Global Canvas By Ron Korb

 

Global Canvas

By

Ron Korb

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

When you think of the genres of world music and global fusion, one name springs to mind as one of the front runners of instrumental music that can be found within those musical realms, that name is Ron Korb, with ease one of the finest flute performers of the genres aforementioned.

I have been an avid listener of Ron’s music for some 25 years now, ever since the release of Celtic Heartland. I am therefore proud to announce that 25 years on I am honoured to review the new massive oasis of world music, quite rightly called Global Canvas.

If ever a name suited an album this one does, it is an album that contains all manner of instrumentation and more renowned musicians from these two primary styles than you could ever possibly imagine, for example when we look at the simply stunning first two tracks, the first part of the prelude of the following narrative entitled Dream Of The King. Here Korb paints a lush picture of the past with a sublime performance on bamboo and bass flute, the layers unfurl further with the textured addition of cellist Margaret Maria, but for me the clever interplay came with the inclusion of Sharlene Wallace on Celtic Harp, creating a beautiful juxtaposition of east meets west

The release is a huge body of work, spanning some 18 amazing tracks, including pieces like the rhythmic Havana Sun, a country (Cuba) I nearly ended up in by accident, but that’s another story, applause to Hilario Durán on piano for the vibe of that area which is so unmistakable. Other classy offerings include the gentle refrains of Kindness, a track where Korb masterly performs to great aplomb on bawu, bass flute, and standard flute, whilst the performance by Xiaoqiu Lin on erhu captured the moment and the magic of it perfectly.

Even light Jazz and delicate funk motifs could be found of pieces like Blue Heron, I would also like at this point to praise the engine room on this piece as well, as the bass player usually gets forgotten, so let’s hear it for the sublime performance from Steve Lucas on an instrument that is becoming more recognised by the day on the 6-string bass. However this complex creation deserves all the plaudits it gets, it is a brilliant creation, and from a multitude of added performers too.

Now every so often I will find a little sanctuary in nature and just listen to some stunning solo flute, a good flute played well is one of the most expressive and meditative moments you could ever wish for, and Korb provides us with that on the track Peace Flute, a composition I will be coming back to over and over again for an age.

The penultimate track and concluding narrative is Three Kingdoms, firstly the short prelude and then the full and last glorious opus. This is the way with which to leave such a big project and with a little swing into mood as well. Great performances to wrap things up came from of course flute master Korb, but also with Larry Crowe on percussion, shaker and cajon, timely fluency came in the guise of the strings of Victoria Yeh violin, Margaret Maria on cello and many others, all contributing to a sun kissed last offering from the album.

Ron Korb has been responsible for many a sublime album over the years, but I truly believe he has crowned it with this one, with Global Canvas perhaps being the artists best work thus far, which considering the quality and standard of his creations, that’s no mean feat. Here though however he has manifested a true global fusion of compositional brilliance, and in doing so gifted us a timeless compilation of distinctive musical manifestations for us to enjoy for eons, this one has to be a huge hit on the charts, and perhaps even more!