The best recordings are often very hard to write much about because the listening experience is so rewarding that you're left almost speechless, and after all a review is simply nothing more than an extension of speech. With
Pharaoh's Daughter
and their recording,
Daddy's Pockets
, there's certainly something magical and something synergistic happening. For a band who originates from New York City you could never tell, as their music is a hybrid of ancient
Jewish
and
Mediterranean
music mixed with an upbeat, city-like hustle-and-bustle aesthetic. The combination of all of these elements is certainly exciting.
employs numerous exotic elements, from the flute and tabla to the crumbhorn, and a strangely tuned guitar beating out all kinds of Middle-Eastern melodies and rhythms. Especially interesting is the contrapuntal work between the flute and the acoustic guitar, but at the same time the acoustic guitar creates an excellent polyrhythmic meditation with the tabla.
is quite possibly one of the finest and most unified band recordings, and the word band here is the key word, as this reviewer has come across very few ensembles who have the kind of togetherness that
has. This is an excellent recording and certainly one that will keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the program. Fantastic. ~ Matt Borghi