Search - John Wubbenhorst :: Facing Beloved

Marks a significant advance over his estimable debut

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 04/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"John Wubbenhorst, remarkable bansuri (East Indian wooden flute) player, intrepid voyager to the subcontinent, continues his magical blend of East and West in this, his sophomore recording. Gone are the extraneous keyboards of his first offering. Present are what sounds a lot more like a real band: Wubbenhorst (bansuri and Western flute), Subash Chandran (ghatam, or clay pot, and konnakol, or vocal percussion), Ganesh Kumar (kanjira or South Indian frame drum), Steve Zerlin (electric bass guitar), and Jorge Zamorano (acoustic guitar). Special guests Steve Bloom (percussion), Dave Pietro (alto sax), and Alexander Mitchell (violin) add color to several of the selections.This recording's a lot tighter, more focused, and much more integrative than his last outing, which was itself pretty spectacular for a first effort. Here the mix of Eastern and Western musics and esthetics works seemlessly: These players form a musical bond of great depth and subtly. Indeed, this strikes me as one of the best meetings of East and West ever put to disc.One very minor caveat: There's about a minute's worth of preaching that constitutes cut number 9 that could've easily been omitted--and should've. Music is seldom the place for proselytizing. But it's so minor, it's not worth subtracting even a half star.Fans of such remarkable artists as Omar Sosa, Claude Chalhoub, and Dhaffer Youssef will most certainly want to check this out. Anyone who favors authentic world jazz of the highest order will want to give a listen."