Tao of Healing CD

Part of the Sound Healing series from Soundings of the Planet, Tao of Healing teams flautist Dean Evenson with Li Xiangting, a professor from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and an authority on the guqin, an ancient seven-string zither from China. Their collaboration, with barely perceptible support from keyboards, acoustic guitar (Scott Huckabay) and percussion, is a hushed, serene, and inviting experience--as soft as the faintest breeze felt on a peaceful, sun-warmed afternoon. Evenson's meditative flute, which rarely strays from the instrument's comfortable low and middle ranges, is the disc's prevailing voice, with Xiangting's guqin discreetly supplying tasteful, angular accents to complement the Western vibe of Evenson's reflective improvisations. At times, in fact, this calming, slow-go disc (60 minutes in length) briefly conveys traces of jazzlike harmonics (largely Huckabay's contribution) that flavors the blissful proceedings with a nice touch of musicality. A slight soundalike quality might be detected in some tracks, but this is a minor quibble. This is Evenson's first recording where natural sounds are not included, though the liner notes assert the mix makes use of "earth resonance frequency" (7.8 hertz), all to enhance a listener's attainment of an alpha state. Actually, Evenson, Xiangting, and company do a commendable job of that on their own. A strong choice for supplementing massage or meditation.

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