Search - Won Il :: Asura

If you can find this CD, buy it!

Nina L Thorsen | San Francisco, CA USA | 06/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, a correction; the artist's name is actually WON Il. I came across my copy in a used CD store, and I'm so glad I picked it up.
I don't know a whole lot about him, but according to the liner notes, "Won Il is known as a Korean traditional musician to the public. Yes, he is a Korean traditional drummer, Piri (Korean flute) player and composer. But these are not enough to explain him." Well, they certainly aren't. "Asura" features an extraordinary combination of instruments including electric guitar, djembe, Irish pipes, accordion, cello, and practically every kind of traditional and modern percussion you can think of. Some of the cuts are lively and jazzy, others are very sad and wistful, but they're all beautifully done and musically sophisticated. When I play this on my radio program I inevitably get listeners wanting to know what it is."