On this CD,
Andrew MacGregor offers a series of Japanese pieces for shakuhachi and koto with the exceptionally talented Japanese koto player Miho Yamaji. MacGregor has been playing the shakuhachi since the '70s, while Miho Yamaji graduated from the Tokyo University of Arts in 2000. She performs on the regular 13-string koto and the 17-string bass koto. Except for one classical honkyoku piece for solo shakuhachi, "Safe Delivery," all pieces are from contemporary Japanese composers, including one piece by the great Japanese koto player Tadao Sawai. These two excellent musicians show how modern Japanese music has a bright future. A must-have. ~ Bruno Deschênes