John Kaizan Neptune offers six of his own compositions for a Japanese ensemble on this CD, with
Yasuko Watanabe on koto and the Watanabe Ensemble (comprised of four kotos, one base koto, and a shamisen). As he mentions in the note, this is his first totally written album without improvisation. We can feel at times in
Neptune's writing the influence of jazz. Yet, he touches a few different styles of music. The fourth piece for four shakuhachi is a very intriguing one, merging a typically honkyoku style with European Renaissance counterpoint. The last piece is of a more modern style, showing a great versatility in his writing.