As a collector of exotic instruments, I can appreciate this album by Stephan Micus, as he brings various things that can be hit, shaken, blown and struck from the likes of Ethiopia, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania, India, Egypt and even throwing in a little bit of Armenia with the duduk for good measure. Each instrument evokes various landscapes, and Micus mixes them together like a rich curry.
Many of the pieces have him creating a percussive lilt with the African kalimba, supported by a chorus chant and mystical flute on “Fireflies” or teamed with Byzantine voices during a liturgical “The Forest” and “The Poet.” Enchanting reeds and an oud-like guitar create the dreamy “Western Gate” and a cantoral reed cries out on a bright lunar “The Moon” and the duduk floating like the smoke from a candle on “Eastern Gate.” The spaciousness, pastoral patience and use of atmosphere never sounds cliché’d or derived; it all comes from the heart of a pilgrim.