Kitaro Gaia

	CD List $ 12.99 Date: 05/19/98 Label: EMD/DOMO
01. Yamadashi: Tanne/Prayer 02. Misty 03. Gaia	04. Wood Fairy 05. Satobiki 06. Kiotoshi
Genre: New Age Original Release Date: 1998 Engineer: Gary Barlough; Jun Yoshida Producer: Kitaro	No. of Discs: 1 Mono/Stereo: Stereo Studio/Live: Studio Category: New Age

Personnel: Kitaro (various instruments); Tadayasu Nishi, Jonathan Goldman
(spoken vocals); Maso Ito (classical guitar); Angus Clard (electric guitar,
12 string guitar); Ryusuke Seto (biwa); Kristin Stordahl Kanda (transversal
flute); Keiko Takahashi (hand drums, sound effects); Ty Burhoe (tabla,
tamboura); Derek Zimmerman, Luis Perez (percussion); Gary Barlough,
Miazawa, Rieko (sound effects).

Recorded at Mochi Studio, Ward, Colorado. Includes liner notes by
Kitaro.

GAIA ONBASHIRA pays tribute to Mother Earth and to Onbashira
Matsuri, a festival celebrating the rebuilding of one of Japan's oldest
structures, the Suwa Grand Shrine in Nagano. Kitaro, in other words, once
again takes on two of his favorite themes: the importance of nature in our
lives, and the need to maintain a spiritual connection to past traditions in this
world of ever-increasing complexity and chaos. The album opens with bird
imitations by Kitaro and guests (calling themselves "human birds"); the
listener is then taken on a winding journey through a variety of sonic
landscapes.

Stops along the way include the meditative "Tanne," evoking the image of
mist-covered mountains from old Japanese paintings; the lushly orchestrated
"Misty," reminiscent of Kitaro's award-winning score for Oliver Stone's
HEAVEN & EARTH; and the droning, mildly Indian-influenced "Gaia,"
recalling his 1994 album, MANDALA. His textures range from the gentle
and ethereal, bringing to mind his early treks along THE SILK ROAD, to
the strident and pulsating, reminding us of his roots in progressive rock. He
employs a rich array of instruments, including the Japanese biwa, the Indian
tabla and tamboura, and the David Gilmour-inspired guitar work of Angus
Clark.

Back Next Home