Coyote Oldman mixes technology, music, and culture in a unique, timeless blend. Flutists Michael Graham Allen and Barry Stramp combine their experience with the flute's history in the cultures of the world with a modern outlook and studio approach that gives their albums an innovative depth. The duo -- named after the trickster of Native... [+] Read More

Coyote Oldman mixes technology, music, and culture in a unique, timeless blend. Flutists Michael Graham Allen and Barry Stramp combine their experience with the flute's history in the cultures of the world with a modern outlook and studio approach that gives their albums an innovative depth. The duo -- named after the trickster of Native American mythology and Allen's own flute company -- met at a 1981 Oklahoma City crafts fair where Allen sold his hand-made flutes. Their shared interest in what was at the time a relatively obscure part of music history sparked a friendship and creative partnership. Allen's deep background in researching, making, and playing flutes complements Stramp's classical training in concert flute and recording skills; in Coyote Oldman's music, Japanese and Indian flutes, Incan pan-pipes, ocarinas, and Native American pipes meet in innovative electronic settings. With Allen's compositions and playing and Stramp's studio wizardry, virtual ensembles of traditional and hybrid flutes join keyboards and guitar in modern compositions of echoing beauty. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Wally Badarou was born in Paris, where his physician parents were educated and his father later served as ambassador from their West African homeland of Cotonon Benin (formerly Dahomey). Although he planned a career as a pilot, he was seduced by synthesizers and rock & roll, eventually becoming a well-known session keyboardist in England and his... [+] Read More

Wally Badarou was born in Paris, where his physician parents were educated and his father later served as ambassador from their West African homeland of Cotonon Benin (formerly Dahomey). Although he planned a career as a pilot, he was seduced by synthesizers and rock & roll, eventually becoming a well-known session keyboardist in England and his own Nassau, Bahamas, studio. Badarou's early career included work with M (on the hit "Pop Music"), Joe Cocker, Herbie Hancock, and Island Records artists like Grace Jones, Black Uhuru, and the British funk band Level 42. In addition to his production and keyboard work for Level 42, he has done several film scores, most notably Kiss of the Spider Woman. You can hear both the rhythmic sensitivity of his African heritage and the harmonic sensibility of his classical training in his music. His expressive and sophisticated synthesizer textures are full of life, especially on his more dance-oriented Echoes album. In the nineties he released two albums, 1991's Chief Inspector and 1997's So Why. ~ Scott Bultman, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Born in Bavaria in 1946, Alois Gromer has lived in England, India, and Morocco, which broadened his musical tastes and performing style. He attended a recital by sitarist Vilayat Khan and was so moved that he dedicated his life and art to the study of the sitar. After studying with master sitarist Imrat Khan, Gromer became a member of the... [+] Read More

Born in Bavaria in 1946, Alois Gromer has lived in England, India, and Morocco, which broadened his musical tastes and performing style. He attended a recital by sitarist Vilayat Khan and was so moved that he dedicated his life and art to the study of the sitar. After studying with master sitarist Imrat Khan, Gromer became a member of the Khan-i-Gharana dynasty in 1975 and added the Khan name to his own. His contemplative, contemporary approach to music made him popular in the arenas of radio and television scoring, as well as with progressively minded artists like Deuter, Amon Düül, and Florian Fricke of Popul Vuh, with whom Khan collaborated. Solo outings like Mahogany Nights, Space Hotel, and Kamasutra drew critical acclaim for their supple blend of technique, tradition, and technology. 1999 saw the release of Music From an Eastern Rosegarden; Almond Blossom Day followed a year later and mid-2000 saw the release of God Perfume II. Sufi was issued a year later. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Kitaro's style is the epitome of the contemplative, highly melodic synthesizer music often associated with the new-age movement. Interestingly enough, this famous Japanese composer taught himself to play electric guitar in high school -- inspired by the R&B music of Otis Redding. In the early '70s, Kitaro formed the Far East Family Band, which... [+] Read More

Kitaro's style is the epitome of the contemplative, highly melodic synthesizer music often associated with the new-age movement. Interestingly enough, this famous Japanese composer taught himself to play electric guitar in high school -- inspired by the R&B music of Otis Redding. In the early '70s, Kitaro formed the Far East Family Band, which released two albums of progressive rock. In 1972, however, he met the innovative German synthesist Klaus Schulze during a trip to Europe. Kitaro was hooked. He built his first synthesizer and began experimenting with all kinds of unusual sounds. His first solo album, Astral Voyage, appeared in 1978 and quickly gained a cult following. Two years later, he produced the first of several soundtracks for Silk Road, a Japanese television documentary series that ran for five years. Several albums of music from Silk Road were released to a growing international contingent of fans who admired his combination of lush, majestic textures and gentle, almost naive, melodies. Kitaro, however, was still considered an underground artist in America until he signed with Geffen Records in 1986, which re-released seven of his earlier albums and gave him the support to expand his scope in many ways. For instance, after years of creating albums in the privacy of his home studio near Japan's Mt. Fuji, Kitaro produced his 1987 release, The Light of the Spirit, with the help of Mickey Hart. The album featured an array of American musicians and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best New-Age Performance category. That same year, Kitaro also made his first live tour of North America and sold two million albums in the U.S. alone. Kitaro's style had changed as well, becoming more theatrical and assertive while retaining a certain level of innocence and purity. His more recent recordings also show a renewed interest in the rock and pop elements that originally attracted him to music in the late '60s; in 1998, he also released the soundtrack to Cirque Ingenieux, a production bound for the Broadway stage. Thinking of You followed a year later; Ancient appeared in spring 2001. It was well received, leading to a sequel of sorts in the like-minded Ancient Journey in 2002. His contributions on the soundtrack to the controversial Chinese drama The Soong Sisters came out the same year, as did a live album and DVD. ~ Linda Kohanov, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Tucson-based multi-instrumentalist R. Carlos Nakai is a Native-American musician and cultural anthropologist of Navajo-Ute descent. Though he received classical training on the trumpet, his numerous recordings consist primarily of resonant solo performances of Native-American flute improvisations with a judicious use of synthesizers, chanting,... [+] Read More

Tucson-based multi-instrumentalist R. Carlos Nakai is a Native-American musician and cultural anthropologist of Navajo-Ute descent. Though he received classical training on the trumpet, his numerous recordings consist primarily of resonant solo performances of Native-American flute improvisations with a judicious use of synthesizers, chanting, and nature sounds. Nakai only occasionally features arrangements of traditional melodies from various tribes; instead, he is primarily concerned with creating original compositions that capture the essence of his heritage in highly personalized ways. In addition to his solo recordings, Nakai has had the opportunity to create new avenues of expression for the Native American flute through collaborations with various artists over the years, including the ethnic jazz band Jackalope, keyboardist Peter Kater, contemporary classical composer James DeMars, and multi-instrumentalist William Eaton. ~ Linda Kohanov, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Largely thought of merely as a mostly stillborn offshoot of Brian Eno's larger ambient music series, the Fourth World series of albums, in collaboration with trumpeter Jon Hassell, is actually an entirely separate beast. Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics starts off from the same basic idea as Hassell's previous solo albums, like Earthquake... [+] Read More

Largely thought of merely as a mostly stillborn offshoot of Brian Eno's larger ambient music series, the Fourth World series of albums, in collaboration with trumpeter Jon Hassell, is actually an entirely separate beast. Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics starts off from the same basic idea as Hassell's previous solo albums, like Earthquake Island and Vernal Equinox: a blend of avant-garde composition, jazz soloing, and African and Middle Eastern rhythmic forms. This album adds only Eno's characteristic production touches, like the reversed echo that adds a ghostly, unreal edge to Hassell's trumpet solos on the side-long "Charm (Over Burundi Cloud)." The rest of the album, including the African hand drummers on the hypnotic "Delta Rain Dream" and the swirling, almost speech-like solos of "Griot," is pure Hassell. Although this album was never a chart hit and has become surprisingly underappreciated over the years, its influence on what has since become known as tribal techno is incalculable, as has its influence on those art rockers who have picked up a world music vibe. Peter Gabriel in particular owes a fair chunk of his royalty checks from Security onward to Jon Hassell. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Though his sitar talents take a back seat on this album, Al Gromer Khan creates the appropriate nocturnal ambience on Mahogany Nights with synthesizers, vibes, marimbas, bells and unique percussion touches like African logs. Khan's sitar accents rather than dominates pieces like "Taj" and "Night of the Scorpion," and the overall effect is... [+] Read More

Though his sitar talents take a back seat on this album, Al Gromer Khan creates the appropriate nocturnal ambience on Mahogany Nights with synthesizers, vibes, marimbas, bells and unique percussion touches like African logs. Khan's sitar accents rather than dominates pieces like "Taj" and "Night of the Scorpion," and the overall effect is spacious and exotically melodic. Mahogany Nights is a good, gradual introduction to Khan's talents as a composer and sitarist. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

You can actually feel Caribbean sunshine with this music. Badarou breathes real life into his synthesizers on this album of happy, upbeat, and danceable instrumentals. ~ Scott Bultman, All Music Guide

You can actually feel Caribbean sunshine with this music. Badarou breathes real life into his synthesizers on this album of happy, upbeat, and danceable instrumentals. ~ Scott Bultman, All Music Guide [-] Hide

R. Carlos Nakai has been at the forefront of Native American artists since the mid- to late '80s (around the time of release of this CD). On Earth Spirit, his acoustic reveries are direct and true. Each of the 15 compositions comes from Nakai's heart and goes to listeners' hearts. Two of the compositions are for the "eagle's bone whistle," the... [+] Read More

R. Carlos Nakai has been at the forefront of Native American artists since the mid- to late '80s (around the time of release of this CD). On Earth Spirit, his acoustic reveries are direct and true. Each of the 15 compositions comes from Nakai's heart and goes to listeners' hearts. Two of the compositions are for the "eagle's bone whistle," the others for the solo Native American flute. There are no extras or accompaniments. The only outside influences are for recording and amplification. This is an outstanding CD from a soulful man. It will appeal to fans of Robert Tree Cody, Joanne Shenandoah, Douglas Spotted Eagle, and Robert Mirabal. ~ Jim Brenholts, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The problem with rating this album is that to develop an opinion you have to focus in on the conscious world, and that's not at all what this is about. Thunder Chord, formed of a music that has roots in ancient American Indian ritual but crosses also into other ancient forms and loops back to modern studio technology, is about going... [+] Read More

The problem with rating this album is that to develop an opinion you have to focus in on the conscious world, and that's not at all what this is about. Thunder Chord, formed of a music that has roots in ancient American Indian ritual but crosses also into other ancient forms and loops back to modern studio technology, is about going beyond what we know of as the real-world conscious state. As with Mickey Hart and his current experiments in tinkering with the psyche through music, the two performers (and composers and archaeologists) who make up Coyote Oldman are looking for the inner rhythms. The result is a search, though, for transition, not for the primal self (there's plenty of music that does that handily). Oddly, though Stephen Hill's liner notes proclaim it to follow in the track of the best space music, it really isn't space music at all -- space music is often about visions coupled with a sense of power. The music here is filled more with a sense of communion, with life, with nature, with solitude, with the sky and the ground, with heat and light, dark and cold. It's the music of flutes and pipes, and by the nature of flutes and pipes it's a breathing music, very alive, very dynamic, slow in the musical shifts, yet carrying the listener on a carpet of warm sound. This is not an album to grab you and shake you. It's gorgeous for meditation, for dreaming, or just for playing as a body-settling surround. ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide [-] Hide