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Robin Adnan Anders is a Sufi master drummer and
Omaiyo is a drum CD full of stories. His playing reveals the power of percusion, whether it's rich, subtle tones of log drums, or the sound of the Egyptian tabla or the
darabouka. Melodic lines are heard in the mbira and the talking drum. There are trance pieces such as "Tourra," which Anders describes as "fire in a gentle rain," and Kadar, a moving piece of drum meditation, with tablas and a clay flattop
dourbakee. Where this recording really dances is on the opening track, "Omaiyo." Here Anders stirs the world music pot with a big stick and a backbeat. Filled with a chilling chant and lilting guitars, the drums drive the tale, a song filled with joy and lament. When the saxophone arrives, it is obvious Anders is a visionary, able to mix centuries of sound into a contemporary anthem. The CD packaging is a lovely compendium, each song accompanied by a short written fantasy story inspired by the music. These stories are exotic and fun. If you tire of reading, you can listen to the drums tell their tale.
--Bob Boilen
From the Label
OMAIYO is a collection of nine tracks featuring both acoustic and authentic world music tinged with Western touch points. Trancier than Mickey Hart's AT THE EDGE and with more melodic percussion than Airto's THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS, OMAIYO offers a mellifluous medium to the state of meditative trance.
At the album's start, Robin's melodic percussion is accompanied by violin, guitar and saxophone. Slowly, Robin sheds these complementary ornamentations of sound and the melodies are stripped away, leaving only the essential percussion. Peaking with his almost fifteen minute trance of "Kadar" from the tabla and clay-top dourbakee, the album ends with the sparse "Tuva," gently bringing the listener back from trance with the Laotian jaw harp.
Robin's spirituality and his music are intertwined, and being that they are two fundamental aspects of his person, it's not surprising that his musical creativity should break the traditional methods of recording. Each track was first improvised using only one drum, then an improvised melody was recorded on the next pass. Not even Robin had heard his songs in their entirety until the recording was complete.
Capturing the spirit of OMAIYO, the album includes a deluxe booklet that features zen koans, written by luminaries of the fantasy/science fiction publishing world and inspired by the music.
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