by Jim Brenholts
Nawang Khechog was born in Tibet and fled to India after the Chinese invasion of 1949. He became a monk for 11 years -- four as a hermit. He began performing professionally in 1986 in Australia. He performs on exotic ethnic instruments on Rhythms of Peace. He also proves that peace does have a rhythm and tempo of its own. His Tibetan (or "really big") horn has the sonority and rumblings of a didgeridoo. His bamboo flute is closely related to the Native American flute. He augments those sounds with gongs and bells. The healing soundscape also has space music appeal. Short of mechanical repetition, this is acoustic minimalism. It will appeal to fans of Riley Lee, Life in Balance, Stan Richardson, and R. Carlos Nakai.