Reve de Sang

Wang Li grew up in Shandong, China, but went to Paris to find himself, and this disc shows what he can do with some very simple instruments, of which the Jew’s harp is the principal one. Since the information coming with the CD is vestigial, one is forced to glean what one can from watching his promotional clip on the net. First, he seems to have several variants of the Jew’s harp in his possession, in addition to the basic type. One has resonating flanges, which enrich the sound, another is made to vibrate with the aid of a short stick. He alternates these things with a triple flute, for which he has attached an entire gourd as a mouthpiece: this allows him to create a double drone beneath the melody. He also creates effects of distance by holding the Jew’s harp away from his open mouth and varying the distance between them. Soft percussion is created with small objects shaken in his right hand. Throat-singing, of a Central Asian kind, is also part of his repertoire.

The track titles suggest a variety of musical worlds, but though the effects are ingeniously concocted, that’s really all they are – concoctions, each with a different recipe that doesn’t entirely satisfy.