Domo 10th Anniversary Collection celebrates the Los Angeles-based imprint with 16 selections spanning its entire roster. New age vet
Kitaro is the label's senior artist, and he gets the pole position here. Opener "Daichi" (from his 2002 Domo release
An Ancient Journey) is an epic sweep of synthesizers and traditional instruments, while the gentle "Planet" is almost an interlude at just over two minutes. Meanwhile, the previously unreleased "Theme for Earthdance" features light percussion and a melody that mixes warm strings with a spacey keyboard effect for a feeling in between wistfulness and hope.
Randy Armstrong's "Fisherman's Cancion" is a contemplative solo instrumental piece for acoustic guitar, and
Fred Benedetti and
George Svoboda interpret a "Mediterranean Sunrise" in breezy contemporary flamenco. But while pianist Dave Eggar's "Dark Passage" is definitely moody, it's too brief to make much of an impression on a compilation. Likewise,
Agatsuma's "Paper in the Air" features some finger-knotting runs on the shamisen, the three-stringed Japanese instrument on which he is a master. But the track's synthesizer backgrounds are too vague, and don't suggest the experimentation found on
Agatsuma's 2003 LP
Beams. Tibetan musician
Nawang Khechog makes more of an impression with "Peace Through Kindness," where intricate vocal harmonies mix with traditional woodwinds over an atmospheric percussive background.
Luis Villegas' "New Moon" is also strong with its bright, highly melodic take on Latin guitar. Other
Domo 10th Anniversary highlights include "Cautionary Tale," a jazzy outtake from
Alex Wurman's score for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind; and a piece from Japan's
Yoshida Brothers, whose own interpretive powers on the shamisen bring the instrument into the 21st century. Their "Starting on a Journey" is an interesting mix of shamisen, piano, and graceful Japanese melody.