James Newton
Water Mystery
Gramavision (US) 1986
18-8407-1 (LP) Original pressing.
sleeve : EX+(very slightly collapse on one corner)
media : EX-/EX(some slightly noise. A1 has a few light pop noise)
Released in 1986, this album is by James Newton, a free-jazz flutist who also created numerous works that came remarkably close to new age music, at times making use of the natural reverberation produced by surrounding environments and architectural spaces. The lineup includes leading figures from the free-jazz world such as John Carter, Anthony Brown, and Roberto Miranda. The album opens with a calm standard drawn from Duke Ellington’s Shakespeare suite, then moves through new age jazz rich in Japanese flavor featuring koto and harp, a reworking of a piece from Newton’s 1982 album James Newton, a composition combining the koto with the African kora, and, of course, the free jazz that lies at the heart of his music. Through these wide-ranging approaches, Newton creates a beautiful, gentle soundscape that fuses ethnic jazz with new age sensibility. A masterpiece, and highly recommended.
A2: Lone Hill
B1: Water Mystery