CD Review: Impresiones - Audiophile Audition
An adventurous musical travelogue
Van Overmeire is a composer, classical guitarist and percussionist from Belgium, and his new world music CD was influenced by both Yo-Yo Ma and Pat Metheny. While this is closer to what one generally thinks of as world music than the Garbarek disc above, it still displays plenty of original thinking and sounds.
A four-year stay in South America was the main stimulus for the album concept. He experienced breathtaking impressions of this area and has translated them into a colorful and diverse chapters in a musical journey.
The choice of instruments gives a hint of the influences here - the bandoneon of his time in Argentina, for example. The cello has a strong voice in the proceedings, and Mark himself plays in addition to the guitar, the drums, percussion and synths.
These are not just folk music-derived selections - the compositions switch wildly from jazz to folk to classical to klezmer to soundtrack. An adventurous musical travelogue free of all the expected cliches.
John Henry - Audiophile Audition
