Saiyuki (Bonus Track Edition)

World Jazz at its best!

     

This is an amazing album. With Saiyuki, World jazz has certainly come of age Jazz guitar virtuoso Nguyen Le has teamed up with the excellent koto player Mieko Miazaki and the wonderfully gifted Prabu Edouard on tabla to deliver a stellar world jazz mix that defies categorization. The music references its roots in vietnamese, japanese and indian traditions but ultimately transcends cultural distinctions, creating a genuinely original hybrid that stands on its own. This is music that delights the senses, tickles the ear and stimulates the intellect. Music this pure comes along rarely and is cause for celebration when discovered. Buy it now while the bonus track is still available-it is my favorite tune on the CD. What a great album by one of the most cutting edge performer/composers in jazz today. And don't forget to check out his middle eastern collaboration, "Maghreb and Friends", one of the most important world fusion albums of the last decade. In the words of pianist Art Lande, "Nguyen Le is the future of jazz." This CD is only one of many reasons for that claim.