(Remastered digital reisssue)

Born in the US (of a Native American father and a French mother), composer and musician Steve Shehan has travelled around the world, collecting instruments and sounds along the way, making extended stays in Asia, South America and Africa, and initiating long-term collaborations with artists such as the late Tuareg musician Baly Othmani. He’s a member of Hadouk Trio (alongside Didier Malherbe -of Gong fame- and Loy Ehrlich).  

A much-in-demand percussionist, he has collaborated with a host of artists (from Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and Khaled to Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Rokia Traoré, Carla Bruni, Nitin Sawhney and John McLaughlin).

Steve has recorded many albums of his own music, and "Arrows" -which came out on Crammed's Made To Measure series in 1990- was his first solo record. A mesmerising ambient global journey with jazz overtones, laced with Steve’s own field recordings made in  Bali, Turkey, Kenya, Morocco and India, Arrows has elicited comparisons with the work of Jon Hassell and other ‘fourth world’ explorers.

Most of Arrows was recorded in Paris by Steve Shehan. The 7 compositions feature him performing on thirty-five instruments (including derbouka, caxixi, afuche, cymbals, glasses, ikembe, sanza, Malaysian, balinese and thai gongs, djembe, angklung, balafon, koto, gender, kendang, terompong, bells, Armenian tar, surdo, keyboards, congas, steel drums, vibes, sticks, cuica, sitar, kodo, udu & hadgini drums, octoban, Baschet structures, sampled sounds, bass, concert piano, electric guitar). Only a couple of guests appeared, including his friend Richard Horowitz on flutes (Steve had participated in the recording of Horowitz & Sussan Deyhim’s Desert Equations album, which is how he & Crammed Discs first met).