Having already established himself in jazz, prog, rock and ambient music, multi-instrumentalist Theo Travis now seems to be planting his flag in the world music camp, courtesy of the duduk. It's a double reed wind instrument from Armenia with a warm and haunting tone somewhere between a Shakahuchi flute and clarinet, traditionally made from apricot wood, hence the title of this album. It features throughout a miscellany in which Travis revisits his eclectic back catalogue from psychedelic rockers Gong to David Sylvian and his own earlier composition All I Know'. He also calls on pals like King Crimson's Jakko Jakszyk for vocals on an original song ‘All I Know’ and duets with Soft Machine bandmate John Etheridge on 'The Shadow of Your Smile.

All of this material is refracted through the duduk's evocative tone, established on traditional opener ‘If I Forget You’ and heard at its best on the Sephardic-sounding A Quiet Prayer'. It gives a nice distinction to this well produced album but also imposes a consistency that, ironically, almost hides Travis' own musical personality from what is a highly personal selection of material.