If you were to ask people who the most influential guitarist of their time is, a great deal of them would say Jimi Hendrix. It's not complicated to understand that he was an extremely significant contributor to the world of rock-n-roll. While Kyoaku No Intention guitarist Munehiro Narita claims that Hendrix was not an influence on him, it's difficult not to hear a striking resemblance between the two. I guess that's one of the best compliments I can give Narita. As for Hendrix, one of the most charitable contributions he ever made in music was playing guitar "outside the box," while simultaneously opening everyone's mind to the endless possibilities of music.
Some thirty years later, Munehiro Narita and free-jazz drummer Shoji Hano have released a live album called Astral Projection on the infamous Japanese PSF label. From what I've heard on the PSF catalog, this album most closely represents the style of music Hendrix became known for. It reiterates the idea that "out-of-the-box" guitar playing still exists in today's music industry. While showcasing some of the greatest guitar work I've heard in quite some time, it also highlights some extremely stunning drum playing as well. This is the kind of drumming that should be seen to fully appreciate, but you'll have no problem understanding just how amazing it is when you hear it.
As with most improvisational music, there is very minimal structure to these songs. Narita and Hano do an incredible job of making you forget that this is even an improvised album. Although the songs are a bit lengthy, you always have a feeling of gratitude for the impeccable talent these two gentlemen put forth in this performance. Whether you're hearing the psyched-out, wah-wah effects on Narita's guitar or the random spurts of incomprehensible jazz-rock drumming by Hano, Astral Projection is intensely satisfying from beginning to end. Trust me; this is not always the case with albums like these.
Improvised music is slowly becoming a more acceptable source for hearing some of the freshest sounds in new music. Improvisations and collaborations have been around for quite some time, but it's now finding its way to a lot more people. I believe Astral Projection is a collaboration that will pique a lot of listeners' interests into this genre. Many will hear this album and immediately think of Hendrix (myself included), but it'd also be nice to just think of it as a magnificent contribution to a world of endless possibilities in improvisational music.
1. Untitled Track 1
2. Untitled Track 2
3. Untitled Track 3
More about: Kyoaku No Intention
