Personnel: Dean Evenson (silver flute, keyboards); Scott Huckabay (guitar); Li Xiangting (guqin, bamboo flute); Jan Peters (keyboards); Sarah Hall (percussion).
Evenson, one of the preeminent new age flautists, and Li Xiangting, master of the guqin, or Chinese zither, join forces for this hour-long session of pure musical bliss.
With the exception of "Healing Breeze," a piece for solo bamboo flute, the two sound-healing artists improvise over each other's melodies and produce a wide spectrum of sounds.
While many meditation and relaxation pieces tend to sound alike, each song here is viable on its own. "Tao and Then" possesses a snaky charm and the forward momentum of a pop song, all within the boundaries of relaxation music. "Deeper Forever" evokes a lush forest scene, its poignant melody augmented by guitar and, eventually, a symphonic convergence of flute, keyboards, and guqin. The regal "Tree Over River" also benefits from a tasteful mix of all available instruments, and with its slightly bassier sound, contrasts pleasantly with the sweet high notes of the surrounding tracks. The low keyboard tones of "Morning Mist" provide a supportive background for work with the lower chakras. The word "tao," in its simplest translation, means "path." Anyone on the path to healing would do well to take this tranquil collaboration along.