Customer Reviews

Bamboo

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This music is absolutely beautiful. Spiritual,soothing( and at times even spunky) .This is just the thing to sit back and relax to.All of the tracks are just lovely and flow very nicely into one each other. My favorite by far is "Sign of the Snow Crane" a beautiful melodious piece. All in all this is a wonderful buy. I highly recommend it to fans and non-fans of new age music.There something here for everyone to appreciate.

Most shakuhachi recordings are sad, meditative Zen solo pieces. These recordings show the control of the player...but the music is just for meditation and not for listening pleasure. On this album Kazu Matsui has blended the hollow, meditative sound of the shakuhachi with piano and synthesizer for a truly wonderful experience. Listen to "Up in the Sky" ...he shows great control of his flute and a melodic side that few shakuhachi players ever reveal.

Last year I attended a Keiko Matsui concert with a friend. I would not have gone by myself because I am not a big fan of "smooth jazz". Near the end of the concert, Kazu came out and played two pieces. I was awaked from my drowsy state by the piercing, ethereal sound of the shakuhachi. I was therefore very excited when I discovered that Kazu had recorded a CD.

However, I was generally disappointed when I listened to the songs. Kazu recorded this with Keiko. Therein lies the problem. There much too much Keiko - solos, interludes, etc and not enough Kazu. The shakuhachi is too often not the focal point and barely audible.

Will I throw the CD out? No, the music is worth listening to. But, my advice to Kazu is to cut the umbilical cord with Keiko. The music will be far more interesting.

The whole CD was excellent. The music was well composed and put together. The songs were relaxing and easy to listen to. The music was great to listen to while taking a daily walk through the city. It reminded me of nature and the beauty of this country.