If rhythm is motion, then Talafawa takes flight – a sensuous, rhythmic journey of discovery. Talafawa immediately takes us away from our noisy, relentless world into wide open spaces. You cannot listen to this music without feeling the walls around you disappear – transporting you to new worlds. Writer/producer & percussionist Julian Douglas & his exceptional collaborators weave texture, harmony, and rhythmic shapes from diverse influences into each piece, forming a compilation of New World Music. The discerning listener may hear striking South African vocal harmonies, haunting Middle-Eastern melody, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, but for the exception of one piece, Douglas borrows no folk songs from Africa, the Middle East, Cuba or elsewhere. This music is original, paying homage to – but not derivative of – world music traditions. Talafawa masterfully harnesses all of this, and is at once contemplative and a joyous celebration. Douglas’s voice is timeless, and, as rhythm carries us through it all, Talafawa beckons the listener to pause and listen!