Rhythmscape

It's very easy to dismiss Rhythmscape: The New Sound of Melody and Rhythm as new age meandering. After all there's plenty of rain sticks and gongs, and you'll find plenty of blathering in the sleeve notes. And don't forget the faux jazz that makes up "Zinc." But if you can take the time to get beyond all the clichés, there's actually some tasty musicianship on this album. Bikram Ghosh is an extremely talented tabla player, albeit one who's working very much outside the box on this release, accommodating Indian ideas, voices, and instruments (along with Western percussion and instruments) to Western mores. All too often that's a bad thing, and brings out the worst from both cultures in the name of fusion. But on pieces like "Gangotri" there's some depth to the thought and the playing. Granted, it's not going to be to everyone's taste. Those who favor Indian classical music will likely see it as heresy, and the new age crowd might find it somewhat busy. So while it falls betwixt and between, there's still plenty of good to be found -- you just have to search for it. ~ Chris Nickson|