Lao Dan is one of the most interesting improv artists operating in China at the moment. This release comes from Modern Sky World Music, based in my current home, Beijing. Going through their catalog, there is going to be more than a few releases getting featured on the blog soon enough. From the Modern Sky World Music Bandcamp site:
“Going After Clouds and Dreams is Lao Dan’s first bamboo flute solo album. It is the result of two recording sessions in April 2017 in his home town Dandong, a city near the border with North Korea. Most tracks were written between late 2016 and early 2017. Tune on the Fourth Day of Chinese Sexagenary Cycle and Tune on the Seventh Day of Chinese Sexagenary Cycle were impromptus.Lao Dan is a monster improviser of saxophone. Informed by many western masters, he has found a fresh and unrestrained sound of his own. Unlike his fierce saxophone, his bamboo flute skills escaped the shackles of historical schools and institutional training and internalized the poetic realm of ancient China. Three types of dizi C qudi, Bb qudi and G diyindi were used in this album. Lao Dan created a subtle and meditational atmosphere by removing the dimo, a special membrane used on Chinese bamboo flutes to produce a brighter, louder and sweeter sound. Since it was recorded in a bomb shelter built in the time of Korean War, this album needed very little mastering. The location provided a unique sound field with the right reverberation and a steady stream of illusions.”
