Tom Teasley does it all here. On these eleven songs, he cleans out his storage shed and plays (deep breath) djambe, bongos, temple blocks, Chinese hand cymbals, foot controlled pandeiro, Roland HandSonic, malletKAT, keyboards, melodic, vocodor, bamboo flute, kouxian, keyboards, HAPI drum, kalimba, gongs, cajon and bawu. Oh, did I mention he also plays the drums?
Believe it or not, the idea plays out well. He creates some wonderfully exotic moods with the flute wafting over caressed percussion on “Zen Fever” “The Mountain” and “The Heart is a Flower. ” None of the pieces are much over 5 minutes, so the themes and melodies don’t allow for self indulgence, as “The Djade Emperor” and “The Temple Garden” are wonderful joyrides, and “The Gold Cicada” is a walk through a reflective garden. You’re going to be surprised how much you like this one!