Published on Jan 6, 2001
French artists Didier Malherbe (originally of European
progressive rock band Gong) and Loy Ehrlich seem determined to play
every odd instrument they can find on this, their first CD for
small label Zebra Acoustic Records.
Instrumental credits include the doudouk or Armenian double
reed, the bamboo clarinet, the sapilka or Ukranian double recorder,
the zeff, the hajouj or Moroccon Gnawas’ bass, the African hunters’
guitar, harp, and thumb-piano…and the ukelele. Needless to
say, this CD is filed under “World Music,” and for good reason.
Malherbe and Ehrlich’s goal seemed to be to create a CD filled with
the soft jazz/new age sound inherent in a thousand chirping birds
and synthesizer Windham Hill releases, but do it acoustically, and
do it well.
So did they succeed? Good question. Musically,
Hadouk is as tight a sound as you’d want. The various exotic
instruments form a seamless whole, smooth and tight, the sound
eerily reminiscent of synthesized music but with the breaths and
slight unevenness that marks an acoustic performance. The wind
instruments specifically have a rich, complex sound that marks
Malherbe as a master of his chosen craft. There is also nothing to
fault about the production of Malherbe and Didier; the sound of the
CD is crystalline, without any of the mud that sometimes plagues
small-label releases.
If anything fails, however, it’s the content of
Hadouk. New age music usually suffers from an overdose of
bland, and
Hadouk is, sadly, no exception. Nothing really stands out
about the compositions themselves – they’re ephemeral, vanishing
like fog under the sun the moment your CD player has moved past
them. Instrumentation this fascinating deserved better, more
memorable music. Only the soaring, mysterious “Hadouk”, the oddly
bouncy “Loukoumotive”, the acoustic guitar of “Effarvatte”, and the
rich woodwinds of “Caspienne Blues” are at all remarkable.
Hadouk isn’t a bad CD at all, but it’s not going to interest
anyone but the dedicated New Age fan or those interested in the
alternative instrument selection of world music. As a sociology
project, it’s fascinating, but as a collection of music it leaves
something to be desired.