REVIEWS:  metier msv 92017 The Japan Project  

THE SUNDAY TIMES:
The trombonist Barrie Webb, who instigated this collaboration with seven Japanese composers, deserves congratulation. One might think the trombone to be an unpromising solo instrument but, as Luciano Berio and Vinko Globokar have famously shown, it is capable of a huge range of tone colours and articulations, encouraging vastly different approaches. Each piece here - whether it's Takashi Fujii's jazzy Dancing Bones; Sociological Japan, Masato Kouchi's ironic take on his country's national anthem; Katsuji Maeda's prayer-like Intermezzo; Hiroshi Nakamura's Klee-inspired Angelus Novus; Tatsuya Hirano's meditative Alone; Kunihiko Goto's Inquisition/cloister; or Katsumi Yokoyama's Traces II, inspired by, of all things, a tome on cognitive psychology - is uniquely satisfying in its own way.
××× (outstanding)
Stephen Pettitt

MUSICAL OPINION:
More than an hour of new music from Japan for Solo Trombone is a formidable proposition, and listening to the disc in one sitting is not recommended. However, this music is well worth getting to know, not least for Barry Webb's unstinting commitment to the project and the consistency of his playing. The composers are generally quite young and little known, but they all have a firm grasp of advanced trombone techniques, including vocal and percussive effects. Some are likely to make a wider impact in the future. The most arresting item involved a radical transformation of the Japanese National Anthem.
reviewer unknown