Over the course of a given year, among ARC's many releases both good and bad, there are generally a plethora of ethnic percussionists represented. Those percussionists, usually led by a couple of tracks from ARC's deep stable (
Hossam Ramzy and
Joji Hirota, among others) make a surprisingly good collection when thrown together into a mix, as seen in previous installments of the Masters of Percussion series. Here, the album opens with
Hossam Ramzy in fine form, all tinkling chimes and rattles.
Ramin Rahimi's Iranian band comes out like a Southern marching band soon after, and the first of a few taiko tracks is headed up by
Joji Hirota in a pounding fashion. Nigerian
Solá Akingbolá contributes a surprisingly Brazilian track in "Ninu Opon Ori Tiwa." Tabla gets represented by
Sarvar Sabri with a nice tabla accompanied on harmonium, and Malian djembes get a turn from Nahini Doumbia, and the cycle starts to repeat itself soon after, with twists to the items presented previously -- more Iranian percussion, more Iranian marching band-style percussion, more from
Solá Akingbolá (though this time he's in a more directly African mode). It's a nice album, the pieces fitting together in perhaps a more relentlessly beat-heavy but more coherent and non-monotone fashion than they were even on their own respective albums. ~ Adam Greenberg