Tibetan Meditation Music

A lot of artists evoke the spirit of Tibet, but Nawang Khechog is actually a former Tibetan monk, who took off the robes and took up the flute to travel the world 20 years ago. His albums are usually slotted in the New Age and meditation genres, and certainly his packaging and imagery inspire that. Unfortunately, it overshadows a music that is perhaps deeper, or at least more artistically profound, than that. Tibetan Meditation Music scans less like a background for contemplation and more like a tone poem to the spirit. The opening track seems like an Asian refraction of "Amazing Grace," with Tsering Khechog singing over Nawang Khechog's flute. Khechog's music draws on folk and spiritual traditions but takes them further afield. Think Arvo P rt on the Tibetan plateau with strings droning a minor-key refrain while Tibetan bells and chimes sound in the background and Khechog chants. I do wish Khechog had brought along just a touch of the drama and shifting moods heard on some of his earlier discs, like the Kitaro-produced Karuna. Tibetan Meditation Music is unvarying in its somber tone. Khechog's chants, which are intimately spoken, whispered more than sung, don't always work on a musical level. But his performances on wood flute are deep explorations into tone and melody. --John Diliberto