Daylight, Moonlight: Live in Yakushiji

by Kitaro

Overview

The latest from new age superstar and Grammy winner Kitaro is a two-CD set recorded over three late summer nights in the sacred Yakushiji Temple in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. The album kicks off with the chants of the Yakushiji monks (they return on "Wa," a previously unreleased track) and includes the Golden Globe-winning theme from Oliver Stone's Heaven and Earth. The resting place of the Genjo Sanzo, the monk who brought Buddhism to China and Japan, the Yakushiji Temple is a perfect foil for the meditative, sometimes dramatic music of Kitaro. Fans will also want to seek out the simultaneously released DVD, which contains the performance plus an exclusive interview with Kitaro and a history of the Yakushiji Temple.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/08/2002
Label:	Domo Records
UPC:	0794017301525
catalogNumber:	73015
Rank:	126776

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Monk's Introduction
2. Hazimari/Sozo
3. Caravansary
4. Silk Road
5. Magma
6. Mercury

Disc 2

1. Water of Mystery
2. Estrella
3. Koi
4. Wa
5. Free Flight
6. Heaven and Earth

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kitaro   Primary Artist
Keiko Takahashi   Keyboards
Shinji Ebihara   Keyboards
Yakushiji Monks   Chant
Tomoko Nomura   Percussion
Yayoi Sakiyama   Violin

Technical Credits

Kitaro   Arranger,Producer
Gary Barlough   Producer,Engineer
Tadayuki Naitoh   Visual Coordinator
Kazuyuki Hikita   Art Direction
Eiichi Naito   Executive Producer
Mary Perez   Art Direction
Hitoshi Takashima   Engineer
Miyuki Ichioka   Recording Assistant
Kazuyuki Ito   Engineer
Kazutoshi Watanabe   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

New age music and ancient shrines seem to work well together, as evidenced by top-selling concert CDs and videos (now DVDs) by Keiko Matsui and Yanni over the years. Kitaro's idea for a greatest-hits collection performed at the sacred Yakushiji Temple in Nara, the ancient Japanese capitol, is more about beauty and intimacy than sheer spectacle, although it would be fun to imagine this dramatic presentation in its native setting. The music on this double disc was taken from three live concerts in the summer of 2001, the first concerts ever presented in the temple proper. Not that you need the background to be swept away into the dreamy mysticism that defines Kitaro's twist on the universe, but this temple is the resting place of the ashes of Genjo Sanzo, the seventh century monk who walked the Silk Road from Japan to India, returning from India with the sacred texts that introduced Buddhism into China and Japan. This knowledge will help if you for some reason don't enjoy the lengthy chanted incantation that opens the disc. From there, Kitaro engages with his foundational synthesizer, Native American flute, guitar, Taiko drums, and, of course, nature sounds. He introduces "Hazimari/Sozo" with powerful thunder effects and then there's a pounding of drums over a sweeping symphony. The piece builds until it breaks into a gentle sweep of mystical synth harp and violin. His flute on "Caravansary" is especially poignant. He's calling his current tour Silk Road after the haunting piece of the same name which attempts to capture the mysticism of Sanzo's journey. Movie buffs will enjoy the beautiful closing rendering of the Golden Globe-winning theme to Heaven and Earth, which begins with strings before the violin sweeps the marching percussion in. A must-have for Kitaro fans and fans of music with ties to ancient Eastern cultures.

All Music Guide - Jonathan Widran

Daylight, Moonlight stands out as important, serious music at a time when the rest of the world is bellying up to the buddha bar while singing yoga chants.... deeply thought-out, meticulously crafted extended length tracks.

New Age Voice - PJ Birosik

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