Label:
London Rec. – GP-1048
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Japan / Released: 1971
Style:
Experimental, Contemporary
Recorded April
11, 12, 14; 1971, Tokyo, Japan.
Liner
Notes – Hikaru Hayashi
Originally
released by King Record Co. Ltd. in 1971. Tokyo
Composed
By, Arranged By – Stomu Yamash'ta
A
- Red Buddha ................................... 15:27
B
-
As Expanding As ............................ 16:01
percussion
– Stomu Yamash'ta
This
Japanese percussionist/keyboardist started in the early 70's, but first started
working in France for avant-garde theatres, then would move on to the UK, where
his real solo career would start. Red Buddha is the first document, and it is
probably Stomu's least accessible, but nevertheless a stunning achievement as
there is mostly just percussion instruments making the two sides of this album.
Both tracks make the duration of their respective vinyl face between 15 and 16
minutes.
While
the execution of the music is stunning and very impressive, the compositions
are anything but easy; with the tracks often nearing "musique
concrete" with all of those tuned percussion instruments. The tracks are
not improvisations, the music being clearly written and it was for the Red
Buddha theatre in Paris. Difficult to describe this type of music, but it's
sometimes dissonant, modern classical, percussive and exclusive of those not
paying close attention to it...
Stomu
Yamash'ta hit it big with his project GO that included well renowned musicians
such as Mike Shrieve, Klaus Schulze, Steve Winwood and Al di Meola.
Well
as much as I like the GO project, I am much more enthralled by this early
offering of his called 'Red Buddha'. Now many of you out there probably know
Yamash'ta as a synthesist, but fact of the matter is that he started out as a
percussionist, a damn fine one at that!
Red
Buddha is actually the name of a theatre in Paris, to which this album was
recorded for. Yamash'ta had been studying the jazz traditions of the west, and
they had brought him to Europe where a new explorative mindset seemed to adorn
every major city's sparkling undergrowth. Paris, in particular, being one of
the hot spots.
The
music is all instrumental and all about the beat, the drums. There are no
synths, no guitars no nothing besides a boot-full of percussion instruments,
some more exotic than others. The end result amounts to something like the
expression one finds in the electronic quarters with big spacious slabs of
sound coming awfully close to the kind you'll find on an early Klaus Schulze
record...only it's all accomplished through rhythms - snaking and twirling.
What
really sets Red Buddha apart from other such proto stomp records is the way
Yamash'ta seems to have fiddled around with sound treatments. Either by tuning
a drum a certain way or simply by placing the mic somewhere groovy. It works
though, damn how it works! Everything from soft hand drum splashes to strange
modal sounding entities that flicker about like lonely candlesticks sitting on
a windy field.
The
first time you hear this you'll probably write it off as a late hippie project
with some longhaired guy banging away on pots and pans. Please try again is all
I can say. Contrary to common sense the music is fully orchestrated. The LP
comes with the original sheet music. Sheet music?!?!? Oh yes. All of this
rhythmic mayhem started out as a wee brainworm inside the enigmatic mind of
Yamash'ta...........then again, when you return to this album you pick up new
shadings - new splashes.....and woe and behold something akin to melodies. The
10th time you listen the world opens up and every fibre of your body twitches
and bobs to the beat and suddenly it seems as if those elusive melodies you'd
been sniffing earlier on now are way upfront, in your face and bizarrely
beautiful. A vast tapestry of beats - like a thousand hearts beating in tune
from obscure angles and different corners of the world.
Think
of Red Buddha as one of those tricky 3D pictures you have to be cross-eyed to
see: 'OH A DINOSAUR!!!'. You better believe it, and what a dinosaur! This is
without a doubt my favourite Yamash'ta record. It eclipses everything that
comes after. Why? Ingenuity, imagination and execution. Red Buddha should be
mandatory listening to anyone interested in the early progressive scene, and
here I'm talking progressive with a huge P - yet without ever becoming tedious
academic music that only speaks to mathematicians and Scottish hermits. This
one always manages to refuel my senses. Like a fiery phoenix or Buddha doing
the jig - you decide.
_
Review by Guldbamsen
Great
progressive/jazz percussion album.
If
you find it, buy this album!
STOMU YAMASH'TA – Red Buddha (LP-1971)
ReplyDeleteVinyl Rip/FLAC+Artwork
1fichier:
https://1fichier.com/?gjdsg5956n
Hello, where I can find music of this album, thank you so much
DeleteI find it, thank you so much
DeleteHere you can listen my music, enjoy:
Deletehttps://andreaesperti.bandcamp.com/album/stellar
https://andreaesperti.bandcamp.com/album/le-voyage-dhannibal
Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI guess he really loved his "Flokati" vest back in the 70s. Who knows, it may become fashionable once again. Thanks, Vitko!
ReplyDeleteI have his 1972 LP of works by Takemitsu, Henze & Maxwell-Davies which is probably the "tedious academic music that only speaks to mathematicians and Scottish hermits" that the last review is talking about: put me down as a 'hermit'! The cover always put me off as some sort of 'hippie' new age thing. Reading the reviews has convinced me otherwise. Looking forward to hearing this. Many thanks.
ReplyDelete-Brian
Yes, what is a good word :)
DeleteEh, do not worry, beneath this cover, can not be bad music.
This is great, thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI always liked his Come to the Edge album on Island. The later stuff was okay, but I'm partial to his earlier work. Thx for posting!
ReplyDeleteVitko, thanks!!
ReplyDeletethis is amazing stuff. can anyone recommend anything similar on here?
ReplyDeleteTry to find some of these Yamash'ta albums:
Delete1. Stomu Yamash'ta / Masahiko Sato - Metempsychosis (Composition for Percussion and Jazz Orchestra) - 1971
2. Stomu Yamashta & The Horizon - Sunrise From West Sea (1971)
3. Stomu Yamash'ta & Come To The Edge - Floating Music (1972)
4. Stomu Yamash'ta's Red Budda Theatre - The Soundtrack from 'The Man From The East' (1973)
All the best.
Thanks a lot! In return, something I like which is similar: Kaija Saariaho - Six Japanese Gardens. The 2002 performance on Ina records is my favorite, the percussion seems to be tuned in a pleasing way that I haven't heard on other recordings.
DeleteThank you.
DeleteThanks Vitko! As unmode, I also recomend the wroks by Saariaho.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the right words to express my deep gratitude for the amazing work you are doing here. Unfortunately because of my economical situation I would never had the chance to discover and listen for these beautiful records. Also my local record shop is bankrupt now and it is about to close forever. As musician myself this situation is not good at all for me, but you man... you are saving my music life side!
ReplyDeleteI really hope to have the money one day to buy all this music (I used to be a huge music records collector).So far your service is so much appreciated here and you cannot even imagine how much.
Thanks for everything,
Al
I'm glad you're here to find some kind of satisfaction. I wish you all the best and hope that your record store waiting for better days.
DeleteCheers.
V
Thank you.
ReplyDelete¡Fantástico!
ReplyDelete