#4520, Inspired By Tony Scott's Music For Zen Meditation
Hear music inspired by the jazz clarinetist Tony Scott, who slowed things down to ambient back in 1964, before ambient or "new age" was even a term. Listen to work from Charles Lloyd, Jeremiah Cymerman, and Herbie Mann as well.
New York jazz clarinetist Tony Scott was a well-known bebop and post-bop clarinetist working in the 1950’s, before clarinet faded from prominence and gave way to saxophone and trumpet as lead instrument. Scott traveled and studied all kinds of musical practices in countries like the Philippines, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and Japan, where he seems to have absorbed some of the essence of Zen, and the quiet contemplation of Zen meditation. Scott’s unique ability to play clarinet in a style reminiscent of a shakuhachi flute, capturing both a sense of space, and the slowed-down-to-ambient-music speed, went on to be documented on a collaboration made with two Japanese master musicians: Hozan Yamamoto on the shakuhachi (flute) and Shinichi Yuize on koto, (13-string zither.) The resulting record was 1964’s Music for Zen Meditation, which is regarded as the first New Age album. (Sourced from Dan Ouellette, uDiscoverMusic.com.)
For this New Sounds show, hear some of that Tony Scott recording, and some like-minded works by Charles Lloyd, Herbie Mann, and New York clarinetist Jeremiah Cymerman. Cymerman’s 2021 record, Citadels & Sanctuaries, reflects the influence that composers Alvin Lucier, Morton Feldman, Evan Parker, and Tony Scott have had on him. Specifically, Cymerman points to Tony Scott’s “[B]eautiful and elegant lines on the clarinet by a master improviser, played with a restraint and groundedness not commonly found — it changed the way I thought about my instrument.” (Castthedice.org)
Also, listen to music by Charles Lloyd, a master of the sax and the jazz flute, from Lloyd’s late-70s release Pathless Path – a mix of improvisation, electronics, and sounds from Japan and India, which John Schaefer calls “A Zen-like, atmospheric collection” (Schaefer, 2011.) Then, hear bestselling jazz flutist Herbie Mann and band together with a Western-looking Japanese ensemble, and a troupe of Zen Buddhist monks from the record, Gagaku & Beyond. Plus, music that samples Tony Scott by Four Tet. - Caryn Havlik
#4520, Inspired By Tony Scott's Music For Zen Meditation (First Aired 7/26/2021)
ARTIST: Tony Scott/Shinichi Yuize/Hozan Yamamoto
WORK: Za Zen [1:00]
RECORDING: Music For Zen Meditation And Other Joys
SOURCE: Verve
INFO: Try Discogs.com or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Jeremiah Cymerman
WORK: For As Long As Grass Grows (for Tony Scott) [2:44]
RECORDING: Citadels & Sanctuaries
SOURCE: 5049 Records, due out Aug. 20, 2021
INFO: jeremiahcymerman.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Tony Scott/Shinichi Yuize/Hozan Yamamoto
WORK: Is Not All One [3:12]
RECORDING: Music For Zen Meditation And Other Joys
SOURCE: Verve
INFO: Try Discogs.com or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Herbie Mann/Minoru Muraoka
WORK: Shomyo [10:31]
RECORDING: Gagaku & Beyond
SOURCE: Finnadar #9014. 1976 LP, reissued in 2001.
INFO: Available at Amazon.com
ARTIST: Tony Scott/Shinichi Yuize/Hozan Yamamoto
WORK: Za Zen [2:02]
RECORDING: Music For Zen Meditation And Other Joys
SOURCE: Verve
INFO: Try Discogs.com or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Charles Lloyd
WORK: Pathless Path [11:37]
RECORDING: Pathless Path
SOURCE: Unity Records – UR 708
INFO: Try Discogs.com or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Charles Lloyd
WORK: The Call [4:31]
RECORDING: Pathless Path
SOURCE: Unity Records – UR 708
INFO: Try Discogs.com or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Tony Scott/Shinichi Yuize/Hozan Yamamoto
WORK: After the Snow the Fragrance [7:02]
RECORDING: Music For Zen Meditation And Other Joys
SOURCE: Verve
INFO: Try Discogs.com or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Four Tet
WORK: Parks [5:58]
RECORDING: Pause
SOURCE: Domino Recording Co.
INFO: Available at AppleMusic, YouTube Music, Amazon.com, Spotify
