Album Review: Quartet Vol. 1 from Takeshi Asai
Album: Quartet Vol 1 Artist: Takeshi Asai Label: Fono Bono Records Websites: http://www.takeshiasai.com http://epk.takeshiasai.com/ Pianist-composer Takeshi Asai puts modern day sagas to music. His latest release Quartet Vol 1 from Fono Bono Records parlays a string of stories into emotionally stirring compositions that incite audiences to reflect, to escape, and to daydream. A savant at creating atmospheric soundscapes, Asai encapsulates decades of experiences into 9 original tracks, each expressive and each a log taken from a memoir. Upbeat and sublime, "Minor Holiday" brandishes a bopping groove tailored by bass player Bob Gingery and drummer Brian Woodruff, as Hashem Assadullahi's alto sax dazzles with improvised chord patterns. Asai's keys joins in the cheerful mood with a pulsating vamp, culminatiing into a gamut of pyrotechnics. The recording slows to a daydreamy atmosphere through "On-Hold Music." as Assadullahi's sax weaves lounging fur