Stephan Micus takes you to villages and monasteries of Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean on this album which has him singing like a monk and playing like a local villager. He uses a variety of disparate instruments from areas such as Scandinavia and Georgia: nyckelharpa, shakuhachi, balanzikom, genbri, guitars and zithers. Folksy pieces like “Haze” and “For Shirin And Koshru” exude a patience with long tones and strums that is only extracted from periods of quietude. Orthodox chants on “Flor Del Sur” and “Virgen De La Mar” have a monastic clarity, while the rich voice and strings of “Nuria” evoke images of mountain top village life. Flutes of a shepherd are gently wisped on “Reaping Storm” and spacious dreams float on “Sowing Wind.” If you’ve ever been to a farm village, you’ll understand the gentle graciousness of the sounds.
ECM Records