Feather On the Wind

Scott "Golaná" Cunningham's third album, Feather on the Wind, like his second, Walk Between Worlds, expands on the Native American flute sounds by including contributions from keyboardist/guitarist David Chamberlin. It also adds selected other keyboardists, who have been invited to submit their own compositions and co-produce the tracks: Scott Hartley on "Mojave Morning," Armen Chakmakian on "Above the Sky," Michael Hoppé on "Farewell (Donadagohv'l)," and Suzanne Doucet on the title track. But Cunningham's various flutes remain the dominant instruments and his slow-paced, thoughtful style pervades all the tracks. The tone ranges from the gospel-tinged "Alleluja," which has a stately melody harmonized by four overdubbed flutes, to the melancholy "As Long As the River Runs," its title a reference to the violated terms of treaties the U.S. made with Native Americans. Cunningham explains his intentions in notes on each selection, and his music achieves those purposes, but it need not be treated as program music necessarily. Still, with its suggestions of wind and birds and its calm, considered feel, it is music that evokes the calm of nature.