OWEN CHEN & ETERNAL WIND

THE GHIBLI COLLECTION

OA2 Records

Owen Chen & Andrew Cheng, guitars; Cy Leo, harmonica; Carlin Lee, piano; Sean Hannon, upright bass; Anton Kot, drums; Cole Palensky, tenor saxophone.

With this album, guitarist Owen Chen introduces ‘Eternal Wind.’  It’s a duo-guitar-led ensemble.  Purposefully, they use music to reimagine the timeless stories of a popular Japanese animation company called Studio Ghibli. The Eternal Wind ensemble reinvents iconic film scores with their own improvised language, employing modern jazz as their vehicle.

“The music, stories and emotions we encounter as children stay with us,” Owen Chen explains.

The Studio Ghibli company was founded in June of 1985.  Its purpose was to ‘blow a new wind through the anime industry.’  In 1996, the Walt Disney Company formed a partnership to distribute animated Asian films for Studio Ghibli. This company is so popular that in 2001 they opened Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo. Culturally, this music explores Studio Ghibli film scores and animations.

For the past year, using performances at Brooklyn’s Red Pavilion, Owen Chen and Andrew Cheng have channeled their emotional and technical energy into performing and exploring these unique film scores that were created by composer Joe Hisaishi. Their Eternal Wind ensemble uses contemporary modern jazz to introduce these film scores to the public, opening with “One Summer’s Day” snipped from the 2001 animation film, “Spirited Away.”  It’s a laid-back arrangement that paints a tranquil, jazzy mood across my listening room. The melody is lovely, introduced by smooth guitar work, and the piano solo of Carlin Lee is outstanding.

This is followed by another song from the same “Spirited Away” film called “The Dragon Boy.” At first, it reminds me of soft rain blowing from a summer shower but soon develops into a more drum-driven production.  Anton Kot adds spunk and fire with his trap drums. This time the electric guitar steps into a soft rock groove with bluesy improvisation. Cole Palensky’s tenor saxophone answers the burst of guitar brilliance with his own improvised tenor saxophone solo.

For Owen Chen, this project reflects an Asian American experience that embraces both animated film popularity and jazz. They meet like two hands shaking, intertwined with Japanese culture and the popularity that these animated films have brought to the world. It’s easy listening jazz, and if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli’s films, you will recognize tunes from “Iron Castle in the Sky”,  three songs from “Princess Mononoke,” one from “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” and to close their album, two songs (including the title score) from “My Neighbor Totoro.”

A tune called “Carrying You” brilliantly features the drum talents of Anton Kot. Also featured is the spicy addition of Cy Leo on harmonica.

 

If you are not an animation buff, you will still find interest and pleasure in listening to Owen Chen and Eternal Wind interpreting music from these movies in a sincere, easy-listening, modern jazz way. The Ghibli Collection of reinvented film scores introduces you to the sound and debut emergence of Eternal Wind’s distinctive sound.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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