This release is a percussionist's soul and passion for all the world's rhythms and its synergistic heartbeat. Fourteen tracks transport you through Turkey, Afghanistan, Polynesia, Bali, Nigeria, India, North Africa, Azerbajdzjani, Burma, China, Syria and the exotic, hyper-technical "Blues for FZ,
Frank Zappa" universe.
Jonas Hellborg, bassist extraordinaire, of a latent, short-lived version of
the Mahavishnu Orchestra, guests on four tracks. He excels, as is expected, in his atmospheric presentations. Track one, "Blue Shift," is probably the most accessible piece to jazz fusion experimentation tastes with Hellborg. The remaining tracks are suggested for ethnic/tribal/world music/free jazz percussion completists.Threads of new age and ambient/minimalist moments are sprinkled throughout as on "Imaginative Ocean," "Nigerian Oasis," "After the Storm" and "Elif Air Ab Tizak."
Johansson actually went to many exotic places recording sounds, playing with these foreign musicians, and bringing it all back for studio manipulation and overdubs. It is percussion eclectica, exotica covering the globe. ~ John W. Patterson