Bamboo
"Honored as the Outstanding Album of the Year by the Cultural Affairs Agency of the Japanese Ministry of Education in 1980. Shakuhachi/Jazz fusion."
John Kaizan Neptune
Toshiba-EMI Ltd. - ETJ-85008
1980
Track | Titel | Kanji | Länge | Künstler | |
1 | Bamboo | 05'25 |
Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune | ||
John's original title for this mellow piece was "Tubes," as the strong bass line is accented with the sound of Hawaiian "stamping tubes" of bamboo, called "ka'eke'eke." The shakuhachi, too, is a bamboo tube -- one with great power and sensitivity. | |||||
2 | Blue Wind | 12'26 |
Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune | ||
John employs "short" and "long" bamboo flutes in addition to the standard 21-1 2-inch shakuhachi to express the versatility and flavors of this piece. The blues, funk and straight-on jazz are lovingly combined with a good measure of Oriental soul. This number in particular demonstrates John's comment that shakuhachi is sometimes a way of "blowing Zen." | |||||
3 | Walk Downtown | 03'58 |
Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune | ||
Some view the bamboo tree and its airy foliage as the perfect light accent to a garden. Yet underlying the delicacy is the strength and flexibility masterfully demonstrated by John's bamboo flute in this easy flowing number. | |||||
4 | Genji | 源氏 | 12'19 |
Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune | |
Arakawa's strengths as an original composer and jazz arranger are well presented in this swinging, melodic number. It was first performed by the Tokyo Union big band at the Montreaux Jazz festival, Switzerland, in 1978. The arrangement here makes effective use of John's consummate shakuhachi style, with a Japanese "biwa" (lute) for flavor. | |||||
5 | Fun Key (Ra Ra Ra) | 04'51 |
Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune | ||
Another very approachable piece in which the shakuhachi, which is most often played as a solo instrument in the traditional Japanese literature, gets a chance to show its ability to jam right along with the brash brass and booming bass. |