Album Notes

Martin Ball is a musical shape-shifter blending genres and styles to create an intoxicating and exotic mix of unique world fusion music. Here, with "Music of Aurduin," Martin showcases both his esoteric and melodic sides of his world fusion mix to bring to life the mythical world, peoples, and events of Aurduin, the fantasy world of Martin's "Tales of Aurduin" epic fantasy series.

These songs are meant as something of a "soundtrack" to Martin's four-volume epic, though they stand on their own and can be enjoyed without any familiarity with the novels.

In these all digital and all acoustic recordings, Martin combines such instruments as African talking drum, Australian didjeridu, Native American flute, Middle Eastern doumbek, guitar, mandolin, and more, to bring the world and characters of Aurduin to life.

Martin has been playing his own unique style of world fusion music for more than a decade. Locally, he plays didjeridu, talking drum, and flute with the world fusion ensemble, Dreamtime Continuum. He regularly impresses Santa Barbara audiences with his stunning didjeridu work and skill at circular breathing and fantastic rhythms. Of course "Music of Aurduin" has several songs with Martin's intricate didjeridu playing, such as in "Festival of Waters" and "Orobai Sings the Ul'mult'ah."

"Music of Aurduin" also highlights Martin's skill at melodic world fusion arangements, such as in the haunting "Lasting Hope," or the delicate beauty of "Eagle Wings."

This album also features Martin's skill at Tuvan and Tibetan throat singing, such as in the esoteric "North Wind Spirits" and the strangely haunting "Prayer for Miraanni."

Overall, this album is a rich sonic feast of sounds, textures, moods, and ethereal landscapes.

To learn more about the novels of the "Tales of Aurduin" series, Orobai's Vision, The Fate of Miraanni, The Alchemist and the Eagle, and The Fifth Temple, please visit www.aurduin.net.