There is a reason that music is called the universal language.
\nYou don’t need to be a native of a certain area of the world or
\nknowledgeable about their culture to know good music when you hear
\nit. Spoken language and customs all are put aside for a few short
\nminutes while the melodies float through the air.<\/p>\n
This is kind of the feeling I get when I listen to
\nPicture Dreams<\/i>, a disc of shakuhachi and koto duets by Riley
\nLee and Satsuki Odamura. You don’t need to know just what a
\nshakuhachi is (it’s a kind of bamboo flute) or how to play a koto.
\nYou don’t even need to know anything about Japanese history or
\ncustoms. You just have to know great music when you hear it — and,
\nfrankly, this is some of the most beautiful music I’ve heard in a
\nlong time.<\/p>\n
The seven pieces featured on
\nPicture Dreams<\/i> are either meant to musically tell a story or
\nto paint a picture in the listener’s mind. What I’ve found from my
\nexposure to this disc is that the interplay between the two
\ninstruments creates a very relaxing atmosphere, and dares the
\nlistener to become introspective on whatever topic they choose. In
\nthis manner, Lee and Odamura are able to transcend any boundaries
\nbetween their music and the listener, creating a picture which
\nanyone can view in their own manner and enjoy.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, it sometimes feels like the musical ideas that the
\ntwo work off of might threaten to stall out at times, such as on
\n“Tuning In D.” But the listener must be willing to show patience,
\nespecially for those unfamiliar to this form of music; in due time,
\nthe pieces fall back into line.<\/p>\n
American-born Lee’s work on the shakuhachi demonstrates just why
\nhe is considered to be a master of this instrument; his playing
\ncarries enough power while maintaining a gentle edge to it, as
\nheard on “Sacramental Christian Lullaby” and “The Dream Of The
\nDayflower.” Odamura’s koto work is phenomenal; anyone who believes
\nthe koto’s range is limited need only hear her performances on this
\ndisc.<\/p>\n
Any time I need to take a break from the real world and just
\ncollect my thoughts in a darkened room, away from computers, my
\nfamily and whatnot, there are a few discs I listen to repeatedly to
\nclear the mental cobwebs.
\nPicture Dreams<\/i> has most definitely earned a spot in that
\nrotation, and will be getting a lot more attention from me. This
\ndemonstrates the kind of music which makes me want to learn more
\nabout music from other corners of the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[6977],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-37865","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-riley-lee-satsuki-odamura","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=37865"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=37865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}