Energy of the Mountains Shan Qi
- 1 Wind Chimes Intro 00:41
- 2 Encounters 03:51
- 3 Little Dance for a Siamese Cat 04:02
- 4 Avalon 04:36
- 5 Waterfalls (Live) 02:09
- 6 Ancient Path to the Windmill 01:56
- 7 Himalaya 06:41
- 8 Snow Temple - Hunan 03:53
- 9 Red Snow (Live) 05:55
- 10 Even Bears Dream 03:40
- 11 Cloud of Birds 02:42
- 12 Wind Chimes (Live) 03:59
- 13 Little Backbeat Boy 01:42
- 14 Little Open Hands 01:17
- 15 Sunset River 01:37
- 16 Chun 04:25
- 17 Moods 05:18
- 18 Twilight Town 03:12
- 19 Qi 03:04
- 20 Totorotrafelato 00:46
- 21 Avalon (Soundcheck Version) 04:23
Info for Energy of the Mountains
Italian producer Giovanni Amighetti and chinese flute virtuoso Guo Yue take their musical energy and inspiration from the world of mountains – the Alps. Together with Chapman-Stick master Guido Ponzini, Guzheng performer and composer Wu Fei and Percussion wizard Helge Andreas Norbakken, these masterminds are the core of an extraordinary project. Playing live, practicing the art of experimental improvisation, that is Shan Qi’s forte, which they impressively demonstrate with the sounds and images on their album „Energy of the Mountains" (Ozella Music).
"It doesn't always have to be a studio - sometimes an alpine meadow, a market place or a mountain peak at base camp level is enough as a recording location for great music. When the right people come together, fascinating sounds and images can be created in equal measure. With the flutist Guo Yue and the Guzheng zither virtuoso Wu Fei, two protagonists of traditional Chinese playing met two Italian lovers of jazz-rock electronic cutlery at the foot of the Dolomites: Guido Ponzini on electric bass and Chapman Stick and producer Giovanni Amighetti on Korg keyboard. The formidable Norwegian percussionist Helge A. Norbakken acted as the link between tradition and modernity, who usually incorporates into his drum set what is not to three in the recycling bin - car rims, copper plates, tin plates - and who is equally at home with archaic and contemporary rhythms. In different line-ups from solo to quintet and at different locations, small pieces of jewelery that were composed and then improvised were created that were brilliantly captured by image and sound." (Walter Bast, Folker)
Guo Yue, Guzheng
Wu Fei, Guzheng
Helge Norbakken, Percussion
Shan Qi
project started in Oslo in 2003 with a collaboration between Guo Yue, Giovanni Amighetti, Helge A. Norbakken and Gjermund Silset.
The idea is to combine mountain-related chinese and european musical influences to release a brand new approach to contemporary music.
The music of Shan Qi has chinese ambience and moods, italian easy-listening melodies and craziness, norwegian sounds and structure.
Also an important issue in Shan Qi is to modernize chinese music based on traditional instruments due to its players exposure to american and european artistical approach.
During the years different musicians interact with Shan Qi, as chinese composer-guzheng virtuoso Wu Fei, young italian stick player Guido Ponzini, guitarist Brge Petersen-verleir, percussionist Fulvio Maras, taiko drummer Joji Hirota, sound engineer and producer Bruno Cimenti and guests as Daniele Sepe.
In China Shan Qi and related projects by single musicians (eg. Wu Fei's concert in Forbidden City, Beijing) have generated strong controversy because of the new approach to instrumentes generally related to tradition.*
In September 2006 Shan Qi recorded a music dvd in beautiful landscapes on Italian Alps (Dolomites).
Booklet for Energy of the Mountains