Riley Lee
Oriental Sunrise
Sona Gaia Productions (Germany) 1985
LP-112 (LP)
sleeve : EX-(some wear on edge and corner.)
media : EX-/EX-(some light noise.)
An album released in 1985 on the new age imprint Sona Gaia by American shakuhachi master Riley Lee—famously the first non-Japanese musician to attain the rank of Dai-Shihan. Lee toured internationally with Ondekoza in the 1970s and also recorded for the ethnomusicology label Folkways. This work is a duo with koto player Gabriel Lee, unfolding as an expansive, slowly evolving Oriental ambient soundscape interwoven with field recordings such as ocean waves. Notably, it carries only faint traces of traditional hōgaku aesthetics, lending it a distinctive character. Highly recommended as an accessible entry point for listeners curious about contemporary Japanese traditional music.