Asian Relaxation [Import]

Asian Relaxation [Import]

Track Listings

1. Mystique

2. China Baby

3. Amazona

4. Mountain in a Deep Land

5. Lotus Island

6. Springtime

7. Ocean of Sweetness

8. Power of Freedom

9. Exotic Melody

10. Welcome to Heaven

Tracks:

Special Address - His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Invocation - The Gyuto Tantric Choir
Nivedan - Anoushka Shankar
Peace Chants - Nawang Khechog and R. Carlos Nakai
The Gambia - Philip Glass and Foday Musa Suso
Way Down In The Hole - Tom Waits and Kronos Quartet
God's Away On Business - Tom Waits and Kronos Quartet
Lost In The Harbor - Tom Waits and Kronos Quartet
Diamond In Your Mind - Tom Waits and Kronos Quartet

Album Description

This once in a lifetime event gathered musicians from wildly different backgrounds in a benefit for Richard Gere's Healing The Divide Foundation. Recorded live at Lincoln Center in NY, this CD features transcendental performances from Tibet's Gyuto Choir, India's Anoushka Shankar, genre-bending duets from Tibetan avant-garde musician Nawang Kechong with Native American master R. Carlos Nakai, and maverick composer Philip Glass with Gambian virtuoso Foday Musa Suso. The concert closer is a unique collaboration between musicians who personify the spirit of adventure in contemporary music, as Tom Waits performs four of his classic songs accompanied by Grammy winners the Kronos Quartet. Add a moving opening address by the Dalai Lama and you have the perfect musical embodiment of the Foundation's mission: to bridge cultural gaps and forge revolutionary new bonds between people around the world. Proceeds from sales will be directly applied to projects benefiting the peoples of Tibet and the Himalayan region.

Phases Of The Moon: Traditional Chinese Music

Average customer rating:

Where is it?
Excellent Chinese Orchestrial Music
Great Music for T'ai Chi
Grand and beautiful
Inspiring!

Phases Of The Moon: Traditional Chinese Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Classical Chinese Folk Music
Masterpieces of Chinese Traditional Music
Eleven Centuries of Traditional Music of China
Chinese Bamboo Flute Music
Spirit on Two Strings

ASIN: B0000025JB
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

The Moon Mirrored In The Pool
The Moon On High
Days Of Emancipation
Dance Of The Yao People
Peking Opera Melody: Flowing Water - Trad. Inst. Orch. Of The Central Conservatory
Tashwayi - Orch. Of The Shanghai Phil.Society/Peking Opera Society Of Shanghai
Spring In The Pamir Plateau - Li Tatong
Purple Bamboo Melody - Orch. Of The Shanghai Phil.Society/Peking Opera Society Of Shanghai
Dancing In The Moonlight
Song Of The Herdsmen - Trad. Inst. Orch. Of The Central Conservatory
Spring on A Moonlit River

Customer Reviews:

Where is it?.......2007-04-02

I bet I'd enjoy this CD, but one month after ordering it, I am still awaiting delivery.

Excellent Chinese Orchestrial Music.......2007-02-14

If you're only going to get one album of Chinese music, this is the one for you. Most all of the pieces on this album are winners.
After a while this music all blends together in that one piece sounds like an extension of another, but I love this album.

Great Music for T'ai Chi.......2006-08-27

I was looking for appropriate background music for practising T'ai Chi and this album was pretty good. The best cut for my purposes was "The Moon Mirrored in the Pool". It is smooth and slow, just right for T'ai Chi.

Grand and beautiful.......2005-09-20

This is a selection of orchestral music, including some beautiful, grand and moving pieces, from all across China. It is played by a (communist) Chinese orchestra using traditional instruments, organised along modern (European) lines, and the resulting synthesis is one of enchanted magnificence and awe which truly reaches within the soul. It also conveys the mystery and potential of Chinese creativity and its powerful yet delicate beauty.

Inspiring!.......2003-09-08

I bought this cd blindly, just wanting to expose myself and my child to world music. I am so impressed! The music is absolutely breath-taking! I feel moved each time I listen to it. I highly recommend this cd!

Gurdjieff, Tsabropoulos: Chants, Hymns and Dances

Average customer rating:

Must have!
an artistic triumph
Interpretations of Gurdjieff's Music
Inspired Subjectivity Encounters An Objective Music
Stunning

Gurdjieff, Tsabropoulos: Chants, Hymns and Dances

Manufacturer: ECM
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Sacred Hymns
Seekers of the Truth: The Complete Piano Music of Georges I. Gurdjieff and Thomas de Hartmann, Volume One
The Triangle
Weeping Meadow
Ojos Negros

ASIN: B0002ONC72
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

Chant from a Holy Book
Bayaty
Prayer
Duduki
Interlude I
Trois Morceaux aprHymnes Byzantins I
Trois Morceaux aprHymnes Byzantins II
Trois Morceaux aprHymnes Byzantins III
Dance
Chant
Interlude II
Assyrian Woman Mourners
Armenian Song
(No. 11)
Womans Prayer
Chant from a Holy Book, var. 1

Amazon.com

Philosopher, seeker after the truth, reconciler of science and religion, teacher, guru to artists, writers and musicians, Gurdjieff was an enigmatic figure; even his birthdate is uncertain: 1866 or 1877. He taught movements "to alter or heighten consciousness" at his Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, located outside Paris---a highly improvisatory process for which he composed equally improvisatory music. Technically untrained, he depended on skilled assistants to realize and write down his ideas, and found one in a devoted disciple: Ukranian pianist/composer Thomas de Hartmann, who selflessly suspended his own career and, after Gurdjieff's death in 1948, privately published and recorded some of their collaborations. As a composer, Gurdjieff, born at the border of Armenia and Turkey, was influenced by the region's ethnic and cultural diversity, by his childhood memories of the religious and philosophical songs improvised by his father, a Greek troubadour, by the hymns of the Greek Orthodox Church, and by his extensive travels through Europe and Asia. For this recording, the performers themselves arranged his compositions for cello and piano, adding five pieces by pianist Tsabropoulos, including three based on Byzantine hymns. Both players have been involved with Armenian, Ukranian and Greek Orthodox music; both are expert improvisers. Their strong feeling and affinity for the material allows them to approach it with both reverence and freedom; the playing is primarily subdued and inward. The piano texture ranges from delicate tinkling to full-blooded chords and arpeggios; the cello, playing mostly in the low and middle register, often in unison with the piano, sounds dark, warm and beautiful. The music, except for one lively dance, is slow, solemn, and mournful, in the minor mode. Melodies featuring oriental intervals are elaborated but not developed; based on single-note drones, harmonies are static or move in stepwise progressions but do not modulate. This lack of contrast and variety creates an otherworldly, disembodied atmosphere, despite several buildups of motion, dynamics, and intensity. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Must have!.......2006-01-12

This amazingly beautiful album to me is the soundtrack of Anatolia, of an era gone by when Turks, Greeks, Armenians and other ethnic groups shared their lives peacefully and harmoniously. Its sadness inevitably reminds me of millions who unnecessarily died on this soil in many wars fought in early twentieth century, of people forced to leave the only land the knew for unknown destinations and destinies, of the unimaginable hardships endured by its people. And more personally it takes me fom New York and puts me right next to my father's grave in a forgotten Anatolian village, 6000 miles away.

an artistic triumph.......2005-12-28

Peaceful, meditative, sad, introspective, deceptively simple. Classical. Coming from a deep sense of inner peace, like all things from the Work, but NOT New Agey.

Mystical.

Mr Gurdjieff sang or hummed his songs and Thomas deHartmann "wrote them down and added harmony". Hard to tell where Mr. G stops and deHartmann starts, but we will never know. Mr G speaks of Objective Music and the vast majority pieces of subjective music. This is the former.

I must confess that many other peformances and arrangements of the music of Gurdjieff/de Hartmann, the way it was "supposed to be played", left me cold. Most of the other renditions I heard were played by those Drunk with Orthodoxy, amaturish or just plain lacking in musical ability.

This version is a revelation!

I think G would approve of this.

I like this, I think that the arrangements for cello and piano instead of just piano, as written, is an artistic triumph. The cello played by Anja Lechner expresses the peace and meditative sadness inherent in the music, even if that wasn't the way it's usually played. Composers are often not the best intepreters of their music.

That having been said there are three part to this music, pieces by G/deH, Tsabropoulos and then more G/deH and when the pianist sticks his own works in the middle of Mr G's the quality of composition falls somewhat. His compositions are or similar mood and type to G/deH, but really don't have the same achieve the same heights of depth and soul. (Mr G would say they are not Objective Music, I guess.) Perfomances of all pieces are uniformly good.

I would hope this group will arrange more of Mr G's music in this format in the future.

Recommended.

Interpretations of Gurdjieff's Music.......2005-12-14

You may want to pass this one up if you enjoy Gurdjieff's music as he intended it to be. To me these seem like rambling, flimsy interpretations of strong, articulate works (if you have heard any of the Kremski recordings, you know).

The arrangements do not seem to have captured the spirit of Gurdjieff's music very well. If someone did with Beethoven what has been done with Gurdjieff's music here, I don't think it would be taken seriously.

If you are interested in a new "twist" on Gurdjieff's music, then you may enjoy this. If you enjoy Gurdjieff's music closer to the way which he composed it, then you will want to look for a different recording.

Inspired Subjectivity Encounters An Objective Music.......2005-03-19

Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff's music was first given a broad public exposure with Keith Jarrett's recording "Sacred Hymns" in 1980. The public was perhaps already partly prepared for this music in 1979, due to the release of director Peter Brook's beautiful film on the life of G.I. Gurdjieff, "Meetings with Remarkable Men". The closing sequences of "Meetings with Remarkable Men" show the middle-aged Gurdjieff being taught about deep ontological truths through live performances of both music and dance.

In the 1920's, at his Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, Gurdjieff continued this work by collaborating with Thomas de Hartmann on creating an "objective music". A music that "would work upon all listeners equally, focusing their mental life and bringing them to a new relationship with the living universe". It is probably Keith Jarrett, who has worked closely with the Gurdjieff Societies of both London and New York, that has produced the most "authentic" or "objective" reading of Gurdjieff's music in recent years.

On this ECM New Series disc of 2004, "Chants, Hymns and Dances", Anja Lechner and Vassilis Tsabropoulos decided to take a more liberal, "subjective", approach. Their interest in these compositions is perhaps more "musical than philosophical". Their suitability for this task should be apparent. Lechner's most recent work has involved interpreting the music of both Armenian Composer Tigran Mansurian and the Ukrainian Valentin Silvestrov. While Tsabropoulos, for his part, has worked with ancient Byzantine music and the music of the Greek Orthodox Church.

According to the informative liner notes by Steve Lake, "This music exists for the individual to make of it what he or she will, according to capacity". Lechner and Tsabropoulos both have deep experience with composed music and also with the process of free improvisation. Indeed, these two performers brilliantly interpret Gurdjieff's music with gentle assurance and a bright spontaneity. The five original compositions on this disc by Tsabropoulos even suggest an affinity with the Gurdjieff sensibility that borders on predestination.

"Chants, Hymns and Dances" is worthy of repeated encounter and remains serenely vital with each new audition. This is an ambiguous music that defies easy spiritual classification.

Stunning.......2005-03-02

This is one of the most moving records I have ever heard. It is a must have for any classical music lover or anyone who appreciates deeply emotional music. So simple, so powerful. Wow.

Average customer rating:

Putumayo Kids Presents: Asian Dreamland
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dreamland
New Orleans Playground
African Playground
Putumayo Kids Presents: Animal Playground
Putumayo Kids Presents: Sing Along With Putumayo

ASIN: B000J20VBW
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Tracks:

Moon Boat - Shang Shang Typhoon
Dokokade Yoruga Naita - Emme
Kokoro Ni Dakarete - Yoshida Brothers
Cradle Song - Zulya
Aka Tonbo - Aiko Shimada
Asadoya Yunta - Takashi Hirayasu
Om Ma Nye Bhe Mae Hum - Kelsang Chukie Tethong
Lullaby - Ali Akbar Khan
Lullaby - Lei Qiang
Amami No Komori Uta - Rikki

Product Description

GENERAL FEATURES: Asian Dreamland by Putumayo is a harmonious collection of tranquil lullabies and soothing songs from ancient Asian lands. The CD contains the following delightful pieces of music. Shang Shang Typhoon, Moon Boat Emme, Dokokade Yoruga Naita Yoshida Brothers, Kokoro Ni Dakarete Zulya, Cradle Song Aiko Shimada and Elizabeth Falconer, Aka Tonbo Takashi Hirayasu with Chuei Yoshikawa, Asadoya Yunta Kelsang Chukie Tethong, Om Ma Nye Bhe Mae Hum Ali Akbar Khan, Lullaby Lei Qiang, Lullaby Rikki,Amami, No Komori Uta. Educational entertainment for all ages.

Average customer rating:

A Wonderful CD
Chinese Bamboo Flute Music : review
Very good sometimes, too electronic at others.
Good choice of traditional music.
You have to LIKE Chinese flute music...

Chinese Bamboo Flute Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Phases Of The Moon: Traditional Chinese Music
Eleven Centuries of Traditional Music of China
Masterpieces of Chinese Traditional Music
Classical Chinese Folk Music
Tortoise: Chinese Feng Shui Music

ASIN: B000001V41
Release Date: 1993-07-20

Tracks:

Capriccio For Chinese Flute
The Flower Of Hsin-Jang
A Tayal Folk Song
The Imperial Officer On Horseback Galloping By
Go Dating With My Love
The Maidens Of The Tea Mountain
Chatting With An Old Friend By The Window
The Song Of The Four Seasons
The Crab And The Egret

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful CD.......2007-05-12

This CD is amazing. It has many unique aspects and I really enjoy listening to it.

Chinese Bamboo Flute Music : review.......2006-08-16

Great cd! It is so relaxing to listen to.

Very good sometimes, too electronic at others........2005-10-01

I was, overall, disappointed by this CD. There are many good reviews here, but they generally overpraise. Tracks 4 through 8 have too much synthesizer for my ears. A major highlight is track 9, The Crab and the Egret, but interestingly, the flute is accompaniment to the wondrous Chinese percussion. Disappointingly, the CD is only 40 minutes long and left me wanting more tunes without synthesizer accompaniment.

Good choice of traditional music........2005-09-13

Interesting combination of musical selection with excellant high orchestral standards. The differing flute melodies seemed well integrated in each selection. I thoroughly enjoy listening to the CD again and again; repetition isn't a problem.

You have to LIKE Chinese flute music..........2005-07-09

You get Chinese flute music. I am fond very of some of the more (Westernized? New-agey?) Chinese offerings but this just did not turn out to be what I expected. I will give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is just a bit 'authentic' for my taste.

Quiet Mind: The Musical Journey of a Tibetan Nomad

Average customer rating:

Very Relaxing
Love flute music
Absolutely Beautiful
Wonderful CD
Exhilirating peacefulness

Quiet Mind: The Musical Journey of a Tibetan Nomad
Nawang Khechog
Manufacturer: Gemini Sun Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Music as Medicine
Rhythms of Peace
Karuna
Universal Love
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion

ASIN: B00000379S
Release Date: 1997-07-08

Tracks:

Year Of Tibet
Nomads Of The Tibetan High Plateau
The Flight Of A Shepherd Boy
Freedom In Exile
A Sad Return To My Birthplace
Giving And Forgiving
The Power Of Morality And Patience
With Mindfulness And Wisdom
Creating An Enlightened Society

Album Description

Born of Tibetan nomads, Nawang Khechog discovered in childhood a deep affinity with the bamboo flute. In 1959, he fled to India and spent 11 years as a Buddhist monk before bringing his music to the West. Despite worldwide praise for his work, Nawang resolved in 1991 to return to mountain seclusion - until the Dalai Lama himself encouraged him to continue to share the power of his music with others. Quiet Mind reflects the far-reaching travels of this remarkable musician. It is his most personal transmission, a continuous prayer that imparts serenity to everyone it touches. With didgeridoo, Incan pan pipes, and ocarina.

Customer Reviews:

Very Relaxing.......2006-03-14

A very peaceful and relaxing CD. Just listen to the samples for yourself.

Love flute music.......2006-02-01

I got this because I love the sound of flute music and the peace within it gives me. I use the cd to calm myself and to daydream or meditate.

Absolutely Beautiful.......2004-09-22

How you could NOT like this CD is beyond me. The feelings it invokes are indescribable. It touches your soul the instant you hear it. I've gotten 3 of his CD's so far, and plan on buying the rest. The word "Amazing" doesn't do this man's talent justice. He's a gift from heaven. Everyone should hear it at least once. That's all you'd need. Absolutely incredible....

Wonderful CD.......2003-02-26

I am a huge fan of Nawang-la, this CD is spectacular.

Exhilirating peacefulness.......2000-02-13

This is my favorite Nawang cd. Tibetan flute and Australian didgeridoo. Nawang was a Tibetan monk who eventually fled to Australia to evade the Chinese annexation. Though renouncing monkhood he is still very much involved in his spirituality and this shows in his music. I have never heard a single instrument played to such effect. Peace is the main theme of all his work but this is not passivity, this is not the sleep of unconsciousness. This is a dynamic peace, one which engages all the varieties of life yet never gets bogged down by them. There is power here, power of the wisdom of Earth and the compassion of Buddha. The music brings the spirit of the listener to the portals of Shambhala, to the heart of Tibet, and to the center of the adamantine throne on which sits the Buddha. Of course we are all really Buddha deep inside, so when we come to the center of the throne we come to the center of ourselves. Listen to this disk and you will hear what I mean. One reviewer mentioned that it is only good for sleep. I do like to listen to peaceful music when I go to sleep, but I can never do that with Nawang. The music floats, to borrow a phrase from Hildegard von Bingen, like a feather on the breath of oneness. What could be more exciting than that? But to each his own. We hear as we are able, and should one hear what another does not is that to mean one is wrong and the other right? No. Each is in his own place, and each hears what is right for him. For me, you cannot get much more right than Nawang Khechog.

Average customer rating:

Not so fast
ROCK ON!!!!!
Koto Music Of Japan
CD reissue of a good LP

Koto Music of Japan
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Lullaby For The Moon : Japanese Music For Koto And Shakuhachi
The Art of Japanese Bamboo Flute & Koto
Traditional Vocal And Instrumental Music (Japan)
Shakuhachi - The Japanese Flute
Dinner Classics: The Japanese Album

ASIN: B000001V42
Release Date: 1993-07-20

Tracks:

Rokudan
Midare
Godan-Kinuta
Chidori
Haru-No-Kyoku

Customer Reviews:

Not so fast.......2006-07-05

This album was also re-released on the legacy label and is reviewed here at under the same album name - [...]

Assuming this CD lacks the problems described by a reviewer for the other release, then I agree with the other reviewers for this CD. The quality of performance is not quite as high as some other offerings, but the pieces aren't difficult or complex. The album is very enjoyable, despite whatever flaws, real or imagined.

ROCK ON!!!!!.......2005-03-21

These guy shred with the best! Honestly- this music has a certain effect on me and will on you as well.

Koto Music Of Japan.......2000-06-08

A great primer for traditional Japanese music. Very relaxing.

CD reissue of a good LP.......1999-11-12

Budget labels like Laserlight can be a real mixed bag, sometimes the worst touristy garbage, but sometimes high quality music originally issued by smaller independent labels. This album was originally issued as Everest 3206 - "Classical Japanese Koto Music", probably 30+ years ago. This is one of Laserlight's bargains.

Average customer rating:

**FUN AND FUNKY TRACKS**
cool music
A mediocre musical masala
Pleasant collect for casual listening
Track 2 drives my dog crazy!

Asian Groove
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Arabic Groove
Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge
Putumayo Presents: African Groove
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Putumayo Presents: North African Groove

ASIN: B00006BXHY
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Tracks:

Pheli War - Bally Jagpal
Sabhyata - Karmix
Remember Tomorrow - Mo' Horizons
Terian Bulabi Buliyan - A.S.Kang
Black Night - Badar Ali Kahn
Awake - Mungal
Kunglim Guli - Yulduz Usmanova
A Night In Lenasia - Deepak Ram
Mamavatu - Susheela Raman
Noorie - Bally Sagoo
Aankh Naal - Kam Dhillon

Amazon.com

About a generation ago, South Asian immigrants living in the bleak, industrial British city of Birmingham invented an ethnic-based brand of party music. Today's young ravers have upped the ante, drawing on percussive Punjabi bhangra and qawwali, an ecstasy-inducing Pakistani devotional style made famous by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. These are then festooned with defiantly artificial canned snares and ambient electronics, plus absurdist quotes from Bollywood musicals, saccharine Euro-pop, and over-the-top lounge clichés. The resulting polyglot pastiches tend to be fashioned in broad strokes and are thus not ideal for quiet living room listening. However, they are BPM nirvana when experienced in a nightclub with a few hundred other blissed-out, glassy-eyed dancers. That said, these are fascinating examples of one of the world's more subtly subversive underground movements, where music is being made by and for populations who prefer to assimilate only so much and on their own terms. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews:

**FUN AND FUNKY TRACKS**.......2007-06-23

I bought this CD in my search for Asian-vibe music that I could use for an "alternative style" bellydance solo. Now, this is not bellydance music but I was attempting to veer off the path of traditional Middle Eastern music to do something a bit different. I found one such track on this CD - Track #11 - Aankh Naal by Kam Dhillon. This song makes you want to dance (not just bellydance but just any kind of movin')! It's kind of "Indian pop" sounding. I really like the whole CD and enjoy listening to it, not from a "bellydancer looking for alternative dance music" perspective but just as a person appreciating some good music! This music is FUNKY and FUN!

cool music.......2007-01-15

A friend told me about asian groove I lisend to the sample of it it was amizin.I told my other friend and she agreed! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

A mediocre musical masala.......2006-06-14

I bought this CD looking forward to Asian traditions meeting "funk,electronica and soul for a musical masala that will spice up any celebration." It was the FIRST Putumayo CD I got after moving here to California--so it brings back memories.

I consider it a CD of uneven quality.Luckily,I can pop it into my 5 CD player&put them ALL on random shuffle.

The best tracks are those by Badar Ali Khan,whose qawwali singing is haunting;Yulduz Usmanova from Uzbekistan is quite exotic and interesting.Susheela Raman's "Mamavatu" is excellent&bluesy.Bally Sagoo's "Noorie" is my all-time favorite,mixing hip-hop&soul with Bollywood.(I even got a Bally Sagoo sampler BEFORE I got this CD!)Bally Sagoo's song of a reincarnated woman seeking out her lover from her previous lifetime is worth playing over&over again.

This is an okay introduction to bhangra (most of the music on this CD is Indian)&the Asian Underground.I'd reccomend DJ Cheb I Sabbah's "Maha Maya","Krishna Lila"&"Shri Durga" instead.Karsh Kale is also excellent.

Pleasant collect for casual listening.......2006-02-25

A so so collection of World Music.
Repeated listening highlights some annoying cliché tracks and others that are quite enjoyable.
While not being a "must have' album, it provides an OK introduction to a variety of artists, which if you like can explore further.

Track 2 drives my dog crazy!.......2005-12-17

This is a great C.D. Track 1 is awesome because the singer brags about himself, and has the ladies sing his name, Bally Jagpal, over and over. Susheela Raman's Mamavatu is so gorgeous that I bought her c.d., Salt Rain - it's very good. Aankh Naal is a really melodic rap song that is awesome.
But the very best thing about this c.d. is that Track 2, Sabhyata, actually makes my dog HOWL. It's hilarious. It's also his only trick, and we show it to anyone who comes to our house.

Average customer rating:

So Good You Could Drink It
Journey Across the Asian Continent
Putumayo's First Asian adventure
charming and calming
Meditative

Music From the Tea Lands
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Music from the Coffee Lands
Putumayo Presents: Music from the Chocolate Lands
Arabic Groove
Putumayo Presents: Sahara Lounge
Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge

ASIN: B00004W5LV
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

Saginou - Zulya
Picking Flowers - Lei Qiang
Hangama Hai Kyon Barpa - Ghulam Ali
For Julia - Sanjay Mishra
Utuwaskarap - Oki
Gerizler Basi - Okan Murat Ozturk
Afshari - Kamil Alipour
Anggopanku - Hila Hambala
The Empress - Ancient Future
Kang Mandor - Ujang Suryana

Product Description

A soothing, inspirational brew of exotic music steeped in the traditions of Asia's tea lands. Zulya Saginou Lei Qiang Picking Flowers Ghulam Ali Hangama Hai Kyon Barpa Sanjay Mishra For Julia Oki Utuwaskarap Okan Murat Öztürk Ger

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This pan-Asian travelogue features musicians from China, India, Tatarstan, Indonesia, Japan, Turkey, and Iran. Aside from the unifying theme of the 400-hundred-year-old tea trade, the tunes have little in common and range from modern fusions to intriguing glimpses of rarely heard traditions. Assorted strings dominate the instrumental forces, especially harplike sounds, but the vocals are equally strong. Among the most fascinating tracks are Zulya's beguiling recollections of her Tatar childhood, Oki's tribute to his endangered Ainu (Japanese aboriginal) heritage, the Anatolian Turkish saz (lute) stylings of Okan Murat Ozturk, and an arrestingly percussive example of Iran's classical Persian disciplines as performed by Kamil Alipour. The set offers an array of unexpected pleasures from cultures that deserve to be better documented in the West. It is as mellow yet invigorating as the perfect tea break. A recipe for chai, a spicy Indian milk tea, is included. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews:

So Good You Could Drink It.......2006-09-21

At first i had doubts when i bought this cd, thinking it was going to be a little over the top. I was suprised to find out that I was wrong. All the songs are so light and dainty and beautifully composed. I especially liked Sanjay Mishra's "For Julia" and Ancient Future's "The Empress", but I absolutely loved Lei Quang's "Picking Flowers". This is by far one of my favorite Putumayo albums. I even like it better than Music From The Coffee Lands!

Journey Across the Asian Continent.......2006-09-03

Billed as a journey across the "Tea Lands", this CD gives an incredible survey of the musical styles of Asia. Asia is a vast and diverse continent, from the frozen steppes of the north to the tropical jungles of India and SE Asia. Some of the oldest civilizations arose there, along the Indus River (in Paksitan) and the Yellow River valley (in China). The religions of Hinudism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto arose in Asia, and Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim countrie. The world's two largest countries, India and China, are both in Asia. The result? You have an incredible variety of languages, cultures and people, all with their own styles of music. Any CD managing to cover even a little of that diversity is amazing, but this CD manages to do just that.

So just whats on this CD, you might ask. Well, alot of good stuff, actually. From the tiny semi-autonomous republic of Tatarstan, Zulya performs a haunting, melodic song. Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali sings a ghazal of love and devotion, while Iranian setar and tar player Kamil Alipour shows the wonder of classical Persian music in the mode Dastgah Afshari. Indonesian composer Ujang Suryana leads a Gamelan ensemble, Turkey's Okan Murat Ozturk demonstrates Anatolian folk music, and Oki revives the traditions of Japan's indigenous culture with Ainu pop, complete with the hankori, a native Ainu instrument. Yes, thats right, Ainu pop! Chinese erhu-player Lei Qiang does a traditional song from Sichuan, while the group Ancient Future does a mellow techno number drawing upon Chinese, Japanese and Indian instrumentation.

This is good music, quite appropriate for listening to while drinking tea if your so inclined. In fact, the booklet includes a history of tea and it's cultural role, as well as a recipe for Indian chaai. The Putumayo label has put out a number of great world music CDs, and this should definately be included amongst them. Listening to this CD will shatter any stereotypes you may have about Asian music. It is certainly worth adding to your collection, and good music to listen to while drinking tea, meditating or just chilling out. Several of my friends have commented that they liked this CD as well, and were amazed at how diverse Asian music is. So do yourself a favor and check out this CD, along with some of the other compilations from Putumayo.

Putumayo's First Asian adventure.......2006-06-12

Putumayo's first venture into Asia with this CD is wonderful--a breathtaking exploration of Asian countries through music.While tea is the unifying theme,the music is as calm as a hot cup.

This is centered on instrumentals&they are musical nirvana.

Ancient Future has a great track fusing different styles of Asian music,as does Oki,who shows the ancient roots of Japan in the Ainu people.Oki Kano also collaborated with Carlos Nakai on "Island of Bows." Sanjay Mishra's "For Julia" is acoustic guitar meets India.Lei Qiang contributes a traditional Chinese instrumental,making one think of the Forbidden City,or the ancient temples.Okan Murat Ozturk from Turkey&Kamil Alipour from Iran evoke the serenity through their instrumental music.They show that lyrics aren't always necessary for powerfully soothing music.Zulya is an Enya from Tatarstan,at once New Agey&earthy.She collaborates with an African musician,uniting different musical traditions harmoniously.

This CD is ideal for meditative settings.

charming and calming.......2006-02-24

Very good belend of relaxing and fused music with traditional and some western sound intwined.

Meditative.......2006-01-31

My other CDs by Putumayo have been music that you put on while driving down the open road on a sunny day- upbeat, fun, fresh. The music on this CD requires a meditative mood. You wouldn't want to listen to it in the car because all the intricacies would be drowned out by the engine. There is much delicate music on this CD, gorgeous lutes and harps, spine-tingling sundanese metallophones and soft gongs. This CD makes you feel so incredibly good and relaxed if you listen to it quietly in your room. I love it!

Average customer rating:

**Let's chill out - light some candles and break out the wine!**
Eastern Grooves for Chilling Out
Putumayo's further travels into Asia
Solid Indian Trip Hop
Good collection of Asian sounds

Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

India | India & Pakistan | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | International | Styles | Music

Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000BF0DCY
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

Fukaki Umi No Kanata - Yoshida Brothers
Koyal - Nitin Sawhey
Ja Nam - Ancient Future
Oceans Of Ecstacy - Deepak Chopra
Campuhan - Blue Asia
Angels Of The Island - Bali Lounge
Space In... - Nataraj XT
Funky Guru - Prem Joshua
Eastern Journey - Biddu Orchestra
Water Down The Ganges - Prem Joshua & Manish Vyas
Dreams Of Happiness - XCultures

Product Description

A collection of cross-cultural fusions and laid-back beats inspired by the musical traditions of Asia. Yoshida Brothers Fukaki Umi No Kanata Nitin Sawhney Koyal Ancient Future Ja Nam Deepak Chopra Oceans of Ecstasy Blue Asia feat. Yoic

Customer Reviews:

**Let's chill out - light some candles and break out the wine!**.......2007-06-23

Great tunes! I bought this CD because I wanted some music that was sort of like "smooth jazz" but with an Asian ethic vibe and I was happy to get just that. As the title of my review suggests, this is great "chill out" music. I like to light some candles, play the CD, and sip some wine and unwind after a stressful day at the office. Ahhh! To me, this is a little bit of heaven on earth.

Eastern Grooves for Chilling Out.......2006-10-02

Another stellar release from Putumayo, this CD focuses on ambient/lounge music from Asian artists. The whole CD works as a wonderful compilation. As others have said, theres not a single track to skip over. Many of the songs are completely new, and have never been released in North America until now.

Needless to say, the strongest influences on this CD come from the Indian subcontinent. Nitin Sawhney's "Koyal" has a mellow Bollywood sound, complete with flutes and female vocals. Deepak Chopra and Biddu Orchestra both showcase South Asian percussion, while sitars are featured in Nataraj XT's "Space In...". And then theres "Water Down the Ganges", collaberation between Prem Joshua and Manish Vyas that runs for more than 10 minutes! But theres also other stuff too. "Campuhan" by Blue Asia and "Angels of the Island" by Bali Lounge draw upon the rhythmic music of Indonesia. Ancient Future weave together a lively blend of Indian and Chinese sounds. And the Yoshida Brothers mix ambient sounds with traditional Japanese instruments on "Fukaki Umi no Kanata". The final track, "Dreams of Happiness" by XCultures, draws upon and reflects all the same influences as the others and is a perfect ending to the CD. It'll stay with you long after going off.

This is an incredible CD, whether your dancing to it, driving out someplace late at night, or just chilling at home. You'll get hooked on this CD after the first song. Especially, as others have already pointed out, if you liked Putumayo's other CD "Music from Tea Lands". Like that CD, this compilation showcases artists from across the Asian continent, but in this case there is a more ambient/electronica feel to the songs. Nonetheless, the two CDs complement one another perfectly. Indeed, the band Ancient Future is featured on both CDs. If you liked one, then you'll certainly like the other. So do yourself a favor and go out and buy this CD. Your ears will thank you later.

Putumayo's further travels into Asia.......2006-06-13

This is superior to the mixed bag of Asian Groove;it has more variety, but it also sticks to its lounging theme. It is wonderfully meditative. It's a fit companion for Music of the Tea Lands (I've put both in a CD player&put both on random shuffle--they're compatible)

There isn't a single weak track on this.

Highlights-
1)Fukaki Umi No Kanata-It's no wonder the Yoshida Brothers have so many New Age albums.They have the perfect blend of Japanese&electronica.
2)Koyal-A haunting trip-hop take on a Bollywood song.
3)Ja Nam-A reggae take on a traditional Vietnamese song.Ancient Future as great as usual.
4)Bali Lounge-It's loungy.Like "Campuhan" before it,it uses an Indonesian theme.
5)Funky Guru-Wow!Prem Joshua is worth further exploration.This is worth singing along or dancing to.
6)Water down the Ganges-More Prem Joshua.While most pop songs are only 3 minutes long,this clocks in at 11 minutes.And worth every minute.
7)Dreams of Happiness-A haunting song.

While many people would dismiss New Age music as snooze-inducing&synth-heavy (think Yanni or Enya!),this album lays those worries to rest.This album is perfect for lounging,writing,or yoga.

Solid Indian Trip Hop.......2006-02-25

All the tracks are Indian flavored so while it's Asia, it's a pretty narrow focus.

It's not really 'loungey' in the correct dance sense, it's more trip hop - at best, you might call these tracks mid-tempo chill but a more accurate description is trip hop.

Unlike some other discs masquerading New Age as Trip Hop, these are all fine tracks with solid musicianship and are real trip hop tracks.

Other than KOYAL which is a flat out spooky track (and the only actual chill/lounge dance track) - the others all blend into each other - nothing really wrong with consistency but nothing else really outstanding.

Good collection of Asian sounds.......2006-02-25

As an introduction to various artists of this genre it does it's job pretty well. Plus I found it a good addition to my collection.
The tracks selected have depth and interest which stands up to repeated listening.
With the inclusion of such masterful artists such as Prem Joshua this can not help being pretty good.
If you are buying this album, do not bother with getting Asian Groove as it is not up to the standard of this album.

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