Water Music: Thai Elephant Orchestra
Label: Mulatta Records
Water Music is the third and final recording of the famed Thai Elephant Orchestra. The orchestra consists of 14 elephants playing a variety of drums, gongs, rattles, balafons (a West African percussion instrument) and other assorted instruments. The only human vocals are found in a Thai prayer from a Buddhist monk, Boonyang Boonthiam, on the track “Invocation.” Occasional bleats by the elephants sound quite eerie alongside the erratic percussion noises. In places, the crashing noises of metallic objects are reminiscent of a horror or suspense film score. This elephantine music is eclectic entertainment, and has captured attention worldwide.
