Asian Drums

Kiyoshi Yoshida, ??? | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 14, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Pacific Moon [Alleg]
• ASIN: B00004RD74
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,539 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Land of the Rising Sun........................., April 14, 2001

By 

S. Watanabe "Fulgum" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Asian Drums (Audio CD)

The title is a bit deceiving. By the title alone people think this is a CD on taiko music. But what Kiyoshi Yoshida has accomplished is more along the lines of jazz-fusion group Hiroshima. From that standpoint this is an excellent CD. Yoshida takes the taiko, koto, synthesizers and many other instruments and creates a multilayered compilation of music that is Japanese and Western at the same time. The first song "Rising Sun" is a perfect example. I would suggest listening to the sample and getting a feel for what lies ahead. If you like that, you'll enjoy the rest as well.

As a taiko player in Los Angeles, I should say that listening to ANY kind of taiko music on CD isn't and can never be the same as experiencing a performance live. Part of the joy and excitement of taiko music is the PHYSICAL sensation that one feels by watching/listening to it. Taiko music is very much a physical experience because the sounds made by the drums rumble through your body like shockwaves during an explosion. You feel it down to your very soul. Those physical sensations can never be recreated through artificial means like video, audio or CDs. Even with a subwoofer the recreation is a poor substitute for the real thing. Believe me, it hasn't been done yet. Having said that, every OTHER element of this CD is great. You'll just have to "pretend" that the drums are rumbling through your body like an earthquake.

(It should be noted that "Ouichi Daiko" was actually composed and trademarked by Japanese taiko powerhouse Oedo Sukeroku. No credit was given on the CD but it should have been.)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Phenomenal!, July 8, 2000

By 

"ateelah" (Ventura, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asian Drums (Audio CD)

For a debut album, this is an incredible peice of work. I am not a big synthesizer fan but the way Yoshida blends his sounds with the drums is truly inspired. I hope his next album is half as good as this one. It will be a tough act to follow. I have many CD's with a variety of Japanese music, from shakuhachi to Kodo, from Kabuki and Noh Theater to Hiroshima, and Asian Drums is a wonderful addition.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars powerful and mesmerizing; the CD in my player at all times, July 1, 2000

By 

Linea (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asian Drums (Audio CD)

The way Kiyoshi took the taiko drums and synthesizer and was able to put them together in the perfect way he did astounds me. Every song stirs spirit within me and takes me to "another world." I am excited to see what other works Kiyoshi Yoshida comes out with in the future!