This is
Ray Brooks' first solo CD, and he is thus a newcomer among the Westerners taking on this Japanese instrument. He is one of the few Canadians to produce a CD of Japanese shakuhachi music, and quite possibly the only one to record an entire CD of traditional honkyoku solo pieces (i.e., the music of the Japanese Zen Buddhist monks). The pieces he presents are typical pieces of the repertoire; most have already been recorded by numerous shakuhachi players, both Japanese and Westerners. In a way,
Brooks was quite adventurous in choosing such a known repertoire. Yet, he stands out. His music has an enthralling, introspective, and meditative character. ~ Bruno Deschênes