Ganryu Island (album)

Ganryu Island
Studio album by John Zorn
Released	1985 & 1998
Recorded	November 23, 1984
Genre	Avant-garde
Length	43:03
Label	Yukon, Tzadik
Producer	John Zorn
John Zorn chronology
The Classic Guide to Strategy (1983) Ganryu Island (1985) Voodoo (1986)

Ganryu Island is an album by John Zorn featuring improvisations with Sato Michihiro. The album was first released on vinyl LP on Yukon Records in 1984 and later re-released on Tzadik Records as a CD with five additional tracks in 1998.^[1]

The album is titled after Ganryujima, a small island off the coast of Japan where legendary samurai warriors Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro engaged in battle.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Joslyn Layne awarded the album 4 stars stating "The great, no-holds-barred improvisation is by no means an inchoate whirl -- indeed, the shamisen's rhythmic presence often provides a steady, but flexible structure for the duo's truly imaginative interaction".^[2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

Track listing

1. "Ryukyu Heishi" - 6:12
2. "Haguregumo" - 14:14
3. "Two Ronin" - 3:53
4. "Kagemusha" - 10:37
5. "Odori Dayu" - 5:31
6. "Ganryu Island" - 11:11
7. "Yoshiwara Kaidan" - 3:27
8. "Natsu Matsuri" - 5:31 Bonus track on CD
9. "Giri" - 5:29 Bonus track on CD
10. "Yonaka No Hatashiai" - 2:07 Bonus track on CD
11. "Uma No Koku" - 2:39 Bonus track on CD
12. "Tsugaru Bushido" - 4:33 Bonus track on CD

All compositions by John Zorn and Satoh Michihiro

• Recorded in New York City on November 23, 1984

Personnel

• John Zorn: Alto And Soprano Saxophones, Bb Clarinet, Game Calls, E-flat Clarinet
• Sato Michihiro: Shamisen

References