Having never heard any Night Ark albums before, I didn't really know what to expect from Treasures, which as I later found out, is just a compilation of this instrumental quartet's mid-80's albums Picture (1986) and Moments (1988), both long out of print. Treasures begins with the song "Picture", which immediately recalls this Turkish song titled "Agladikca" sung by several singers here. It is characterized by awesome percussion work, fantastic oud and cumbus sounds, and wordless female vocals angelically harmonising with the instrumentation. Driven by American-Armenian Ara Dinkjian, noted for his exploratory oud playing and captivating song arrangements, Night Ark also features members who previously collaborated with amazing jazz and fusion artists such as Al DiMeola and Pat Metheny.
Often considered an ethnic jazz quartet, the band has knack for writing Middle Eastern-influenced world music exuding jarring melodies that may seem a bit hard to internalise for the untrained ear. Fans of Turkish, Armenian, and Greek music performed within a painstakingly composed jazz blueprint are going to enjoy the songs on Treasures a lot. Though far from rock and metal, all songs are underpinned by these genres' trademark elements. From minor key ambiant pieces encompassing weird male vocals to more jazz piano-inflected Middle Eastern numbers, the songs feature a good dose of cumbus, oud and zither sounds. That said, the track "Adoloscence" also encapusaltes a meaty guitar delivering eerie jazz notes over a fluid piano melody accompanied by distant male vocals. "Of Song & Silence" breaks the 10-minute mark with its almost New Age-like flow, yet at the same time, it continues to experiment with avant garde elements including a fretless bass sound blended with harmony vocals. Much like this mammoth track, "Worm" continues the musical experimentation, utilising the saz (a straight-necked string instrument), subtle synth washes, and even some electronic sounds. Cymbals occasionally crash and splash in the background whilst a simplistic jazz motif is carried on amidst heavy bass arpeggios. The song is chaotic and dark yet still wonderfully easy to enjoy.
If the pieces on Treasures are an indication as to what Night Ark is about, I'll have to track down all of their albums and hear them in their entirety. I've never been too big of a fan of collections or best of releases, but the flow from one track to another on Treasures is so seamless that I'd have never known unless I'd browsed the new for information. Recommended to fans of world music, fusion, and ethnic jazz.
Track Listing
- Picture
- Homecoming
- Trilogy: Part I - Birth
- Moments
- Adolescence
- Of Song & Silence
- Offering
- Worm
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