Album Review

Ken Dryden [allmusic.com]

Night Ark is a group that draws from so many fields of music it proves difficult to label. Many (but not all) of the instruments featured on this release originated in the Middle East; leader Ara Dinkjian's specialty is the oud, but he also occasionally plays guitar and piano, along with the less-familiar canoon and cumbus. The music includes exotic originals by the group, each of which merits repeated listening. The most accessible cuts will include a relatively straightforward but imaginative treatment of Carole King's pop hit ''You've Got a Friend'' and a captivating arrangement of the old standard ''Over the Rainbow,'' which is highlighted by Dinkjian's sterling improvised solo introduction on oud. Long out of print, this CD is worth acquiring, though it is far too sophisticated to be labeled new age, which is the section where it is likely to be found.