Floating World (Jade Warrior album)
Encyclopedia
Floating World is the fourth studio album by the British experimental rock band Jade Warrior
released in 1974
by Island Records
. The band's experiments with the sounds which would later be labeled a world
and ambient
music came parallel to that of Brian Eno
, who described Floating World as an 'important album'.
of Island Records
to give Jade Warrior a hearing, and the latter proposed that Jon Field and Tony Duhig reform the band and sign a contract for three albums (later expanded to four) "as an ornament" to the label. Since Blackwell was interested in a primarily instrumental sound the contract offered by Island was not extended to include Glyn Havard. Floating World was the first of these four released Field and Duhig made with miscellaneous guest musicians.
On some pieces - usually the more introspective ("Waterfall", "Rainflower", and "Memories of a Distant Sea"), multi-instrumentalists Duhig and Field provided the instrumentation, on other tracks ("Easty, "Mountain of Fruit and Flowers", and "Red Lotus", among others) guest musicians were brought in on drums, string bass, harp, lead guitar and female voice ("Quba").
ese philosophy of Ukiyo
, the acceptance of life and its surroundings, living only for the moment ("..like a gourd floating along the river current.." to quote the album's liner notes). The sound of it has been described as "based on a unique combination of rock, jazz, classical and world influences, employing the extremities of dynamic range". AllMusic defines it as 'a complex set', noting that while "the compositions may be interlaced, ...the album itself is as diverse as any previous Jade offering".
Among it's high points critics mentioned "Monkey Chant", a "collision of the ancient traditional Balinese Kecac pitted against David Duhig's screaming rock guitar solo" has been mentioned, the opening "Clouds," juxtaposing 'an ethereal girls choir, tinkling wind chimes, glowing ambient passages, and incendiary guitar licks' and more aggressive "Red Lotus". According to critic Jo-Ann Green, the "sheer diversity of sounds and moods, the constant clash or gentle intermingling of Eastern and Western styles, and the set's glittering atmospheres Floating World an undeniable masterpiece".
Jade Warrior (band)
Jade Warrior are a British group that were formed in 1970, originally evolving out of a band named July. The founding members were Tony Duhig , Jon Field and Glyn Havard...
released in 1974
1974 in music
-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...
by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. The band's experiments with the sounds which would later be labeled a world
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
music came parallel to that of Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, who described Floating World as an 'important album'.
History
After the end of the 1972 American tour the Vertigo contract with the band was cancelled and Jade Warrior dissolved. Than Stevie Winwood urged Chris BlackwellChris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
of Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
to give Jade Warrior a hearing, and the latter proposed that Jon Field and Tony Duhig reform the band and sign a contract for three albums (later expanded to four) "as an ornament" to the label. Since Blackwell was interested in a primarily instrumental sound the contract offered by Island was not extended to include Glyn Havard. Floating World was the first of these four released Field and Duhig made with miscellaneous guest musicians.
On some pieces - usually the more introspective ("Waterfall", "Rainflower", and "Memories of a Distant Sea"), multi-instrumentalists Duhig and Field provided the instrumentation, on other tracks ("Easty, "Mountain of Fruit and Flowers", and "Red Lotus", among others) guest musicians were brought in on drums, string bass, harp, lead guitar and female voice ("Quba").
Style and concept
Floating World is a concept album structured around the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese philosophy of Ukiyo
Ukiyo
Ukiyo described the urban lifestyle, especially the pleasure-seeking aspects, of Edo-period Japan . The "Floating World" culture developed in Yoshiwara, the licensed red-light district of Edo , which was the site of many brothels, chashitsu tea houses, and kabuki theaters frequented by Japan's...
, the acceptance of life and its surroundings, living only for the moment ("..like a gourd floating along the river current.." to quote the album's liner notes). The sound of it has been described as "based on a unique combination of rock, jazz, classical and world influences, employing the extremities of dynamic range". AllMusic defines it as 'a complex set', noting that while "the compositions may be interlaced, ...the album itself is as diverse as any previous Jade offering".
Among it's high points critics mentioned "Monkey Chant", a "collision of the ancient traditional Balinese Kecac pitted against David Duhig's screaming rock guitar solo" has been mentioned, the opening "Clouds," juxtaposing 'an ethereal girls choir, tinkling wind chimes, glowing ambient passages, and incendiary guitar licks' and more aggressive "Red Lotus". According to critic Jo-Ann Green, the "sheer diversity of sounds and moods, the constant clash or gentle intermingling of Eastern and Western styles, and the set's glittering atmospheres
Studio guests
- David Duhig – lead guitar (on "Monkey Chant")
- Graham Decon – drums (on "Red Lotus")
- Martha Mdenge - vocals (on "Quba")