Four individual band leaders ( Natsuki Tamura- trumpet, Elliot Sharp-soprano sax, guitar, Takayuki Kato- guitar, Satoko Fujii- piano) come together to form an all-star quartet of free improvisational music. Each member is well versed in the art of improvisation. Their melding of ideas results in a highly exploratory synergistic cacophony of sounds, colors, and textures. Of course, since the music is entirely extemporized, the disc was recorded live in one take. In this case, March 20, 2001 was the 'date that will live in infamy'.
The four epic-length tracks all flow together to create one long suite. The music (yeah, let's call it music) comes across as a collage of surreal sounds. There always seems to be a feeling of foreboding; a tenseness to the music. The listener is left with an uneasy sensation that something is about to happen. We wait…and wait…and wait…and wait…however, nothing "actually" happens. We get 8 minutes into the second track before Ms Fujii starts actually stringing notes together into some form of cohesion. This outburst is short-lived and we're plunged back into a musical purgatory shortly thereafter.
I'll cut to the chase here. This record is not for those with merely a passing interest in minimalism and improvisational music. The record, as the title implies, sounds like the soundtrack to an extremely deep-sea exploration. One even gets a sense of claustrophobia upon listening to the disc's more intense passages. This one should be approached with a very open mind and an incredible amount of patience.
Final warning: Do not listen to this album if you've taken the brown acid. I repeat, do not listen to this album if you've taken the brown acid.
Track Listing:
- Walking Squid (10:40)
- Flying Jellyfish (21:13)
- Sinking Shrimp (14:51)
- Crowing Crab (22:02)
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