(excerpt)
At the first the piercing coals, the pounding drums, and the sinous duduk are familiar, but then the keyboards and bass kick in and the modes and rhythms do dizzying flips into jazz, funk, salsa and hip-hop territory.  This New York-based band of Armenian expatriates is approximately to traditional Armenian folk what Wolfstone and Capercaillie are to Scottish music or the Klezmatics to klezmer.  In other words, purists beware.  The rest of you, go ahead and have fun.   --SR