Customer Reviews

Ancient Future

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This is an excellent CD, but NOT a traditional Nakai flute excursion. Every track is interesting, and musically well-developed, yet pretty jazzy. There is more of a "native" feel to this CD as opposed to the last release, Big Medicine, which was louder. I liken this release a bit to the fantastic music created earlier on "Migration" and "Honorable Sky", but with much more noodling on saxaphones and horns. I'm not sure this is necessarily "a Good Thing", as Martha would say... On this CD you get to hear more of Mr. Nakai's incredible flute-playing, and the music is like an ecological, yet tribal journey with scat singing. I do think they should appologize to the group "Ancient Future" for using their name as a title. (Search on the group Ancient Future for another source of EXCELLENT music).

If you are interested in recordings by R. Carlos Nakai Quartet, purchase its first recording, Kokopelli's Cafe. The two recordings that followed that one are blah.

This release, the third of the Quartet, is very dull and uninspired. Lots of screeching and the sound itself seems to be chaotic and all over the place. Many of the songs sound the same and it is hard to find a rhythm or harmony. I keep listening to this recording hoping it will grow on me. It isn't. Save your money.

The ever creative R. Carlos Nakai probably realizes that the quintessential Native American Flute album has already been done. Along with peers such as Coyote Oldman, R. Carlos Nakai has recoded his share of stellar albums that employ 'ethereal aerophones, light brush strokes of pow-wow drums and an abundance of reverb.' While "Canyon Trilogy" has already been done, Nakai is an artist who doesn't like to stagnate. He's always taking his cedar flute into new environments. For example, with "Fourth World," Nakai played with a string quartet. "Ancient Future" may be one of his most ambitious projects. In this situation, Nakai plays Jazz. While this is an interesting concept, the quartet was unsuccessful. It didn't work for two potential reasons. First, the musicians that Nakai plays with just aren't that good and what they play just isn't that interesting. The electric bass in particular doesn't seem to fit; the instrument pushes the music into a Rock Fusion direction. Even as a Jazz meets Indian Flute project, many of the tunes digress by playing new age infused world music. Second, this project asks the question, is Native American music compatible with Jazz? While open to debate, it had been previously attempted from the other side of the question. "Sacred Common Ground" was the late Don Pullen's attempt to fuse his Jazz with Native music. While both "Sacred Common Ground" and "Ancient Future" are adventurous efforts, the results are equally uncompelling. Despite the lukewarm outcome, R. Carlos Nakai is to be praised for being so musically courageous with a project of this nature. It is only by taking such risks that the envelope is pushed forward. Okay, maybe the prototypical Native American flute album has been done. Perhaps it is less than groundbreaking to still make an album that uses 'ethereal aerophones, light brush strokes of pow-wow drums and an abundance of reverb.' At the end of the day, nothing succeeds like success.