Here’s a delightfully creative, pastoral and moody collection of sounds from leader/reeder Oran Etkin. He plays clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor on this album of twelve tunes that mixes and matches artists Ben Allison/b, Curtis Fowlkes/tb, Lionel Loueke/g-v and Nasheet Waits/dr. Material such as “Gratitude” mix West African sounds from Loueke with hints of New Orleans polyphony, while the spacious “Gambang Suling” features Etkin’s bass clarinet and Spartan accompaniment by the rhythm team. On soprano clarinet, Etkin sounds joyful on “All I Really Want To Do Is Dance” while Oriental flavors fill up the senses on “ Takeda” (Homesick Blues). Most of the tunes are taken at a gentle and patient pace; nothing is rushed, and the sounds come at you like a scent from a slowly burning fire, filling your mind with sounds and visions. Lovely and pensive.
Motema Music