Review
courtesy of Tom Goar
This
is a CD that I have been playing a lot, and it keeps
sounding good to me. Dave not only plays great didj,
but also performs remarkable vocal harmonics, really
nice percussion,
and makes incredibly realistic animal sounds out of
his own body. Dave's animal sounds grace the silences
between cuts and are sometimes tastefully a part of
the cut itself. Joining Dave are some top-flight musicians
playing ancient and modern world instruments.
Each
cut on Animal Dreams creates its own world, and I enjoy
living in each of them. The CD begins with the sound
of a solitary cricket followed by the first cut, a jazz
fusion piece, "Awakening," that
has interesting twists and turns. It features didjeridu,
sitar, chapman stick, drums, bass, and sax. The
second cut is "YinYang," a
spirited rhythmic didjeridu solo with accompanying
Ghanaian hand drums. Third is "
Cricket Dance," a didjeridu duet that explores
the range of the instrument---rhythms, harmonics,
vocalizations, all that we love about the didj. I imagine
that the didj sounds on this cut are such as one might hear
in some deep, dark, transmogrified forest.
The
fourth cut is "Mastika Kashlama," a
song in 9/8 rhythm about an Egyptian drink---with
didj, oud, dumbek and vocals. It is evocative of unknown
lands and inexplicable experiences. Fine musicianship,
strikingly beautiful vocals. The fifth cut, "Windhorse," contains
no didjeridu whatsoever, but is one of my favorites anyway.
It takes us into the Himalayas and Tibet where "windhorse" is
the local equivalent of "prana" in
India, "chi" in China, and "the
zone" in basketball. What arouses the energies in this piece are
the breathtaking harmonic overtones that play their own tunes. The atmospherics
in this piece are wonderful. "Windhorse" is followed by "Turtle
Cricket," a virtuoso rhythmic didjeridu solo piece accompanied by
hand clapping. The seventh cut is entitled "Seven," and is
in 7/8 rhythm. The musicianship on this cut, with East Indian, Egyptian
and Australian instruments is exquisite.
I am
transported to an eastern garden, protected by a garden
wall from the bazaar outside. The droning didjeridu sounds
just right with the sitar, oud, nay and darabukka (dumbek).
The eighth and title cut is "Animal Dreams," which
takes us to another realm, a peaceful and introspective,
meditative realm. Here the didjeridu duets with a synthesizer
to produce a new age fusion piece in which the didjeridu
humanizes the synth's unworldly sounds, and the synth
gives wings to the aspirations of the earthy didj. This
is a piece that bears introspective listening.
"Animal
Dreams" is followed by what may be the most beautiful
piece on the whole CD, "Sheba," a wonderful
Middle Eastern song that has the expressive drone of
the didj joining with oud, nay, darabukka and the heartstoppingly
beautiful voice of Meagan Chandler to bring the Animal
Dreams to the height of its emotional intensity with
exquisite tenderness. If "Sheba" is the climax
of Animal Dreams, then "Zaze Pentad" is its
denouement. Here Dave's wildman didjeridu solo is counterpointed
by his ethereal vocal harmonics. In me, what these contrasting
elements mix together to produce is happiness. Happiness
and a peaceful spirit.
This
CD is the product of years of dedication and effort--and
lots of heart--and that's the way it sounds.
Tom Goar |
