The renowned French horn player known as Brother Ah (aka Robert Northern) is one of the most prolific and respected musicians in the history of jazz music, with a recorded output spanning more than 30 years. Following a classical French horn education, he emerged in the late '50s and established himself as a skilled session musician. He recorded well into the '60s with some of the most illustrious names in jazz, including Donald Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Sun Ra. In 1969, Ah formed his own group, the Musical Sound Awareness Ensemble, and released several works under his own name from 1974 onward. Key To Nowhere, Brother Ah's third LP released on his Divine Records imprint in 1983, features him on flute, horn, harmonica, nayamka, and shell horn, leading an octet of musicians, including lush and driving harp, as played by Jeff Majors, and vocals on "Motherless Child", "Key To Nowhere" and "Nature's Blues" from Natasha Hasan Youse f. Ah's harmonica flourishes on "The Void" are a standout moment not only on the album, but in his catalog. Despite these fascinating infusions, Key To Nowhere is perhaps Ah's most cohesive '70s recording.
