Inside Monument Valley

Peter Horn's experiments in the great acoustic cathedrals of the world are fascinating. From the Taj Mahal to the Great Pyramids, he composes pieces that resonate within their environments. I love how there is the occassioal animal sound on this recording. Crows and such. But clean lyrics? Horn speaks occasionally in introduction to his pieces (on most of his recordings), but there are never lyrics per say... 4/5 because it isn't his best (I believe the original/ the Taj Mahal recording is the greatest)

5 STARS? Yup. Hands down: Inside Monument Valley is one of my favorite albums. Nakai, along with Paul Horn, jazz flute giant, go down into the canyons and play their guts out. Paul Horn plays the European metal flute, the kind of flute most people are familiar with. Nakai plays the Native American flute. One would think a simple wooden barrel with six holes would be buried by Horn’s many-keyed flute. Not so! Through stunning musicianship, these two blend perfectly, while still maintaining the identity of each instrument. Track 1, Eye of the Wind, begins with the sound of the wind down in the canyon. Nakai begins with some tasteful meandering, joined by Horn, echoing each other as they find their way through this tune they are extemporaneously laying down. The NA flute, by its nature, is limited in range when compared to Horn’s metal flute. But Nakai knows how to milk his six-hole wonder to the max. As they work the tune to its conclusion, birds join the effort, with Nakai finally closing out the tune. Very nicely done, and a nice opening tune. Track 4, Full Moon, is a Paul Horn solo. He begins in the lower register, his notes slowly weaving their magic, mostly in the lower register. I love the lower register. Its resonance is so substantial you can almost cut it with a knife. At the very end of the tune a crow gives its opinion, almost as a kaw of approval. Track 7, Big Hogan, begins with just Nakai. He uses a higher-key flute here. Then Horn comes in in the lower register, making a nice contrast, but still echoing the theme Nakai initially lays down. Suddenly Horn picks up the pace and Nakai plays against that, fugue-like. Then they dazzle each other with some smooth and fast finger work, ending with the wind and a trill from Nakai. The last track, Track 20, is a cute Paul Horn solo, although I’m sure it didn’t begin that way. Somewhere in the track Horn’s dog begins to howl. And the more evocative Horn plays, the more the dog howls. You can’t help but smile. I’m glad they used that track because it’s a perfect way to end an album between two monster flute players. 5 STARS? Yup. Hands down. Dick - FluteFlights.com