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Faradena Afifi, Steve Beresford & Paul Khimasia Morgan — Bee Reiki
(Discus Music 173, 2024, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-06-15

Bee Reiki Cover art

Reiki is a form of spiritual healing energy that originated in Japan in the nineteenth century; reiki ‘s adherents claim that it can be used to treat various medical conditions and diseases. And how do bees tie in with reiki? The eight track titles of the improvisational music at hand might offer some ideas: “Sad, bedraggled bee lies in a puddle,” “Move the bee into sunlight,” “I wonder if Reiki might help?” “The bee wiggles its white, furry bottom,” “Limbs stretch, wings vibrate, flying into sunshine,” “Woggle Dance,” and so on. These are gentle improvisations, where every player contributes to the whole but doesn’t demand that they be heard, and thus ideas flow freely and find their place in the overall fabric of the concept. The three musicians who create Bee Reiki include Paul Khimasia Morgan, who plays the body of an acoustic guitar (no neck, no strings) with some electronic gadgetry attached to it — obviously many of the percussive sounds are of his making, but some of the electronics as well; Steve Beresford plays piano, electronics, and (as he is well known for) toys, which could include many of the sounds one hears that are not specifically credited, like ukulele and cymbals; Faradena Afifi completes the trio playing violin, viola, and wordless vocals, all three of which complement the sounds of the other two players, which without her presence might come off as too minimalist and skeletal. All put together it works splendidly and offers an interesting tapestry of curious sounds. Especially interesting is when the electronics further process Faradena’s voice into lower registers creating a dark growling sound. Bee Reiki is probably not for everyone, but if a gentle strangeness and dreamy sonic whimsy appeal to the senses, one might do well to check this one out.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Faradena Afifi, Steve Beresford, Paul Khimasia Morgan

More info
http://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/bee-reiki-173cd-2024

 

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