Postcards from Bundanon: The Very Best of Riley Lee
Bundanon is an artists' retreat/nature preserve found south of  Sydney, established by the late Australian painter Arthur Boyd.  Shakuhachi (a flute made of bamboo root) player Riley Lee, a Texas  native, spent part of the 1990s as an artist in residence at the center  while he recorded music and performed in his adopted home country.Postcards from Bundanon, a compilation of works from eight  recordings made during the decade, commemorates his stay and Boyd's  memory. Listeners charmed by the ethereal, meditative tones Lee coaxes  from his flute on such gems asOriental SunriseandSanctuary: Music from a Zen Gardenwill findPostcardsto be a more diverse affair,  mixing solo works with collaborations with assorted instrumentalists  (harp, tablas, koto, bass, didjeridoo, et al.). Lee explores a broader  expressive range here, at times introducing trace elements of classical  ("Sacramental Lullaby") and jazz textures (heard in the unusually  inviting "Shimmer") into his slowly evolving soundscapes. While still  gentle in spirit,Postcardsoffers a touch more musicality and  mystery, and a little less bliss, than the two recordings mentioned  previously, though Lee again demonstrates an astonishing command of  this ancient, rudimentary instrument. The evocative "Morning Rain:  Sparkling Light," for example, is as lovely a piece as Lee has ever  recorded.--Terry Wood