Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet ~ Yo-Yo Ma ~ Classical ~ CD ~ Used VG

Yo-Yo Ma has played tangos, jazz, and Appalachian fiddle music, but the Silk Road Project is certainly the most far-reaching of his musical explorations. Gathering together musicians from Iran, India, China, and other countries along the historic trade route, as well as a few Americans, Ma and musicologist Theodore Levin have woven a new tapestry of sounds from many different threads, some old and some new. The result is an ear-opening, mind-expanding kind of fusion. Among other pieces, Ma plays a work based on the classical traditions of Azerbaijan accompanied by a piano prepared à la John Cage, as well as Finnish folk songs. Recording in big jam sessions, Ma says he had "a huge amount of fun," and that's perhaps the most memorable feature of this disc. Authenticity is beside the point -- the disc captures a joyful spirit of sharing and cooperation among people whose backgrounds are vastly different. In today's world, so full of conflict and misunderstanding, this spirit is of incomparable value.