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review by Bill Binkelman Flutist Suzanne Teng and her band, Mystic Journey (Gilbert Levy, ethnic drums; Fritz Heede, guitar, sitar and saz; Barry Newton, string bass) have fashioned a non-stop global-hopping set of tunes on their second album. Miles Beyond takes the adventurous listener from one part of the world to another, sometimes with fire and passion and other times with subtlety and grace. As with Teng's previous recording (Mystic Journey), there is no lacking of musical spice in the nine selections. Teng steps out in front of the band for most of the album, playing lead melodies on an assortment of flutes ranging from Native American wooden to classical alto, C and bass flutes, as well as her extensive collection of world flutes (e.g. ney, suling, bamboo, and others). Besides Teng and her bandmates, the album also features the talents of other musicians who drop in here and there (on keyboards, guitar, didge, oud, fretless bass and cello). No matter who is playing on any given song, though, the arrangements and performances are always professional and even inspired at times. Unusual for a world fusion recording like Miles Beyond, tracks tend to be somewhat lengthy. There are nine songs, but only three come in under six minutes. I thought some of the extended bridges and solos in the longer cuts could have been shortened, as it feels like the song has turned into a jam session. However, that's more a matter of my preference than an outright criticism. Songs themselves range from the opening Native American jazz-tinged midtempo "Medicine Wheel," (featuring some tasty guitar work by Heede) to the exotic and mysterious "Babylonians" (which starts slow and sensuous with flavors of curry and cilantro in the air and becomes dervish-like in its intensity as it unwinds) to the playful Gamelan-influenced "Suling" with some of Teng's best flute work, flitting and soaring in the upper registers. The percussion on this last piece is another highlight as the assorted instruments beat out a lively festive rhythm. My favorite numbers, though, are the relatively quieter ones, such as "Motherland" (love the African percussion instruments on this one, as well as its loping pace and Teng's earthy bamboo flute). I also think the title track is superb. It actually reminded me of Robyn Miller's excellent work on the soundtrack to Riven (the computer game) except here the emphasis is on acoustic instruments with only mild synthesizer textures (courtesy of Dino Herrmann). Gilbert Levy's assorted percussion (including some instruments I have never heard of, e.g. dun dun, zils, swarasangham) really lends this song an otherworldly flavor. Teng's breathy and rapid flute work on C and bass flutes is also noteworthy. Despite my minor critique about one or two selections' length, Miles Beyond still represents a recommendable (and, at times, highly recommendable) recording of world fusion music, with the emphasis on flutes, of course. I think the album is more than varied enough to sustain interest throughout multiple playings and I sure can't fault either the quality of the performances or the technical side of the CD (engineering and production are first rate). For a trans-continental voyage into ethnic rhythms and global flutes, book passage on Miles Beyond. |
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