Tony Scott Music For Zen Meditation CD

Personnel: Tony Scott (clarinet); Shinichi Yuize (koto); Hozan Yamamoto (shakuhachi).
Recorded in Japan in February 1964.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
This is part of the Verve Master Editions series.
Personnel: Tony Scott (clarinet); Shinichi Yuize (koto); Hazan Yamamoto (shakuhachi).
Liner Note Authors: Alan Watts; Tony Scott .
Recording information: Japan (02/1964); Tokyo, Japan (02/1964).
Editor: Peter Pullman.
Photographers: Chuck Stewart; John Henry.
Unknown Contributor Role: Val Valentin.
After stints at Juilliard and in the Army during the '40s, clarinetist Tony Scott rose to prominence in the '50s as a respected jazz soloist. His resumé at the time included work with Sarah Vaughan, Ben Webster, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, and Claude Thornhill, among many others. In addition to these sidemen dates, Scott also cut several solo albums. His subtle phrasing eventually found a perfect niche in the smattering of meditation and yoga dates he cut in the mid-'60s for Verve. Fueled by his burgeoning interest in Far Eastern culture, Scott hooked up with two Japanese master instrumentalists for this classic 1964 date. And while Scott, koto player Shinichi Yuize, and shakuhachi player Hozan Yamamoto produce nine cuts that sound classically Japanese and really nothing like jazz, they do actually improvise pretty much throughout the entire set. If you'd like to levitate to music with some unexpected twists, then Scott's Music for Zen Meditation is for you. ~ Stephen Cook
In the late 1950s, jazz clarinetist Tony Scott traveled through Asia, settling for five years in Japan to play and teach. While his music influenced the Japanese musicians and students he encountered, the music and ambience of Japan made an even deeper impression on him. He began to use his clarinet to imitate the sounds of nature, and started a lifelong investigation into Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies.
The first tangible result of this exploration is the 1964 release MUSIC FOR ZEN MEDITATION, arguably the first "new age" recording. This is very simple, uncluttered music; the minimal melodic tension draws the listener into the present moment. Scott's clarinet blends beautifully with bamboo flute and Japanese zither, creating a sound both heady and earthy, the perfect embodiment of the Zen philosophy.

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