution until the harmonies sets themselves free. The track has a matured calmness of a fusion style I haven't heard in any other track before. "Bagpipe tune" is I think also based upon a spontanuous and inspired improvisation, with jazz fusion band and ethnical percussion instruments. This continues with a similar flavour on "11/6 tune" having elements of Irish (?) and Indian origin well mixed. I think "Imip Yorgi Chetu-rbar" is a medieval-sounding traditional, sung beautifully by Yulia Dashevskaya (?). The song is described as the national hymn of ancient Kuzhebar. The last track mixes earlier elements of semi-Irish, Indian Fusion and jazz in a perfect blend and instrumental improvisation, showing the great fusion energy the skilled group is able to develop.

Instruments used in this album are dzuddahord, guitar, sitar, mandola, bulgarian tambura, fretless bass, double-bass, flute, gayda, bansuri, overtone flute, kena, kuzhehar flutes, various percussion, ghost catcher, junkphones, sampler surgery. Youl' played trumpet, double bass and violin, while Yulia Dashevskaya and Tatyana Gordeeva added vocals on some tracks. Also Nadishana's cat Basik had her undeliberate participation in one track.

Audio : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nadishana

Homepage : http://nadishana.com/ & with audio : http://www.myspace.com/nadishana 

& http://nadishana.com/Rus/AlbumsEng.htm

& http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nadishana

& http://www.eed.udm.ru/nadishana/Rus/NewsEng.htm

Info : http://www.indizoo.com/pages/bands.php?band=659

& http://www.aquarius-music.com/vladiswar/index_e.htm

Other review : http://blog.myspace.com/...

It's great to see how some musicians and composers are inspired by a microclimate as big as the world. For Gino Foti there seem to be none of the now more or less known styles that are not adapted and used for his personal Fusion style. Gino Foti was born in Sicily. From his parents he heard classical music and Mediterranean folk. When he went to the US in the seventies jazz fusion and progressive rock with guitarists with similar interest were a next discovery for him. In the nineties he formed an instrumental progressive rock trio of two guitars with percussion called Electrum. After having established a recording studio and the principle of software samplers, Gino started to record his own blend with world music, mixed with his Jazz Fusion bass guitar abilities. All his music is built carefully with MIDI bass guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, loops and samples, often in a way the music stands compositionally on its own. Fusing improvisation therefore is an important element.

Net Dot Music  Gino Foti : Orbis Terrarum (I/US,2006)**°°

Orbis Terrarium shows a combination of improvisation on mostly progressive electric and bass guitar in (jazz) fusion style, but also some Spanish guitar, combined with some keyboards (like jazz piano) and with the use of some sampled and rearranged percussion, as strong rhythmic and colourful grooves, using the latest sampler techniques on computer and on midi-guitar, that uplift the use of sampling to a smaller detail and to the level of composing with a certain spontaneity as if a few extra musicians governed by the composer were also participating and even interacting with the musical evolution in studio. At several times, Middle Eastern percussion is used, but also Latin rhythms, even in combinations (like on “Credo”, in combination with jazz piano), making appealing drives into the music. The first track, "Dionysian Stream" is more progressive rock, with Dave Kulju on electric guitar. "Kujichagulia" is a mix of exotic percussion with African vocal samples and fusion bass improvisation, in a rather simple but effective mode. “Ultradian rhythms” combines Latin rhythms with jazz piano, bass, flamenco guitar and keyboards. Each track is arranged in such a way, in many different varieties. “A smile of every tear” is only based upon rather classical piano with Spanish guitar. “Modes of Consciousness” goes one step further to Baroque piano played with a jazz effect, and with Middle Eastern percussion in a Latin jazz way. That track reminds me of the 'Mozart in Egypt' project, from a few years back, with an album that for me wasn’t so convincing (while the previous 'Lambarena-Bach in Africa' was); here it is more fitting together, even when the idea of it still is a simply-doing-the-combination, it is done with a feeling for harmony.

Info : http://www.netdotmusic.com/gino_foti/Orbis_Terrarum_info.htm

& http://indieonestop.com/jamroom/bands/300/

with audio : http://www.netdotmusic.com/gino_foti/Orbis_Terrarum_audio.htm

Net Dot Music  Gino Foti : Sphere Of Influence (I/US,2006)**°

Also on this release World Music sources and ideas are used for further improvisations, from east over Middle East to West, and beyond, seemingly more improvised in mood/sphere and in a floating continuum, compared to the previously reviewed release which had more surprises in explorations, while here the music is improvised more while staying in each track on the same spots longer. On “Amor y Poder” especially, Gino Foti proves to be able to play flamenco guitar with flair, here combined with some accompanying Middle Eastern hand percussion, and some electric bass improvisation, and a few touches of airy keyboards. The few additional keyboards here and there lean towards New Age, and perhaps this association is wanted. Mostly the music is like its own style of jazzfusion, with less World Music but still within the whole wide world's "sphere of influence". “One day as a lion” is filmic, with its colouring rhythms and lion roar, like the introduction of a safari road movie. Also the last track, "Prescient Visions" recalling a jungle (and with a native Indian singing) could have been lifted from a movie.

Info : http://www.netdotmusic.com/gino_foti/Sphere_Of_Influence_info.htm

& http://www.internationaljazzfederation.org/SearchMoreInfo.aspx?ID=72054

with audio : http://www.netdotmusic.com/gino_foti/Sphere_Of_Influence_audio.htm

& http://www.audiostreet.net/artist.aspx?artistid=49702

Net Dot Music  Gino Foti : Bhavachakra (I/US,2006)***°

This release is a successful, moody and inspired conceptual, almost cinematic, musical exploration, digging into associations and ideas from ‘The Wheel Of Life’, presented musically like a world with an essence of exotic and magical mystery. Just listen to the successful craft of electric guitar on “Akusala-Mula” with bass, moody keyboards, played with an underlying power, followed by a moody piano ambient track, "Intermediate State". This is followed by 6 parts / tracks presenting the 6 worlds of experience according to the Vedas (the world of Devas or Gods, Titans, hungry ghosts, hell creatures, animals and humans). The 'Deva world' is presented by eastern folk music played with Chinese instruments and dulcimer. The ‘titans’ are present in a new World Fusion style, with its own magic of sounds and rhythms, with a frightening underlying power, still presented with a relaxing calmness of unattachedness. Also the ‘hungry ghosts