Search - Nicholas Gunn :: Breathe

Nicholas Gunn has worked with global rhythms for most of his career, using them as a launching pad for exhilarating flute melodies. On Breathe, he ventures into Latin and Afro-Cuban grooves, crafting his finest album to date. By turns seductive and celebratory, Gunn leaves behind much of the sappy strings and smooth jazz snappiness that have marred earlier works. Instead, the focus is on the groove, constructed from a smorgasbord of hand-percussion, flute, keyboards, and vocals--all provided by Gunn himself. On tracks like the exuberant "Breathe" and the trancey "En El Templo Antiguo," he multi-tracks his voice, replacing what would usually be string pads with a wordless vocalesse that lends his music an earthier feel. It's not strictly a one man band, though. Gunn is joined on most tracks by violist Rachel Handlin for some gypsy moods, and acoustic guitarist John Bishoff, who injects a nouveau flamenco sound. It all comes together around Nicholas Gunn's flute, a melodic sprite that flies through music that is panoramic, if not outright cinematic, in scope. --John Diliberto