Saturn Return by Nathan Zavalney

By Michelle

If you took the most soothing aspects of instruments from around the globe, blended them gently with an equal variety of pulsing drums and added a dash of American-melting-pot-ingenuity, you would have the gently spiced masala that is Saturn Return.

Saturn Return is Montana native Nathan Zavalney’s solo effort (he is a long-standing member of the Missoula-based world percussion group Drum Brothers). Reading that he is a “multi-instrumentalist” may sound boastful…until you listen to the CD and realize that he is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist playing guitar, keyboards, and an immense variety of percussion instruments from the Egyptian doumbek to the African Djembe and finger cymbals (zils). Although Zavalney does collaborate with other artists in this world-fusion CD, all compositions (bar one) and arrangements are his—an impressive feat considering the wide range of styles represented in his songs. The songs are linked by their Middle Eastern percussion, but they are certainly not “belly dancer specific,” appealing, I would say, to a broader non-dance audience.

Some of Zavalney’s many influences are evident in his Shiva Melody and Dream Sequence (Omar Faruk Tekbilek) and Saturn Rising (Djivan Gasparyan). Clearly, however, his musical background is incredibly varied, resulting in a style that is difficult to categorize.

Trance Figure begins with a faster-moderate tempo Udu drum—very promising for a belly dance song. While the melody doesn’t really take off (the name of the song is, after all, TRANCE Figure), the overall effect really lends itself to tribal style belly dance and the consistent rhythm of the drums make it a perfect foil for a stage full of dancers equipped with zils.

The CD’s title song, Saturn Return has a clever background tale. It is based on a 7 beat, 4 cycle pattern which is intended to represent the 28 year period of Saturn’s orbit. The song itself is a mixture of classical Spanish guitar sounds with Balkan-gypsy sounding rhythms. Strangely, these two influences blend seamlessly!

Terra Firma is the most eclectic song—perfect for the Urban Tribal style popularized by Rachel Brice and Farfesha’s own Wendy. Terra Firma incorporates the hypnotic sounds of a didjeridoo and the higher pounding of an Udu drum for another piece that is not necessarily melodic, but entrancing nontheless.

When the song Lions on the Savannah came on the player, I thought my stereo may have shuffled to a Celtic CD for the melody provided by the flute, as well as the less intense drums made me think rather of lions of Scotland! Romanian Hora, as the title implies, has a distinct cultural flavor providing the fastest tempo and a more gypsy style belly dance track (it is Zavalney’s arrangement of a Romanian dance tune).

The CD was also used as a soundtrack for an instructional belly dance video. As background music, it certainly lends itself to a dance-class environment, with its moderate tempos and melodies that are flexible enough for any level of technique training. For performance, it lacks an intensity that a dynamic belly dance presentation requires, with the notable exception of Trance Figure and Terra Firma, which would suit a more introspective tribal performance perfectly. However, for simple listening pleasure, Saturn Return is a beautiful production and a great compilation of world-fusion music.

For more information on purchasing this CD, visit www.drumbrothers.com.

Farfesha Belly Dance © 2004