World > Asian World > Japanese

The rumbling drums of Japan

Advantages: Variety of style, detailed booklet
Disadvantages: I cannot think of any

...you are not familiar with Japanese Taiko drums, this is the best place to start. Wadaiko Matsuriza manage to create a very intertaining style of folklore, mostly upbeat. This CD was released in 2002. Wadaiko Matsuriza have been touring since 1996. The group uses 3 distinct instruments: The Taiko drum, the Tsugaru Shamisen (the Japanese Banjo - not to be mistaken for the Koto instrument) and also the Horagai, the latter being a conch-shell trumpet. ...
...discover a different type of Japanese music, then I recommend the album called Lullaby for the Moon by various artists (much more than a simple compilation, it is the very best of Japanese music in my opinion). I shall conclude by saying that Wadaiko Matsuriza is a little gem of folklore. It is a unique CD and should be considered a masterpiece by world music lovers. * (Written by myself - no violation, no lifting, no breach of copyright) ...

gantzgraf 12.08.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Japanese Drums - Wa Dai Ko Matsuriza

The most beautiful album on Earth

Advantages: Pure, zen, beauty of cosmic proportions
Disadvantages: None

Pure Japanese Spirit. Lullaby for the Moon is a perfect compilation of ancient Japanese music. It is beyond perfect, as a matter of fact. There are no words to describe the atmosphere of this unique piece of work. Inzan Tanaka, Ichizan Hoshida, Osamu Shimizu, Sajura and Ensho Yamakawa seem to bind their work together on a level that has never been equalled in folklore. This album was released in 1997, although most of the tracks are several hundreds ...
...very long, suiting the meditative feel. Komoriuta opens with soft plucked koto and ripples of shakuhachi flute, as fragile as cascading cherry blossom down a waterfall. Toge Hachi-Ri leads us eight miles through a mountain pass. It is a bit like trying to picture what Honshu would of looked like back in 60 AD; still, perfect, and with the most intelligent use of silence I have ever heard. Kuon No Hikari kicks in with vibrant shakuhachi flute and ...

gantzgraf 11.08.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Lullaby For The Moon (Japanese Music For Koto & Shakuhachi) - Various Artists

Introducing... Warsaw Village Band ~ 'Uprooting'

Advantages: Exciting; unique; passionate; challenging
Disadvantages: Well, it's in Polish, so some may find that a disadvantage...

In recent years, the little-known Warsaw Village Band have risen from obscurity to earn some much deserved recognition, playing several high-profile festivals including Glastonbury 09, and even clinching the Best Newcomer award at the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in 2004. 'Uprooting' is a fine example of the band's capability, and also of their potential to grow and continue. Comprising six young musicians from Poland's capital, the band blend ...
...passionate and hypnotising set of tracks which should be essential listening for any music fan. I had the honour of first hearing the band when they performed at Musicport Festival 2008, a very surreal experience indeed as they were supporting Rolf Harris! Their set consisted of many of the tracks from 'Uprooting'. The performance put on by the band was both aurally and visually stunning, in part due to their incorporation in their music of many ...

littlewiggle 25.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Uprooting - Warsaw Village Band

'JOANNA...A Hymn of Devotion

Advantages: incredibly underrated music very well produced and presented
Disadvantages: none

...Devotion’ James Young's Joanna was made on the battered upright piano in his house - an instrument most pianists would reject without a moment's hesitation. Bad pianos - in pubs, bars, clubs, cafes and the parental home - are the bane of musicians and music teachers: the sustain pedal doesn't work; the felts are worn; mezzopiano is indistinguishable from fortissimo. And that's before you get on to the problem of keeping it in tune. Players develop ...
...wisdom on its head. Joanna is a hymn of devotion that both dignifies and delights in his old piano's imperfections. As Billy Jenkins wrote in Notes on Crap Pianos: "Years of warp and deterioration have ripened each mechanical artefact into its own unique sound. Do not attempt music scored for a good piano." Young describes his piano as "a ready-made that needed to be celebrated for its intrinsic peculiarities". There are antecedents: Virginia Astley's ...

JLWguardian 28.10.2009 · Read full review

Review of Joanna - James Young

"Remembering The Day", thought provoking and uplifting music!

Advantages: Beautiful, thought provoking and uplifting music
Disadvantages: none

"Remembering The Day" is such an evocative, beautiful, touching and sensual album, composed / performed by the multiple award winning violinist / composer Catya Maré. I´d like to recommend it to everybody who likes world / ambient / new age music! It is highly original. A mixture of ambient / electronica / classical / new age and world elements. And, in my opinion, it really touches your soul, leaves you refreshed after listening. Catya´s violin ...
...special. In some of her songs she combines her mesmerizing violin sound with a choir, that adds an ethereal quality to the song. I love it! If you like Deep Forest, Enigma, Delirium or classical crossover artists like Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli you might love this one. Worth the money... Cheapest buy at: http://www.soundloud.com/catyamare.aspx Also check out her websites..... www.catyamare.com or www.myspace.com/catyamar ...

Harry112222 27.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Remembering The Day - Catya Mare