The Gate: Joji Hirota: Amazon.ca: Music

1. Reminicscences II

2. Esashi Oiwake

3. Hiten, Ryu And The Pageants Compete

4. Komori Uta

5. Profoundly

6. Kokiriko Melody

7. Hokkai

8. Lullaby From Takeda

9. The Gate

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

Far from being the drum-dominated experience that many would have expected from taiko master Hirota, The Gate is a contemporary classical album of great depth and beauty. He manages to fuse Western strings and traditional Japanese music and instruments into a convincing whole, even accommodating a Celtic harp on the lullaby "Komori Uta". For the most part Hirota's drums are left at home, concentrating instead on lighter percussion and the shakuhachi bamboo flute which blend nicely with the warmth of the London Metropolitan Orchestra string quintet. On a couple of occasions, "The Gate" itself being one, Joji heads off into rather self-indulgent percussive territory but generally manages to keep such tendencies in check, content to work as part of the ensemble and see others bring his work to fruition. Clearly a labour of love for the artist, but also a rewarding experience for the listener. --Phil Udell

Album Description

Japanese Tiako drummers debut release featuring a different tracklisting exclusive to Japan.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The lush factor matters..., April 21 2001

By

C. Gray "Chris Gray" (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Gate (Audio CD)

- It is Zamfir done right?

Well, its definitely more than that. I could imagine this gracing the aural side of an Akira Kurosawa film. Too bad we're not going to see that. :(

I have to admit that it was "Reminiscences II" that initially grabbed my attention and shut my eyes in tranquility when I first previewed this cd at a local Borders bookstore. (after a tedious search of cd misses)

There's something so beautiful about coupling traditional Asian music with lush orchestration and strings and this is done well on "The Gate".

Check out the Three Seasons soundtrack or David Parsons' Ngaio Gamelan cd for more of this sort of bliss. Maybe you'd get into Putomayo's "Music from the Tea Lands" as well.

I rated this cd 3 stars because contrary to the publicist's opinion, I feel that the drum tracks in the middle break the trance. They would have sounded better near the end.

But considering how penetrating the other tracks are, the flow of the journey would have been most tranquil without them.

After getting beyond the first track, I found the real gem to be "Esashi Oiwake". I say this because it touches me in the same way that vocals on the Three Seasons soundtrack manage to command humility and serenity.

Overall, this is a very nice addition to my collection of alleviating music.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Modern arrangements of traditional Japanese themes, Feb 22 2000

By

Clayton W. Hibbert (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Gate (Audio CD)

"The Gate" is simply extraordinary. Hirota is equally at home with flutes, strings, and drums, and it shows. Intoxicating, powerful drumming fills the spaces between the orchestral string and flute pieces, and his plaintive, lonely voice can be heard atop a several of the tracks.

A spirit of tradition and an ancient feel persists throughout the disc, despite the modern arrangements and high-quality production.

A definite highlight is "Komori Uta," a old lullaby sung as a duet with Joji and an 8-year-old child. Beautiful.

Highly recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Modern arrangements with an ancient Japanese texture, Feb 10 2000

By

Clayton W. Hibbert (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Gate (Audio CD)

"The Gate" is an unique and beautiful tapestry. Peaceful but melancholic flutes & strings balance against powerful, intoxicating drums of celebration. On some tacks, Hirota's plaintive voice lifts the music to another level.

The lullaby Komori Uta (Track #4) is a duet with Hirota himself and an 8-year-old child, with awesomely beautiful results.

Highly recommended.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, brooding, and magical
Beautiful Japanese melodies for flute and orchestra. The vocal and flute pieces are very emotional.

Published on Feb 8 2000 by Glenn Soltes