Snow

For his 18th ECM meditation, Stephan Micus deepens his relationship to the earth and the many instruments born of its elements. In addition to his usual companions, the Armenian double-reed duduk (last heard on 2002’s Towards the Wind) takes precedence. Two doussn’gouni (a West African harp that Micus debuted on 2001’s Desert Poems), alongside gongs and cymbals, make for like-minded companions. Guitar and hammered dulcimer are other prominent guides, reaching near-ghostly qualities in the final track, “Brother Eagle.” A new voice along the way is the charango, an Andean double-stringed ukulele popularized by Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla.