The Unbreakable Circle is a concept album inspired by the poetry of Mary Oliver. These tracks were written over the past four years since her passing, and each is related to a specific poem (listed in parens in the song title). As we’ve gone through challenging times over the years, Oliver’s work has always been there as a source of solace; I hope in a small way this album serves a similar purpose for you. 

All the best— 
Alan

This album is available in high-resolution on BandCamp: https://zenso.bandcamp.com/album/the-unbreakable-circle

The Unbreakable Circle

Mujō, a profound and ancient concept rooted in Buddhist philosophy, encapsulates the transitory nature of existence. This Japanese term, often translated as "impermanence" or "constancy of change," serves as a reminder of the inherent fragility of life and all temporal things. In a world where everything is in a perpetual state of flux, mujō invites contemplation on the fleeting nature of joy, sorrow, and the very essence of being. 

Mujō's significance extends beyond philosophical musings; it deeply influences Japanese culture and aesthetics. Traditional Japanese art forms like ikebana, wabi-sabi, and haiku often draw inspiration from the concept of mujō. These artistic expressions seek to capture the beauty of the ephemeral, embracing the fleeting moments that define our existence. Thus, mujō serves as a catalyst for finding profound beauty in the transient and mundane. 

Drawing inspiration from the concept of mujō, Zensō’s latest album once again immerses listeners in his distinctive style of ambient-jazz fusion. This musical journey seamlessly melds the tranquil tones of ambient music with the intricate rhythms of jazz, using generative soundscapes and field recordings as the backdrop for elaborate melodic and percussive improvisations.

Mujō

New Work

Dream of the Butterfly

Kyūjōshō  急上昇

When they were released in the 90’s, Mickey Hart’s At the Edge, Planet Drum, and Supralingua really knocked me out and took me from being primarily a jazz-fusion drummer into a deep exploration of world music and exotic percussion. I never quit listening to his records, and it’s taken a great deal of restraint to avoid stealing too many of his ideas over the years. Probably more so than on anything I’ve done recently, this latest track has his influence all over it.

For those who feel that percussion doesn’t have a place in ambient music, perhaps this track will soften your stance just a bit. And if it doesn’t, definitely check out Hart’s At the Edge sometime; it will surely win you over.

With the mix I attempted to create a pseudo Spatial Audio surround effect as if the listener is moving among the musicians inside a circle (it’s really just some careful use of panning, reverb, and delay). I wouldn’t say it was 100% successful, but if you’re interested, please listen with headphones to hear the effect.

Thanks for taking a listen, your feedback is always appreciated!

Nganga

Song of the Cicada

Here’s some info about my methods:

I listen to a lot of field recordings of nature (wind, water, birds, insects, etc.) and I’ve noticed there are often subtly shifting patterns to be found within the randomness of these recordings. One of the things I try to do in my music is mimic these organic patterns with anti-meters, polymeters, polyrhythms, and odd time signatures. I used a few of these techniques when developing this track.

The drum kit part in the A section is an improvised set of patterns played on a Zendrum, with no time signature and in different lengths that shift in relation to one another as the track progresses. The relationship between the patterns is essentially random, but when taken together they create a steady flow of notes intended to mimic the organic, evolving patterns found in nature.

The more chaotic odd-time polyrhythms in the B section were intended to mimic the sounds of a wind or rain storm. I used a pair of generative sequencers and multiple modulators to create the overlapping/morphing patterns. 

The piano part acts as a foundation for the anti-meter parts described above. It’s more static and repetitive, but it also evolves slowly over time. For this I used a generative sequencer that was very slowly modulated by two modulators.

The lead “horn” solo (actually an Ableton Push pad controller with Arturia Pigments as the sound source) was improvised in one take from start to finish (no edits). For me, playing improvised solos is perhaps the biggest challenge and also the biggest source of delight/disappointment in music. There’s nothing quite like playing an improv in real time, while hoping you don’t fall flat on your face before the end (which happens all too often… lol).

Thanks for taking a listen. Your thoughts and feedback are always very much appreciated!

Alan

The Secret Garden

This track was inspired by the poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver:

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

— Mary Oliver

Thanks for taking a listen. Your support is always very much appreciated. 

Alan

…for Michael

Clear Pebbles of Rain (Wild Geese)

Cathedral Forest (Sleeping in the Forest)

A piece about the ineffable nature of time, memories, and emotions.

Our Kite

Schrödinger's Cat

River

Emergence

Murmuration

This track was inspired by the Xian, the eight immortals of Taoism.

From Wikipedia:
Xian (Chinese: 仙/仚/僊; pinyin: xiān; Wade–Giles: hsien) refers to a person or similar entity having a long life or being immortal. The concept of xian has different implications dependent upon the specific context: philosophical, religious, mythological, or other symbolic or cultural occurrence. The Chinese word xian is translatable into English as:

(in Daoist philosophy and cosmology) spiritually immortal; transcendent human; celestial being
(in Daoist religion and pantheon) physically immortal; immortal person; an immortal; saint
(in Chinese alchemy) alchemist; one who seeks the elixir of life; one who practices longevity techniques
(or by extension) alchemical, dietary, or qigong methods for attaining immortality
(in Chinese mythology) wizard; magician; shaman; sorcerer
(in popular Chinese literature) genie; elf, fairy; nymph; 仙境 (xian jing is fairyland, faery)
(based on the folk etymology for the character 仙, a compound of the characters for person and mountain) sage living high in the mountains; mountain-man; hermit; recluse
(as a metaphorical modifier) immortal [talent]; accomplished person; celestial [beauty]; marvelous; extraordinary
(In new-age conception) seeker who takes refuge in immortality (longevity for the realization of divinity); transcended person [self] recoded by the "higher self"; divine soul; fully established being

Xian

Amaterasu

Ling Ling (Sad Panda)

This composition was inspired by the poem "In Blackwater Woods" by Mary Oliver:

Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars
 
of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,
 
the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders
 
of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is
 
nameless now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned
 
in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side
 
is salvation,
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world
 
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
 
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it
go,
to let it go.
 
— Mary Oliver

Homecoming (In Blackwater Woods)

The Cold and Perfect Fury (The Return)

Dream a Silver Moon

Terraforma

Here’s a new experimental ambient-jazz piece about impermanence. Musically, I’m once again experimenting with subtly unstable rhythms and vague meters to create a type of “rhythmic dissonance”.

I hope you find some beauty here. As always, your feedback is carefully considered and greatly appreciated. 

--Alan

We live near a creek and walk along its banks on most days. The surrounding fields are full of thistles, which attract large numbers of goldfinches this time of year. It’s a beautiful scene I’ve attempted to capture in this composition. I hope you enjoy it!

In a Field of Thistle

This track is inspired by, and built upon samples of, the Tūī bird of New Zealand. This bird makes unusual sounds that are interesting and fun to play on an instrument such as the Zendrum, which is what I’ve done here. Thanks for taking a listen.

Tūī

Natsukashii is Japanese word that means “happy nostalgia”. It describes the moment when memory transports you to a beautiful place that fills you with warmth and joy.

Natsukashii

Daybreak on Dry Creek

Naqoyqatsi

The Bells of San Blas

Crucible of Fire

More adventures in odd time signatures, anti-meters, and polyrhythms designed to mimic the random patterns found in nature.

Stormwatch

Miracle at Sravasti

Through a Woodland Deep

Shinrin-yoku (Japanese: 森林浴, 森林 (shinrin, “forest”) + 浴 (yoku, “bath, bathing”)), also known as forest bathing, is a practice or process of therapeutic relaxation where one spends time in a forest or natural atmosphere, focusing on sensory engagement to connect with nature.
The practice has gained popularity in various regions in the United States, particularly in California. Shinrin-yoku can be seen as similar to other adopted east-to-west health trends, such as yoga and meditation, in that it has been linked to numerous health benefits and can be performed solo, guided, and/or with others.

Shinrin-yoku

Red Forest

Anna's Dream

Ryūjin

Saṃsāra

Butterfly (One or Two Things)

Satori

This one’s for Dad. It was inspired by the poem “Heavy” by Mary Oliver:

That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying

I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had his hand in this,

as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,

was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel,
(brave even among lions),
“It’s not the weight you carry

but how you carry it –
books, bricks, grief –
it’s all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it

when you cannot, and would not,
put it down.”
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?

Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?

How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe

also troubled –
roses in the wind,
the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love
to which there is no reply?

Lament (Heavy)

In Zen, ensō (円相) is a circle that is hand-drawn in one uninhibited brushstroke to illustrate the moment when the mind sets the body free to create.

Zensō

Pinned to spotlight

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