Well, something new and unique; something refreshing and most certainly worth a look.

Ma formed the Silk Road Ensemble in the late 1990s for the purpose of exploring the exciting possibilities he envisioned when blending instrumentations and traditions found in the areas that lined the old Silk Road, but in a modern sensibility.

 Attempts to fuse musical styles in a modern setting have been deeply contrasting over the years. Sometimes hit, and sometimes miss. The hits have been spectacular, as in Paul Simon's 1986 landmark LP Graceland. But the misses...well in fairness I wont call out names. But I will mention some genres where attempts at world fusion have been mediocre at best. Some New Age music is just for the birds. Some supposed world electronica (with all due respect to Transglobal Underground and Thievery Corporation) has been just bloody awful.

 My respect for the fusion of world sounds in a popular setting was made solid by the efforts of Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's UnLedded tours. But what about the fusion of world music with...well...world music?

 Enter Yo-Yo Ma. America's favorite classical cellist comes through with a new folk fusion sound with roots running deep in well-established traditions spanning cultures from across a vast geographical area as well as a long-standing history. This is a dangerous, even daunting task when you think about it. The chances for failure here are greater than in the simpler world of pop music. The audience is more critical, more knowledgeable. The pieces are more complex, the instruments less familiar. The people playing together have never met.

 But this is the very edge Ma has turned to his advantage. The title of the album, When Strangers Meet says it all. Here is the capturing of the Silk Road itself; that ancient place between worlds where East met West and strange tongues sought to communicate through trade.

 And it can be certain they didn't just trade goods. They traded glances. They traded methods of art, science, and music. Here is the quintessence of this recording; its use of music as a language of communications. We see through the eyes of the musicians, and we see them looking straight into each others souls.

 This recording also finds our favorite cellist in unfamiliar territory.a place that classical musicians dread. Improvisation! And he shines out. He is amazing. He even attempts to play unfamiliar cello-like instruments. And I will say that after only a few days of practice, the man can really hold his own. Ever reinventing himself, I will always look forward to Yo-Yo's recordings.

 Okay, enough flowery talk. What about the product?

 The product is rock solid. Period. Haunting compositions and spirited improvisations. There is a sense of adventure here as well as a sense of grounding in these deep traditions. The musicians are master musicians of their craft and this is paramount in understanding the difference between the popular music we are used to and how it contrasts the traditions of music to be found in the non drive-thru cultures.

For us, some guy playing a few chords in his mom's basement can be called music. Our folk tradition is in general just a suburban teen playing a Squier Stratocaster on an old amp one day and being a rock star the next. And hey, there is nothing at all wrong with this in my mind. I love rock and roll...its the shit. But, in order to truly understand the absolute power of music we must take a moment to learn what music is to someone in this ensemble.

 These are people who were born to their instruments. They have dwelled in the culture of these instruments. Their grandparents mastered them. Their great-grandparents mastered them. They are instruments and traditions of an entire people and they are symbols of the very cultures from which they come. Every note played by one of these people is a note from an eternal source; a testament to the survival of their way of life and the pride they feel in their heritage. They are playing for their history, for their country, for their village...for their people. Creating a simple jam session with these master musicians is a radically different endeavor than you might imagine.

 This is not to say that the recording isnt fun. Its as playful as anything, and the rendition of an old medieval Italian street song (Chi passa per'sta strada) is a joy to listen to. This track is also the best example of the DSD Multichannel recording technology of the SACD. Each percussion instrument finds a home in a different speaker, wrapping itself around the listener nicely, but also providing us with an ultimate argument against the surround music nay-sayers; the seperation of the channels allows us to hear more seperation between the instruments, making the tones ring clearer and more transparently. In laymans terms, it sounds more realistic.

 Well, all in all I would say this recording is flawless. BUT.

 Some of the compositions and tones, to be truly frank with you, are simply not appealing to my ears. This is only my opinion, so it goes off the record. But I will say that the opening track is quite annoying. Its a traditional female singer from Mongolia. I take it I will not like any Mongolian female vocal music, because it sounds like dead cats being scolded by a washerwoman. I have tried repeatedly to listen to it, honestly trying to learn how to like it. But I simply can't. It just sounds horrid.

 Some of the compositions can also be rather lengthy at times. But this is the nature of Eastern music. It is really my Western ears and their limitations that stop me from the full appreciation of this debut effort by an ensemble with a promising future. I will say that I expect the next recording to be a little more flowing, owing to the nature of musicians and their need to feel each other out, but this disc is excellent and worth checking out.

 Production, content and execution - A+

Overall Listening pleasure - C+

- The Fish