Customer Reviews

Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai 3

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Sometimes Kitaro's music is sublime and sometimes it's sappy, but it always manages to be movingly and yet enjoyably spiritual somehow. Still, this album, volume three of an ongoing series inspired by his pilgrimage along the Shikoku 88 Temple Henro Route (in this case, temples 24 through 31), manages something a bit unusual for him. While unmistakably Kitaro music through and through, it seems somewhat more serene, subdued, and subtle for him, as if his sound is maturing with age. And that while still continuing the mood and tone of the prior two installments of "Sacred Journey of Kukai"--again nicely mixing in the actual reverberations of each temple's bells into the music, only this time far more organically and unobtrusively, blending it seamlessly into the soundscapes of his instrumentation. Towards the middle of the album he resorts to a few of his stereotypically saccharine whooping swoops (especially with tracks four and five, mainly) but the rest is strangely ambient in a satisfyingly sophisticated manner, with track seven achieving an especially eerie intensity and eight a compellingly alien atmosphere. A bit experimental but not inaccessible. Once again Kitaro has created music that is incredibly representative of the New Age genre at its best while expanding that genre's yet untapped potential.

In Kitaro's own words, this project was conceived in the wake of 911, and the music is an appeal to seek peace - both inner consolation and healing for the world. Several promotional videos available on YouTube show Kitaro visiting Buddhist pilgrim sites on the Japanese island of Shikoku, where he recorded temple bells (j. kane), and sought inspiration, absorbing the atmosphere of silent meditation and spiritual attainment. During the filming of the videos, the crew interviews Japanese pilgrims, people from all walks of life, who visit these places each year. The people testify to the fact that the experience is spiritually transforming.

Having been a fan of Kitaro for many years, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard portions of his latest project. I would like to say that in general, it represents a significant evolution of Kitaro's style and compositional technique. In short it is Kitaro's latest and best yet! The use of modern sound synthesis, combined with real instruments (shakuhachi, Native American flute, the sho, a Japanese instrument used in ancient Shinto rituals), and state-of-the-art studio engineering, indeed create a futurist blend of ancient and modern.

For lovers of meditative and passionate rock guitar solos, the improvisations in "Sky and Ocean" are a must. Here and there, there are stereo type "new-age" effects such as a glissando whistle, space-like sounds, electronic choir voices, etc. In some passages, these are a little over dramatized, and redolent of film music - not a bad thing necessarily... but musically less interesting. Some of these overly-used effects occur in the tracks "Sky and Ocean", and in "After the Rain. My only other complaint musically are some of the melodic lines that begin, rise, and then seem to go nowhere - repetative and less interesting. And, in other cases, the harmonies are somewhat predictable, and even disappointing at times. But, these surely are subjective opinions, and are outweighed by the sublimity of the music overall.

The final track of the album, entitled "Circle Dance", consists of nearly 11 minutes of some of Kitaro's richest material musically. The piece is minimalist in construction, with textures and rhythms reminiscent of music for Indonesian gamelan. The slow interlocking rhythmic patterns (kotekan in Indonesian music terms), combined with a brilliant sound-scape, create an almost trance-like mood that demands the listener's full attention.

Finally, Kitaro's main focus in this series is the sound of Buddhist temple bells, very solid instruments evocative of silence and reflection. Tones from a variety of these beautiful metallophones seasons most of the album's tracks. Some of the bells have been sampled and played in melodic ways too, somewhat like a carillon. In addition to the bells, there are ambient sounds of nature - crickets, surf, wind, etc. Kitaro's hope is that the sounds of bells, used by nearly all the world's religions to awaken the spirit of man to enlightenment, will act as a healing balm for today's angst-ridden world of violence, hatred and political rivalry. This I believe he has achieved musically. The rest is left to the discerning listener.

Kukai, also known as Kobo Daishi (774-835), founded the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan, and authored some 50 works that expound its doctrine. Kukai wrote that "having greed destroys the self, passing on the lust for wealth destroys one's progeny; to err in government destroys the state, and to err in education destroys the world". One wonders if teachings such as these led Kitaro to find inspiration in a journey toward enlightenment and peace in the spirit of Kukai. Whatever his motivation, the music in this series springs from a rich creative well, and is crafted by a master poet and musician.

New musical directions on this album !
Very beautiful songs (Sacred Fountain, Winds Blow Over The Hill).
The sound is new/fresh !
I didn`t have heared such beautiful songs for a long time !
Also i don`t like the repeating use of electic guitars on some of the songs (Sky and Ocean, After The Rain...).
I think that electric Guitars don`t fit in Kitaro`s music.

I recommend this CD to every serious Kitaro Fan, and to also to beginners who wants to start to collect his music.
I hope that Kukai Vol. 4 would released soon and keeps up the good musical work.

Using flutes and synthesizers, there is a journey that the listener goes on. Including his use of the electric guitar Kitaro sends one on a space flight.
The track entitled 'Circle Dance' has strong sounds and is not as relaxing as I prefer for massage, but for suspended conciousness, i.e. "to zone out" and to perform yoga it is perfect.
Some tracks are more staccato or dramatic than others. There is a mix of mellow tracks blended in, that offer sedating melodies.
The whole CD seems like it could be a great soundtrack for a future movie.
Overall a great CD

With this album Kitaro once more demostrates that he is the master of spiritual music. He opens a whole new spectrum of sound for his listeners.

I love Kitaro and all his work so I am a bit jaded. I started listening to this album wanting to like it. I was very pleased. The way Kitaro fuses the ocean waves and the bells is soothing and stimulating at the same time. It feels like you are there meditating with the flute player and drummer. Very nice.

This is a really wonderful work of music. It takes you to a far away place and paints wonderful pictures in your mind. I was impressed with how each piece consistently impressed me, not just one or two of the collection. It is very unique and interesting music.