Customer Reviews

Music From the Tea Lands

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are quite a few fascinating cuts on this CD, including some very rare music from Japanese musician Oki that highlight his Ainu heritage. The Ainu are the Japanese aborigines, living on the island and anthropologically quite different from the Asiatic strain of Japanese. It's a very pretty folk song, and something you won't find on a CD every day.

My other favorite was the opening song by Zulya. She is a Tatar, that is, one of the Asiatic Russian peoples. What is interesting here is the mix of the Mali kora as an accompaniment. At first, I was a bit surprised to hear the kora (it's not from Tatarstan--it's an African instrument), but I must say it made for a lovely mix with the beautiful and mysterious-sounding song. The rest of the CD is pretty good, too, with especially nice music from Persia and Turkey.

If you ever brew a pot of tea, try serving it in those thin Turkish or Russian tea glasses instead of mugs on a cold winter day, and put on this CD. Lots of romantic atmosphere, and a great way to relax. Highly Recommended.

When I first previewed this cd in a local Borders bookstore, I wrinkled my nose at a few of the tracks. But I must tell you it wasn't until I took the wraps off at home and paired it with my favorite incense that the overall spirituality of this cd soaked through.

It was initially "Saginou" that stole my heart, then "Kang Mandor", but gradually I was ovecome by the entire flow of the compilation. They really do work well together.

My hat's off to the compilation specialist and Putumayo for one of my favorite compilations, ever. (and I'm QUITE picky about what I choose to let in)

If you're the relaxation type who enjoys music that soothes and heals, you should definitely consider this one.

I loved this cd from the first listen. The opening track by Zulya is just beautiful. What a gorgeous voice she has. When I first picked up this cd I wasn't expecting to be so enthralled by it as I am. I wasn't expecting either to love the Chinese and Pakistani songs. But it truly goes to show that all music, no matter where it's from, is beautiful and can be loved and enjoyed by everyone, regardless of cultures, if given half a chance. And the Putumayo releases are perfect introductions to world music that otherwise may be passed over. They have certainly broadened my musical tastes and knowledge. The booklet contains very informative notes on each artist and song. I highly recommend this album.

Billed as a journey across the "Tea Lands", this CD gives an incredible survey of the musical styles of Asia. Asia is a vast and diverse continent, from the frozen steppes of the north to the tropical jungles of India and SE Asia. Some of the oldest civilizations arose there, along the Indus River (in Paksitan) and the Yellow River valley (in China). The religions of Hinudism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto arose in Asia, and Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim countrie. The world's two largest countries, India and China, are both in Asia. The result? You have an incredible variety of languages, cultures and people, all with their own styles of music. Any CD managing to cover even a little of that diversity is amazing, but this CD manages to do just that.

So just whats on this CD, you might ask. Well, alot of good stuff, actually. From the tiny semi-autonomous republic of Tatarstan, Zulya performs a haunting, melodic song. Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali sings a ghazal of love and devotion, while Iranian setar and tar player Kamil Alipour shows the wonder of classical Persian music in the mode Dastgah Afshari. Indonesian composer Ujang Suryana leads a Gamelan ensemble, Turkey's Okan Murat Ozturk demonstrates Anatolian folk music, and Oki revives the traditions of Japan's indigenous culture with Ainu pop, complete with the hankori, a native Ainu instrument. Yes, thats right, Ainu pop! Chinese erhu-player Lei Qiang does a traditional song from Sichuan, while the group Ancient Future does a mellow techno number drawing upon Chinese, Japanese and Indian instrumentation.

This is good music, quite appropriate for listening to while drinking tea if your so inclined. In fact, the booklet includes a history of tea and it's cultural role, as well as a recipe for Indian chaai. The Putumayo label has put out a number of great world music CDs, and this should definately be included amongst them. Listening to this CD will shatter any stereotypes you may have about Asian music. It is certainly worth adding to your collection, and good music to listen to while drinking tea, meditating or just chilling out. Several of my friends have commented that they liked this CD as well, and were amazed at how diverse Asian music is. So do yourself a favor and check out this CD, along with some of the other compilations from Putumayo.

Putmayo's Music from the Tea Lands is one of my favorite CDs ever. I have a few Putmayo collection CDs, and while I like all of them, this one blows all of the others out of the water. The music has a magical quality, but not in a new-agey, overly-sweet way. It is ethereal but not ungrounded, transportive but not sleep-inducing. When I went to the hospital to give birth I brought 2 CDs with me - this one and Toumani Diabate's Kaira (which is African kora music - if you like Music from the Tea Lands you should definitely check this one out). As I played these 2 CDs over and over (and over and over) during labor the hospital staff kept complimenting the music and the atmosphere that it created. (Ultimately I gave birth to the Toumani Diabate CD.) Everyone I have ever played this for has fallen in love with it. I highly recommend this one!

At first i had doubts when i bought this cd, thinking it was going to be a little over the top. I was suprised to find out that I was wrong. All the songs are so light and dainty and beautifully composed. I especially liked Sanjay Mishra's "For Julia" and Ancient Future's "The Empress", but I absolutely loved Lei Quang's "Picking Flowers". This is by far one of my favorite Putumayo albums. I even like it better than Music From The Coffee Lands!

My other CDs by Putumayo have been music that you put on while driving down the open road on a sunny day- upbeat, fun, fresh. The music on this CD requires a meditative mood. You wouldn't want to listen to it in the car because all the intricacies would be drowned out by the engine. There is much delicate music on this CD, gorgeous lutes and harps, spine-tingling sundanese metallophones and soft gongs. This CD makes you feel so incredibly good and relaxed if you listen to it quietly in your room. I love it!

If a person is interested in World Music, they should definitely take advantage of the music samples. I was particularly drawn to the last tract (Ujang Suryana) and have been trying to find more in this style .. without much luck so far. To me the last tract brings rememberances of warm and gentle rain. Most of the Indonesian CDs seem to be more of the clanging and banging on the gamelan .. So give the Samples a try before discounting an album.

Putumayo's first venture into Asia with this CD is wonderful--a breathtaking exploration of Asian countries through music.While tea is the unifying theme,the music is as calm as a hot cup.

This is centered on instrumentals&they are musical nirvana.

Ancient Future has a great track fusing different styles of Asian music,as does Oki,who shows the ancient roots of Japan in the Ainu people.Oki Kano also collaborated with Carlos Nakai on "Island of Bows." Sanjay Mishra's "For Julia" is acoustic guitar meets India.Lei Qiang contributes a traditional Chinese instrumental,making one think of the Forbidden City,or the ancient temples.Okan Murat Ozturk from Turkey&Kamil Alipour from Iran evoke the serenity through their instrumental music.They show that lyrics aren't always necessary for powerfully soothing music.Zulya is an Enya from Tatarstan,at once New Agey&earthy.She collaborates with an African musician,uniting different musical traditions harmoniously.

This CD is ideal for meditative settings.

I own several other CD's from Putumayo, but I've got to say that this one is probably my favourite. Not only are the songs lyric and beautifully written, but the traditional and modern fusions provide a depth and breadth of sound that is simply lacking in a lot popular music. It's an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys the sounds of the east, or just wants to kick back and relax to some excellent music. The CD itself has a nice balance, from the soothing melodies at the beginning ("Saginou" and "Picking Flowers") to the more heated and trance-inducing sounds of the middle east ("For Julia", "Gerizler Basi", and "Afshari") with a mellow finish that invokes memories of warm, humid nights ("Kang Mandor"). Once again, I am delightfully surprised with Putumayo's variety, as well as their selection of music that actually DOES make you feel good.