Riffs
By Ron Wynn
June 17, 2005
The Public Broadcasting System series The New Heroes provides the backdropfor The New Heroes: Music Inspired By The Soundtrack (Triloka/Artemis).
Superb flutist Paul Horn delivers some beautiful solos on a host of instruments,
while guitarist/bassist/percussionist Christopher Hedge - who also is the
principal composer - operates as another prime soloist and
vocalist/instrumentalists Titos Sompa and Julian Smedley are other major
contributors. Just as the series spanned the globe, Hedge's pieces incorporate
influences from Latin American, Asian and African genres, balancing these
rhythms and elements with symphonic and Western nuances. From the
soothing quality of "A Common Song" to the more energetic "India Suite,"
dashing "The Last Gaucho (for Celeste Gantz)" and moving "In Good Faith,"
Hedge and his musical companions present a rangy and often outstanding
musical portrait of a world in transition.