eMusic Review 0
The guzheng is one of the oldest stringed musical instruments in the world that's still in wide use. Its sharp, glimmering zither-like tones provide a distinctly Chinese sound that recalls nearly two thousand years' worth of composition and performance.
But for all its rich history, the guzheng still tends to evoke a certain strain of martial-arts bravado and mysterious exoticism to Western ears — a pigeonholing that both diminishes it and provides good opportunity to upend old sonic stereotypes. Into the Wind, a collaborative album by virtuoso guzheng player-composer Bei Bei and style-hopping multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee, takes the latter approach. The record is a deft blend of tradition and cross-pollination, one that smartly integrates a deep-rooted sound into pop contexts. There's hints of the Hong Kong-gone-funk aesthetic of vintage '70s kung fu films ("The Master Room"; "Hot Thursday"), but there's also shared debts to the internationally-spanning jazz fusion of Alice Coltrane ("Willingness"), nods to pop from Brazil ("Bei's Bossa") and Eastern Europe ("Whiskey Waltz"), and more than a few slow jams you could easily imagine the Delfonics plying their sweet harmonies over. It still sounds mysterious and exotic — but in a way that transcends the instrument's ancient nature and reveals… read more »
