STEVE GORN

Colors of the Mind

Dharma Moon (2002)

reviewed by Bill Binkelman

Is there a better bansuri flute player than Steve Gorn? If so, I've not heard him/her. Likewise, I've never heard Gorn himself sound better than he does on this, his latest, recording. Joined by some extremely able accompanists (on keyboards, bass, pedal steel guitar, and hansa veena), Colors of the Mind is a supremely satisfying collection of songs that combines East Indian flavors with an occasional ambient and even new age sensibility. Sublime is not too strong a word for the music contained herein &endash; calling it pretty is too timid and even labeling it beautiful is missing the mark. Hearing Gorn's flute (with underlying tamboura drones and gentle keyboard textures) on the opening track, "Afterglow," puts me in mind of watching the sunrise from behind distant mountain peaks &endash; I mean, how much more sublime can you get than that image?

Fans of East Indian ambient fusion (from artists like Al Gromer Khan) should love some of the tracks on the album (provided they enjoy the sound of a bansuri flute). "Indian Nights" is ethereal and serene and features muted pedal steel guitar along with just the right amount of keyboard embellishments to yield music that is original without being the least bit inaccessible. "Setting the Sails" is a smoky sensuous excursion into luxuriously rich velvet East Indian soundscapes. Languid tamboura drones, sitar-like textures (the hansa veena, perhaps? I'm unfamiliar with the instrument) and Gorn's flute weave a dense web of sexy musical intrigue. "Sita's Garden" is more sedate and haunting, with both tamboura and synthesizers laying down a bed of liquid undercurrents on top of which Gorn casts his spell (this track's flute work just sends chills down my spine &endash; it's a perfect blend of earthiness and ethereal beauty).

There are six tracks on the album. The first five are all fairly lengthy (from seven to just over fourteen minutes long). Only the final song, "Hummingbird" (a mostly solo bansuri number, with just a touch of keyboards) is short (at a tad over five minutes). This piece is also probably the most lively track here, although that's a relative statement. All the music on the CD is instrumental except for parts of "Shyam, The Dark One," which features the excellent (and, at times, truly soaring) vocal talents (both wordless chanting and what I would assume are East Indian lyrics) of Falguni Shah.

Owing to Gorn's amazing bansuri playing, each song on the album is deeply evocative and can be enjoyed as either musical accompaniment to an East Indian meal (sorry, but I have to remind you all that Kathryn is a highly skilled Indian cook &endash; lucky me!) or quiet contemplation or you can just sit and bask in the sensuous flute music and mystical textures that the other instruments add to the mix.

I'd encourage adventurous ambient music fans to give Colors of the Mind serious consideration. Of course, for lovers of East Indian fusion music, the album gets my highest recommendation. I have not enjoyed East Indian fusion music this much since I first heard Stephen Coughlin's Breeze at Dawn. Steve Gorn is a masterful musician and this CD is one of the best world/world fusion music releases of 2002.