Often such events act as a reprieve from the maelstrom and general caterwaul of everyday life. Thanks to one Stefan Panczak, this compilation has been fashioned with the long-standing culture of tea in mind. How does this proverbial teahouse stack up? In short, it's more in harmony with the pulse of the industrial economy and present-day notions of eclecticism.
At one end of the spectrum, the work is fairly simple, clean, elegant, and refined, and at the other it is joyous, exuberant, and colorful. The manner of these far-flung interpretations does this particular theme little good: the occasional piece, such as those offered by Xela and Qua, strays from the subject matter at hand to such an extent that it becomes hard to see how it ties in at all, while a good number of other compositions present only loose and indistinct associations. Given that much of the culture and art of tea consists in the observation of ritual and a deep consideration for every detail, the casual individual approach documented here is less than successful in living up to such traditions.
This isn't to say that the album doesn't offer the odd spot of fun. Notably, Matt de Gardener's piece features the strong whistling of the kettle accompanied by some ringing guitar lines, while Inch-Time's woodblock rhythm and spaced clusters makes for a coherent and engaging statement. Pimmon, too, with his breathy textures that spiral ever-upwards, accumulating in depth and complexity of gesture, provides a real coo. For good measure, the small number of cheeky jazz numbers (from the likes of Tunng, Root70, and so on) act like cubes of sugar sweetening the brew all the more. It's pulled off with an exploratory, open-minded spirit, but the concept that started it all off gets somewhat slighted in the end.
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