Feather On The Wind

Golaná

Scott Cunningham (a.k.a. Golana, the Cherokee word for raven) is a flautist deeply interested in Native American culture and music. On FEATHER IN THE WIND, his third album, Cunningham continues to explore Native American music and themes, painting his meditative flute melodies across a canvas filled with synthesizer and guitar textures. David Chamberlain contributes guitar, mandolin, keyboards, and bass to the album, while other personnel lend help on keys and strings.



All this provides a rich, sweeping backdrop for Cunningham's measured, often mournful flute. "Mojave Morning" evokes a sunrise over the Southwestern landscape, while the gently surging "Grandfather's Way," with its melancholic phrases and percussive rattles and toms, seems to contemplate the history of Native American struggle. Natural imagery feels part and parcel of Cunningham's musical conception, and these airy, thoughtful compositions might make listeners feel like a bird soaring above the desert: light, and at peace.