Domra? Shamisen? Cambodian bamboo jaw harp?
 J Roth’s The Hunt is the unfamiliar instrument,
the faraway sound, the promise of a journey with a purpose.
Almost familiar instruments: balalaika, washboard, djembe, synthesizer and congas; and the old usuals: clarinet, Bodhran, whistle, mandolin, fiddle and guitar compile the sound palette for the creative experience.
      Bala, the first track, takes off like foreign car, it’s like a “Yugo” only unknown, exciting, expertly handled. The Gala, track 2, is a reflective contrast; miles from Bala, in my imagination, and in harmony for being so. A pattern of pleasant surprises flows throughout the ten tracks. Pleasing as background music(grand for driving) or Focus for intent examination. The packaging is reminiscent of John Lennon’s In His Own Write. The coloring book is an appropriate cover for such an evocative work of musical Sculpture!

                        -J.S. Nordin, Co-author of: Early Scottish Martial Music