Bamboo

This is a welcome full reissue of the experimental album from 1970, which is highly prized by collectors. Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) player Minoru Muraoka was already 46 when this was recorded, yet went on to release a series of albums merging traditional Japanese instruments like the shakuhachi, koto (zither) and biwa (lute) in a psychedelic jazz setting.

The ethereal sound of Muraoka's shakuhachi works best on the original tunes such as ‘Soul Bamboo’, the cinematic and funky ‘The Positive and The Negative’ and ‘Nogamigawa Funauta’, creating something truly unique and engrossing.

Several of the song choices, however, do make the album sound very dated. Hearing the shakuhachi as lead on ‘Do You Know the Way to San Jose’ and ‘Scarborough Fair’ would have made plenty sense at the time but are borderline laughable today, sounding very Austin Powers-ish.

Overall the album, for a long time raided by DJs to sample its atmospheric drum breaks, an exotic mix of the traditional and the funky, remains a unique example of a time when the long-haired freaks and the buttoned-up classical soloist came together to create a moody, groovy set, in distant Japan no less. Here's hoping for further Muraoka reissues down the line.