Ancient Future (group)

Ancient Future, a band popular in the world music genre, is well-known in keeping centuries-old music traditions alive, along with mixing them with modern music, such as jazz, rock or reggae.

Ancient Future

Formed in the late 1970's, Ancient Future coined the term "world fusion music" to describe its use of Indian, African, Balinese and other musical traditions within a contemporary framework. The group's founder, guitarist Mathew Montfort, became fascinated by North Indian classical music during his college years, prompting him to travel to Java, Bali, China and elsewhere in Asia to study the intricates of musical traditions passed down from generations to generations. Montfort regularly invites masters of various music traditions to accompany the group in concert and on recordings.

Ancient Future's Song Ja Nam

Ja Nam is a reggae version of the Vietnamese folk standard Ly Chim Quyên, also known as the Song of the Nightingale. The song features the musicians Bùi Huu Nhut playing don bou, a unique instrument of Vietnamese orgin in which a flexible rod attached to a reasoning gourd is bent to change the pitch of a single string. Montfort describes it as the Vietnamese equivalent of an electric guitar's pitch-bending whammy bar.