New Music Review

 Ride into History -- HERITAGE by Masa Takumi

Travel fans whose wings have been clipped will find a fanciful escape in the new music by Masa Takumi.  The new album HERITAGE balances a journey into the past with modern beats and melodies; it is said to be reminiscent of the gorgeous work of June Kuramoto in the legendary Asian-influenced band Hiroshima.  The expansive and exotic works of Keiko Matsui also come to mind upon hearing Takumi’s soaring, high energy piano and keyboard adventure, artfully blending intense, earthbound rhythms with transcendent flights of fancy and rich sonic detail.

On Takumi's 2016 album, his solo debut Stars Falling, he composed and performed all the instruments, a sparkling orchestral dreamscape. This was followed in 2017 by the album Deep Down, which won both  Akademia Music Awards and Global Music Awards.  His artistic music video for “Deep Down” achieved a nomination at the 2018 Hollywood Music In Media Awards. Takumi is also an accomplished magician and a member of the world-famous Magic Castle, an exclusive, private club in Hollywood, California. Takumi has recently found a new home with the Domo Music Group, which is the label known for the esteemed Kitaro.

"Heritage" (3:30) opens with a bouncing boogie done in a gakaku style, which soon breaks into an icy cold bridge, then takes it back to the bounce. Decorated with traditional spooky instrument sounds, and there is that modern funky beat. I dig the thematic transformation, with lots of popping around old school imperial court music mixing with the drums and the piano, you can feel his music bringing the past to life in a symphonic way. 

Tracks:
1 Heritage (3:30)
2 Hanamachi Girl (5:12)
3 After The Nightmare (4:50)
4 Bells In Summer (4:27)
5 Toki (3:06)
6 Bamboo Forest (4:15)
7 Sakura River (3:36)
8 Midwater Night's Neo Dream (3:34)

#MasaTakumi #Heritage #JapaneseMusic #DomoMusicGroup #TheBCompany #gakaku #contemporaryinstrumental #GRAMMYNominee #Japanese #magician #musician

Music Review: AONKI

AONKI by Anaya Music

Capping an extraordinary year for her epic 2016 album Eternity with a ZMR nomination for Best Neo-Classical Album, world-renowned Brazilian composer/producer Anaya reflected on her inspiration and creative process. She said, “I make music to fulfill a collective yearning shared by humanity for harmony, unity and balance. The magic of music and the profound feelings of love are a divine instrument of perfection to give re-birth to our soul. Music is the sound of Light. Our best instrument is the universal harmony of being.” 

Over the course of her career - which includes her earlier works Eternity, Fifth Essence, Devotion (2014), and Aligned in the Universe (2013) - her music has captured the soothing, energizing and transcendent essence of the music of her native country, while forging a dynamic synthesis of orchestral new age, electronic and melodic trance influences and textures. 2017 included even more award recognition from the Global Music Awards for her composition of the song "Dharma."  

Anaya Music of Brazil releases new album, AONKI

Anaya’s latest collection, the mysteriously titled Aonki: Gateway of Love, is a powerful, sweeping work that marks her second virtual collaboration and real-time recording in cyberspace between the artist’s label AnayaMusic in Brazil at Studio 1234, a live symphony orchestra in Prague (featuring members of the Czech Philharmonic) and Orchestra.Net in Los Angeles. When she’s composing, Anaya retires from this world and enters a realm of music vibration; yet when production begins, she draws on her background as a Digital Information Specialist analyzes the most effective sounds to best convey her spiritual concepts. 

Reflective of its title, Aonki is the name of the Gateway of Love and it came to Anaya in meditation as the driving force and guiding light for the journey of the recording. As a whole, it reflects her belief that 2018 is a gateway year for overcoming differences and going to the Divine aspect of life, both individually and collectively. With its wild melody and fresh rhythmic twists and turns, the opening track reflects her optimism, tempered with the reality of step-by-step progress that such ambitious goals demand. “Laman Song” opens with a fast-paced film score like energy, then gives way to a gentle flute reflection before several competing musical paths emerge and dial down to a soulful keyboard-induced hypnosis with subtle orchestral harmonies.

“Breath,” which features musicians from OrchestraNet, weaves its profound magic like a gentle classical piece, with the stark melody of a lone violin crying out amidst the ambiance, as if for justice. The violin departs and the spacey ambiance dominates leading into a meditative state, as the solo voices of several other instruments (including a horn) pick up the mission. This leads us to the “Gate,” which begins with a sweeping orchestra and booming percussion before easing into more mystical, less linear realms. There is a moment of shift towards the end where the orchestra rises up more tunefully and, with a burst of sunlit percussion, shares hope for a brighter day. But first, of course, there are some dramatic steps to be taken, as per the dark chords beneath the soaring intentions at the start of the brief interlude “Over the Clouds.”

We enter the heart of Aonki on “Because of You,” a dream-like reflection that taps into romance and hope with the orchestra caressing a lone violin, then opens up towards an exciting showcase for Bernardo Bittencourt’s plucky lute. It plays a tense duet with the violin before emerging with a stark but resolute solo. Light and courage have won over the troubling obstacles. The dark chamber music clouds come back briefly, but the line is cast towards a brighter day. Like an homage to classical movements, the title centerpiece of the album comes in a two-part suite, “Aonki Mov 1” and “Aonki Mov II.” The first track is pure symphonic light, an intensely beautiful movement towards peace and harmony, with brief moments of individual horn cries. The second movement features high toned violins atop darker, atonal edges. There is more drama, less harmony, more rhythmic shift and dynamics in search of the elusive but attainable beauty. This piece features the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and featured solos by violinists Ivan Quintana and Fabianne Gotelipe, viola player Daniel Marques and cellist Priscilla Jota.

The last third of Aonki launches with “Extase II,” infused with a wash of spacey synthesizers and trippy percussion textures that help connect us with higher mystical sources. The ecstasy of this outreach includes an immersion into deeper “waters,” with hopeful chimes and flute notes rising above the deep atmospheres. “Just For You” is a purely orchestral piece, full of highs and lows, stops and starts – but underscored with a rich sense of melody and harmony which indicate that the end of the journey will bring light and love. This gives way to the final piece, another all-orchestral mood piece that bathes the listener in a rich ambiance full of love and the brightness of eternity.

The Aonki CD arrives in a brightly-colored digipak, with romantic artwork evoking thoughts of the Girl from Ipanema. Love is surely the mood here. As her liner notes say, “Anaya’s musical invitation to experience the Gateway of Love stirs the soul with passionate melodies of timeless inspiration to awaken our heart’s song.” Aonki marks yet another powerful milestone on Anaya’s journey of creating innovative, life-changing, heart transforming and consciousness shifting cosmic new age music. Her remarkable artistry is always full of a type of musical and harmonic magic that can be appreciated on a purely visceral, emotional level and in spiritual ways that no words can adequately capture.

Visit www.anayamusic.com for more music and updates; AONKI is available for presale before Valentine's Day on Amazon and iTunes.

 – Jonathan Widran for BEING

 

Music Review: FLOW

FLOW to perform first concert in NYC!

It isn’t often that the New Age genre finds itself harboring such an intense group as FLOW. The enormous talents of Will Ackerman, Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt and Jeff Oster have joined forces to give us an album of unrivaled beauty.  Each musician brings passion for their instruments and years of dedication to their craft into this album, manifesting a creative energy so strong that it resonates throughout every note. Nothing is wasted. Originally a project started by Lawrence Blatt, FLOW came together when he invited pianist Fiona Joy and composer Jeff Oster to collaborate with him at Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Road Studios in Vermont. It wasn’t long, however, until Will became far more than just a producer, and an integral contributor to the project as detailed in NewAgeMusicGuide.

In Vermont (l. to r.): Will Ackerman, Lawrence Blatt, Fiona Joy, Jeff Oster are FLOW.

This writer prefers to sample an album as opposed to sharing the full-course, so I'll highlight three tracks and "highly-recommend* that you discover all the rest. "Arrival" is clearly the best place to start this 11-song eponymous project, an opener that is equal parts welcoming, celebratory and triumphant. Fiona Joy's deft piano touch teases the listener into the track and builds, as does Jeff’s moody horn; Lawrence and Will join in on guitar, with percussion adding a sense of groovy momentum to FLOW’s introductory track.  The composition and sequencing of this song is perfect. Something that starts off gently swells into a full-blown showcase of the wonderful talent at hand, a promise of the musical adventures still to be heard.

In contrast to the opening track, the title song “Flow” focuses more on guitar and horns, with a more subtle piano influence. The gentle plucking of the guitar is perfectly accentuated by Fiona’s signature ethereal, wordless vocals reminiscent of Julee Cruise (Twin Peaks). The track slows for a few moments here and there to allow the guitar to shine. Ackerman’s creative direction emerges at times like these, with a “less is more” approach to guiding the record, particularly in this song. The little breaks throughout leave the listener "sonic windows" to soak in the mood that is being set.

Wrapping up the album, “For Rosita and Giovanni” is another complex and intimately-composed piece. Inspired by Will's trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, it awakens many human emotions within the listener. Feelings ranging from joy to melancholy, and reflection to gratitude can be felt within the four minutes and eighteen seconds of this song.  The guitar strums gently as Fiona Joy’s piano swoops in to compliment it.  Oster’s horn soars mournfully above the tender melodies, painting a poignant portrait of an unforgettable couple.

It's worth mentioning that the album also benefits from musical performances by Guest Artists like Marc Shulman, Tony Levin, Jeff Haynes, Sam Bevan, Eugene Friesen, and Tom Eaton, who also mixes, masters, and produces alongside Will. The album is being released on Lawrence's LMB Music label, available at all major music retailers; pre-orders are happening now.

The eponymous debut album.

FLOW is a dynamic project that came together after years of friendship and mutual artistic admiration, as reflected in their preview video and the project's whimsical cover art. One may have expected a more ethereal presentation from these New Age stars, but Oster's doodling captures the true spirit of the collaboration: good friends simply playing together and making music...and, really, what is more "zen" than that? Overall, the project is understated, sophisticated and incredibly clean. Without a doubt, Fiona, Lawrence, Jeff, and Will are taking New Age to a higher level as FLOW.

Catch FLOW's new release celebration concert at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall on October 6, 2017; to buy tickets through Carnegie's website, click here.

TIP: Enjoy a preview of "Free Ascent" on Billboard Magazine's website.

- Samantha Garcia, for BEING

FLOW debuted at #1 on the ZMR Charts in August!