Drummer and composer Anthony Brown brings it all home with this recording, which documents a New York performance by Eclipse, Brown’s quintet, with San Jose Taiko. The two suites, “E.O. 9066 (Truth be Told)” and “Never Again!” are inspired, respectively, by the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and the nuclear bombing that ended the war. The percussive power of Brown’s drumming and the Taiko ensemble is balanced beautifully by the strength and subtle colors of Francis Wong on reeds, the extraordinary Liu Qi-Chao on traditional Chinese instruments, Glenn Horiuchi on piano, and Mark Izu on bass. What’s missing from this recording is the amazing visual grace of taiko drummers P.J. Hirabayashi and Anna Lin-but the evocative range of Brown’s compositions comes through, as Western and Eastern forms and traditions drawing inspiration from one another as the suites unfold. A particular treat: the “Loco-motif/Taiko Trane” section of “E.O. 9066:” clear the tracks!
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