Review: Mosurin's new CD!

Sensei Mosurin just issued his new CD: Sound of the Nose Flute V (鼻笛の響　V), and let's immediately that this fifth volume is really the best one, a real piece of nose flute jewelry... 10 beautiful tunes, 8 of them being Mosurin's compositions.



If I had to describe this CD with just a few words, I would say unity, purity, sweetness, nostalgia and wide space. Unity, because the records share all a global "color", a real consistency. Only the last tune — The Turkish March — expresses another kind of energy, but it works as a final punctuation. Purity, because Mosurin's has the best nose flute sound in the world, clean, precise, crystal clear. And the master's playing has evolved again, with perfect tremolos and a huge breath... Sweetness and Nostalgia, because it's a kind of Mosurin's trademark in his musical choices, but also because of the arrangements, that have greatly improved in quality and subtlety, from the first CDs. And finally wide space, because all of the Mosurin's compositions (8 out of 10 tunes) could be panoramic movie soundtracks, some of them could come from Western movies. Any of those pieces opens a window on a wide landscape.

01 ありがとう - Thank You
02 山河 - The Natural Surroundings
03 風花 - Dancing Snow in the Wind
04 ハロウィーン・ダンス - Halloween Dance
05 ボン・ボヤージュ - Farewell
06 シエスタ - The Nap
07 流れ(情念) - The Flow (complaint)
08 風の歌が聞こえる - Hear the Song of the Wind
09 鳥の歌 - El Cant dels Ocells
10 トルコ行進曲(モーツァルト) - Turkish March (Mozart)

Mosurin: Nose flute and guitar
Mayumi Isumi: piano
Photo by Yutaka Matsubara



Thanks a lot to Mr. Mosurin, who authorized me to insert some musical excerpts in this review.

01 ありがとう - Thank You [2:13]
This opening tune is played over synth (DX7?) arpeggios. Then some synth strings.
Simple sweet melody, with powerful sharps.

02 山河 - The Natural Surroundings [3:18]
"Sanga"is the first "landscape" tune of the CD. Played with a piano, the nose flute is grogeous. Sensei Mosurin perfectly masters subtle tremolos. The tune ends with bells notes.

03 風花 - Dancing Snow in the Wind [3:32]
"Kazahana" is one a my prefered pieces. It is what a japanese garden in Winter could be when transposed into music. The nose flute sounds a bit more windy than usual, choice that is consistent with the title. Here are 2 excerpts of this piece, the beginning, and a part which shows the infinite breath of the master:




04 ハロウィーン・ダンス - Halloween Dance [2:42]
This tune shows another kind of rhythm and harmonics, but stays consistent with the whole selection. It makes me think of some Ennio Morricone productions. Beautifully written and played, with incredibly powerful and clean sharps! It certainly deserves to be listened to in full, but here is only a short excerpt:



05 ボン・ボヤージュ - Farewell [2:50]
An evolutive arrangement, with guitar and bass, then soft drums, and a hint of fiddle sounding like a pedal steel. The integration of drums is a bit surprising, and turns the tune to a slow dance.

06 シエスタ - The Nap [2:35]
Here the arrangement is produced by a bass, a synth set on glockenspiel and some light percussions. Some remarkable tremolo endings...

07 流れ(情念) - The Flow (pathetic) [3:01]
"Nagare" is a beautiful complaint that could really be a Japanese western movie soundtrack. Guitar and synth.



08 風の歌が聞こえる - Hear the Song of the Wind [3:02] Another "outdoor" piece, but painted this time in a autumnal dress. The bass string of the guitar is lightly but incredibly out of tune...



09 鳥の歌 - El Cant dels Ocells [2:25]
Traditional Christmas song from Catalonia, dating from the 13 c. The choice of a synth among the arrangement (with guitar) is a bit strange... Beautifully played, with a real controlled strength and presence of the flute.

10 トルコ行進曲(モーツァルト) - Turkish March (Mozart) [0:53]
Here it is! Mosurin's greatest hit! And it deserves it. We all know Mosurin's live versions (on YouTube) of this Mozart march, but here is finally a studio version. This tune closing the CD is a real master piece, with a unbelievable tongue technique. In the quickest part (sorry, not in the excerpt, you'll have to buy the CD!), Mosurin sounds like a bird. Really. A distinct tongue/glottis bird sound, jumping from one note to another as quickly as a nightingale. This recording is a milestone the nose flute history.



---

Well, you understand it, I *strongly* encourage you to get this great CD! Whether it is for the tunes themselves or even only the stunning techniques mastered by Mosurin, if you're a nose flute lover, this CD is a real must for you CDtheque.

Where and how to get this CD?

Go on Mosurin's website and click on the Paypal button at the end of the dedicated article.
It will cost you ¥1,500 (around US$16) plus shipping.