From jazz to India, via Tibetan monks... It’s a short hop, one already taken by John Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders. Percussionist Abbey Rader makes the jump resolutely with “Mystic Journey.” Accompanied by Phillip Gelb on shakuhachi, this music, smelling of incense, invites us to meditate. “
...the Shakuhachi is a Japanese bamboo flute, but Philip Gelb doesn’t limit himself to playing in a Far Eastern style and his tight interaction with Rader on these obviously spontaneous compositions result in a CD with an amazing amount of texture, particularly in the light of it being a duo project. Rader’s percussion is the driving force to which Gelb responds.
- Dave McElfresh