Search - Kiyoshi Yoshida :: Asian Drums II

More mesmerizing fusion music w/ Japanese drumming

Brianna Neal | USA | 05/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album follows in the same vein as Yoshida's first "Asian Drums". Dark, driving, questing synthesizer compositions are underlaid by the deep pounding of accoustic drums. This time, the percussionists are the wadaiko drummers of the group Bonten, led by Masataka Kobayashi. Other instruments complimenting the drum and synthesizer soundscape include shamisen (a banjo-like instrument), shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), koto (a Japanese zither), dizi (traditional Chinese flute) and guitar. "Asian Drums II" is markedly similar to its predecessor in tone and style, but features the accoustic melody instruments a bit more. Both are great if you enjoy drumming music (and both smell nice too, as do all CDs from the Pacific Moon label, since the jewel cases contain sticks of incense). If you like Asian Drums, be sure to check out the work of another Japanese drumming group too--Kodo."

Superb percussion to the max. Turn it up!

Dick K | Centreville, VA United States | 07/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm stingy with 5 star ratings, this is just short only because I would have liked the mic placement to have been a little less distant from the drums which to my ears are sometimes a little muddy. By contrast the strings and woodwinds are spot-on, clear and crisp. But that's a nit -- this is great stuff: well performed with a fascinating mix of traditional and modern. Generally this music is very upbeat, incense or not, this isn't music _I_ can relax to, I find it much too exciting for that; not music that I, for one, can sit still while listening. Oh, and I don't view that as a bad thing at all!!



I don't have the first of these but I've got a few others in the genre, including Kodo, and this fits right in but has a smoother, more polished feel probably because the drums aren't dominant on most tracks. Important, yes, dominant, no. Personally, I like both styles and if you've been exposed to something like Kodo and liked that, then I'd definitely recommend this to you as something equally good but just a little different.



Bottom line: recommended!"

Very, very good.

Yoiko | 04/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is really good. I have never listened to Kiyoshi Yoshida's work before this, and the only other thing I can compare it to is Uttara Kuru's East Wind, another new-age-type CD.

Burning the incense sticks that come with the album while you listen, is an extremely soothing experience. My favorite track is WAZAWAI which features nothing but drums. The other tracks generally have guitars, flutes, and traditional Japanese and Chinese instruments."