When one listens to the melodies and musical textures of the fifth release “World Without Walls” by the group Ancient Future, words like exotic, elegant and sublime immediately come to mind.  Within the offerings one clearly hears the ethnic influences of China, India, Africa, South America, Indonesia and the Middle East to name a few. World-class musicians including  award-winning guitarist,  Matthew Montfort, composer/violinist Jim Hurley and Zakir Hussain, master of the North Indian Tabla have blended these various musical styles and phrasings into a musical fusion that honors and yet transcends the cultural and political boundaries.  Check out the group on YouTube and see if you are not drawn into their hypnotic enchantment.   Ancient Future offers a musical vision of a “world without walls” which is both appealing and accessible to the average listener and is highly recommended for anyone wishing to explore the amazing genre of World music. 

About the author: Jack Montgomery is a librarian, author and Professor at Western Kentucky University where he handles bookings for musical acts in University Libraries, Java City coffeehouse. Jack has also been a professional musician since 1969 and performs with a celtic quartet called Watersprite. Visit him at MySpace/shadowdancerjack or on Facebook.