Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Teiji Ito - Watermill [tzadik - 2008]

Watermill is one of the most beautiful, enchanting and approachable  long form pieces by noted and past New York based Japanese composer and performer Teiji Ito; taking in his usually love of Native American, Chinese, Tibetan, African, and Japanese traditional music to weave a truly spell-binding, often intricate and compelling piece that stays more in melodic and atmospheric end of his work.

Each of the seven tracks is based around a season and each gives off a very rich mysterious and often soothing ethnic air that is thankful complete void of bland new age sentiments- this really feels like it could have been made by native people and really brings to mind a clear feeling of what it must have been like to deal with each season joys and rubs. The tracks are built and brought to sonic live by an impressive selection of traditional and ethnic instrumentation- such as: Koto , Bugaku Drum, Puili (hawaiian Bamboo Shakers), Javeneses Gongs, Indian Cymbals, Mushi Chachiki (small Japanese Gong), Shakuhachi, Maraca, Bansuri Flutes, Hichiriki, Ocarina, Claves,  Shakuhachi, Ryuteki and more recognizable instruments such as gongs and cymbals, Zither, Steel Drum and various percussive elements. The ensemble is lead up by Teiji colleague Steve Gorn and the six piece is also includes Teiji’s daughter Tavia Ito. The albums pace switchers between slow dreamy flutes piped harmonic dwells, to more active and vibrate ethic percussive adventures, onto elegant string pickings and plucks of the koto and beyond

Watermill is a truly lovely, compelling, enriching and at times dramatic piece of ethic based composition that takes you through a myriad of emotions and continents; if you yet to hear Ito 's work this is the place to start- truly breathtaking stuff.

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Teiji Ito - Watermill
Watermill is one of the most beautiful, enchanting and approachable  long form pieces by noted and past New York based Japanese composer and perfor...
180424   Impulse - Impulse( Blu Ray)
170424   Jan Jelinek - Social Engine...
170424   Carlos “Zíngaro”, Guilherme R...
160424   The Borderlands - The Borderl...
160424   Rien - The New Source Recording
160424   Worship - Thoughts
150424   Lion-Girl - Lion-Girl(Blu Ray)
150424   Waidelotte - Celestial Shrine
150424   Iron Monkey - Spleen & Goad
120424   Spider Labyrinth - Spider Lab...
Latest Articles

The Music of Clay Ruby & Burial H...
Over the last couple of decades Wisconsin native, Clay Ruby has been creating some of the world’s finest dark electronic music under the Burial Hex mon...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom