We have come a very, very long way with Mr. Williamson, and it's hard to name many more musicians as consistently engaging and innovative as he. For those wondering where traditional musics might go next, The Iron Stone sets out a brilliant map, extending the expressive qualities of Scottish folk and other traditions into the lush and unsettling tonalities of Modern and even Postmodern palettes -- along with some exquisitely abstract and sonorous word-painting. Remarkable for the writing and performing, the pieces range from somewhat familiar to genuinely expressive contemporization of established forms. Of course, Williamson is surrounded by outstanding musicians and his experience with his subject matter -- traditional tales, the telling of them and the articulate search for wonder and meaning in our existence -- makes The Iron Stone much broader in scope than his two prior and equally remarkable ECM releases. But for a long-time listener like myself, revisiting two of his most evocative pieces (The title track and The Yellow Snake from Wee Tam /Big Huge) proves to be a wonderful way to add further dimension to the music with the perspective and ballast of more than thirty years in between.