Search - Rikiya Yamashita, Masaji Watanabe, Missa Johnouchi :: Ancient City, Vol. 2

Breathtaking aural vistas of the old Kyoto...

H. Huynh | 08/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"and then some. this following album to the phenomenal collection of solo piano works by an assortment of japanese pianist virtuosos is every bit as hauntingly beautiful as the Ancient City original release.



first time listeners to either album will suddently realize by the third piece that the sound is quite exotic. there is a reason. western music is predominantly based on the chromatic scales but these japanese lovers of the piano feel the nostalgia of rural, historical japan with a certain pentatonic melody, but perfectly executing their sketches with a ubitquitous western instrument--the piano. the tunes are like that of no other, and it invokes powerful images of dreamscapes for nature and music lovers alike.



the ancient city II is even well suited for casual listening after a grueling day of white-collared enslavement, harmonically blending into the background without a trace, yet sustaining an ambience subtle and potent enough to relax even the most stressed person.



four of the previous musicians (my personal favorites, masaji watanabe, naoyuki onda) return with established solo artist missa johnouchi (including pieces from her new solo release, kataribe) makes their appearance on this compilation. don't allow their osbcure names to give an impression of generic mediocrity. Pacific Moon does not produce generic music. they are highly specialized in recording only the best Asian musicians, even if their names are unsung in the western world.



my only minor gripe that does not deter from the Ancient City II's five star rating, is the less than contemplative piece by (*gasp*) mostly brilliant jazzist (the influence is fairly obvious) onda-san, who attempts to compose/perform a bizarre waltz-like up-tempo song that just doesn't seem to befit the motif of the overall Ancient City sound (nocturne, pastoral, classic but not classical). other than that, this is a highly recommended instrumental album for space music collections."