Sanctuary

Riley Lee | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 18, 2000)
• Original Release Date: July 18, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Narada
• ASIN: B00004U90V
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,073 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As peaceful and enchanting as a sunset's afterglow on a cloudless summer evening, the gentle music of Riley Lee (playing shakuhachi flute, an instrument traditionally used by Japanese monks) and Bert Moon (on koto, a 13-string zither) stirs a warm, caressing breeze that calms the spirit and stills the mind. Lee, an Australian, is one of the few non-Japanese musicians to be acknowledged as a dai shihan (grand master) of the shakuhachi, a fairly primitive flute made from a bamboo root. His talents are artfully displayed on this tranquil assortment of improvisational duets with Moon, recorded in 1984 and first released in 1991 as a meditative cassette titled Evening Mist. Lee's elegant, prolonged tones are gentle to the point of weightlessness, residing in comfortable low and middle ranges without sounding a shrill note. Moon, though not credited on the recording's front cover, admirably handles an egalitarian role throughout the disc's 61 minutes, handsomely complementing Lee's cerebral textures with dignified, unobtrusive accents. Listeners raised on Occidental music will find little alien about Lee and Moon's graceful, unhurried duets, ideal for periods of restfulness or contemplation. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music to quiet your soul, January 12, 2001

By 

Kim Unertl "kimz0519" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sanctuary (Audio CD)

I purchased this CD to use for meditation and for use during yoga. I actually have found myself pulling it off the shelf to listen to just for the heck of it. The music is beautiful and moving. Wonderful to help someone center themselves and gain some perspective. Peaceful and haunting melodies filled with just enough of the unexpect to keep the listener interested. Perfect for meditation and yoga.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have it playing right now.....EXCEPTIONAL!!, November 28, 2001

By 

Carla J. Schultz "kayceygirl" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sanctuary (Audio CD)

"Sanctuary: Music from a Zen Garden" by Riley Lee is a rare gift. I usually play this when I am on the Internet working and I am rewarded with a working environment that is pleasant, toned down, moderate. Not gentle, boring, sleepy, just relaxed and casual. I am still able to concentrate on my work without distraction but am not bombarded by unpleasantness.

A KAYCEYGIRL AUDIO LIBRARY MASTERPIECE!!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb "Unplugged" Enchantment, July 30, 2000

By 

J. Sparks (Xenia, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sanctuary (Audio CD)

This CD is absolutely enchanting! The soft gentle flute combined with the Japanese zither is utter relaxation. What I personally like about the tonals in "Sanctuary..." is that they don't travel to one's "somber side", which can have a tendency to put your mind in slight depression. If you are interested in "unplugged" ambient music of the best kind, then this CD is a must!