Beyond begins with an ambient hum and gradually develops into a web of signals as Taiko Saito’s vibraphones echo the gamelan music that influenced minimalist composers in the ‘60s. Although marketed under the heading of jazz, the improvisational duets by Saito and pianist Satoko Fujii owe little to the African American tradition and build instead from precedents set in the classical world’s avant-garde. The compositions on Beyond are quiet and often disappear into the silence between notes. Prepared piano and bowed vibraphone keys are employed to produce the soundscapes.
