Ausia - Kasa Kasa (2003)
Released: 2003
Genre: Prog-, Folk-, Chamber-, Jazz-Rock
Gnosis Rating: 10.4
Musea - FBGB 4497.AR/Poseidon Records - PRF-013
AUSIA is clearly an original project, led by three famous Japanese Progressive rock musicians: violinist Akihisa TSUBOY (KBB, STRING ARGUMENTS...), singer-guitarist Source K. ADACHI (ADACHI KYODAI) and Yukihiro ISSO at the traditional instruments (Flute, shinobue, dengakabue...). Faced with such a line-up and realizing that "Kasa Kasa" (2003) includes a cover of JETHRO TULL's "Mother Goose", we can expect a classic Progressive folk-rock album. And that's exactly what it is... Except that this album is everything but classical! This wonderful acoustic work is composed of nine practically entirely instrumental tracks, which seem as if they had been taken straight from an improbable parallel world... In order to get some idea of their style, you should know that the influences of AUSIA include at the same time some medieval music, some renaissance ideas, some traditional Japanese musics, some Anglo-Saxon acoustic folk, some experiments inherited from Progressive rock, jazz... The flute is energetic while surprising, the violin is both subtle and furious, the arpeggios and guitar chords wonderfully complete the instrumental conversations... A surprising exotic curiosity to discover ! - Musea
Kasa Kasa is an acoustic album comprising 9 pieces, 7 of which are instrumental. Ausia is a project of three accomplished progressive rock musicians from Japan: Source Adachi, from Adachi Kyodai, is on guitar, mandolin, and vocals. Yukihiro Isso from Solo is on recorder and a Japanese woodwind instrument called a dengakubue, a Japanese bamboo flute. And Akihisa Tsuboy from KBB among others is on violin. Now that may read like a bayou trio - fiddle, whistle and geetar - but this is a trio of masters, and this album would find a home in the classical section just as easily as on the progressive, jazz, or avant garde fusion shelves.
The strength of this album lies in the instrumentals. Adachi Kyodai's vocals have a rich Ian Anderson timbre, but it is heavily accented and does not come across with the same credibility as the instrumental pieces. A Japanese accent on an English progressive folk song simply does not work.
You've never heard a recorder played this way. Yukihiro Isso is clearly a virtuoso flautist, and his style is reminiscent of Anderson only in that frantic, breathless tone. In fact, to complete the Anderson comparisons, Ausia plays a cover of Jethro Tull's Mother goose. Again the vocals fail to stand up, but the instrumentation is out of the top drawer.
The artists' enthusiasm is infectious - the enthusiastic jamming, the improvised soloing, the artists' occasional yelp of enjoyment, and the instrument noise from the woodwinds and the guitar strings. The 7 intrumental pieces are excellent, and the two final tracks deserve special mention. "Lost On The Way Home" is a short melancholy piece, and the title track is a 12-minute jam session that meanders through a variety of styles and moods and some wizard-fast noodling on violin and recorder.
The tone and styles of the music range from English medieval and folk prog through ethnic Japanese music to fusion and avant garde jazz. This is not rock, folks. It's like nothing you've ever heard. Kasa Kasa may wear you down after a while - there's only so much sonic variety you can squeeze from 3 acoustic instruments. - Duncan Glenday, Sea of Tranquility
Akihisa Tsuboy turned up twice during 2003 in my CD player. Firstly with excellent Era album and later with the equally impressive KBB album Four Corners Sky. Two contrasting releases, but both featuring Tsuboy's wonderfully melodic violin playing. So when this third album appeared out of the blue, I was eager to pop it into the CD player. I also noted that Source K. Adachi, was responsible for the guitar work and as I had enjoyed his contibution to the (Adachi Kyodai) album, reviewed by Mark Hughes, I was quite excited.
Therefore the only new musician, to me, was Yukihiro Isso (recorder, shinobue and dengakubue). The recorder may seem a strange instrument, and if like me, you believe that outside of classical music that the recorder is an instrument given only to small children in order to inflict pain and discomfort to its listener, then Yukihiro Isso could well change your perception of this instrument. The sheer expertise of Isso is a wonder to behold and I was taken aback by the way his fingers were able to so accurately fly around this instrument. Therefore Isso's presence within Ausia is not that of a secondary role, but as one of the principal instrumentalists.
Of the music contained on on Kasa Kasa we have a unique blend of improvised soloing held in balance by Source K. Adachi's rhythmically strong guitar. This allows both the violin and wind instruments to take centre stage as can be found in the title track Kasa Kasa - the question/answer soloing is truly captivating. It is somewhat to difficult to offer any comparisons, but those familiar with John McLaughlin's work with Paco de Lucia and Al Di Meola on Passion, Grace and Fire may be in the right territory - merely substitute two of the guitars for violin and recorder!
The music appears to have been recorded in one or possibly two sessions and therefore what you hear is the three musicians intergrating together. The fact that the odd shout of enjoyment and inherent instrument 'noise' have not been edited out, all add to this. To this end the music is much warmer and you can sense the camaraderie between the players. But (there is always a but) for all this wonderful playing two areas did cause some concern to this reviewer. Firstly, and this is not intended as a criticism of Yukihiro Isso's playing, but more the nature of the instrument, that I did find the high pitched sound of the recorder somewhat tiring on the ears. The second area of reference was the intensity of the musical passages, brilliant - but just over insistant. Breathtaking at times, as in the the title track and Indian Rain, but I would have prefered more pieces like Lost On The Way Home.
And so a special note must be made one of the most beautiful and lamenting tracks it has been my pleasure to listen to in 2003. Source K. Adachi supplies a gently picked guitar laying the foundation for the mournful and haunting melody carried by both the recorder and violin respectively. As Lost On The Way Home gradually unfolds you are able to drift wherever you wish to go. A truly evocative track where the gentle melodies combine with the improvised flourishes - tingly stuff indeed.
So finally to sum up Kasa Kasa. We have principally an instrumental album, although Source K. Adachi does offer two vocal interludes, firstly with When That I Was A Little Tiny Boy (an adaptation from W. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night) and a credible version of Tull's Mother Goose (Aqualung). Both of which act as resting points within the album and strengthen the folkier/Elizabethan influences within the other tracks. - Bob Mulvey
I like a great deal these few Japanese chamber Folk releases I have (,like Cinnorama, Zypressen -still looking for the second album-, Lacymosa, and a bit different Trembling Strain). When I heard of the existence of this release I immediately went for it, and don't regret it one second ! This is not just classical inspired music. It has the smoothness of jazz, the sweetness and some melodious qualities of folk, with beautiful acoustic guitar, flute virtuosity, and cello-like violin. Many of the violin/guitar foundations with the various flutes on top (recorder, shinobue, dengakubue) reminded me of the best of Kwartet Jorgi (from Poland). The music could easily be liked by RIO lovers too, although this leans much more to art/chamber folk than any other group. All tracks are melodically very varied instrumental tracks, except "When I was a little tiny boy", which is a kind of folkrock song with a text by W. Shakespeare, and "Mother Goose" (Jethro Tull), in a very good art chamber version. "Short summer in Valhalla" is played with banjo instead of guitar, with duel-like melodical improvisation against the violin, with the flute at first as the accompanying instrument. On "Lost on the way home" it's more the acoustic guitar which is leading. At the last track, "Kasa Kasa", every member displays virtuosity, with improvisations and rhythms like we can notice sometimes in classical Indian music (where even the flute seems to be as rhythmically evolving as a tabla). Fantastic stuff! Highly recommended! - progressive.homestead.com
Source"K" Adachi - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocal
Yukihiro Isso - Woodwinds
Akihisa Tsuboy - Electric & Acoustic Violin
Tracklist:
1 Vision That You Give (08:38)
2 Night Dance (02:45)
3 When That I Was A Little Tiny Boy (From "12th Night" By W.Shakespeare) (02:25)
4 Indian Rain (07:05)
5 Housewarming In Alaska (07:12)
6 Mother Goose (03:29)
7 Short Summer In Valhalla (06:53)
8 Lost On The Way Home (04:43)
9 Kasa Kasa (12:01)