There are a few Wellington supergroups around with players converging and convening in different formats at different times - The Yoots or Fly My Pretties, for example - but they all manage to create something different, and have a knack for becoming festival favourites.
Shogun Orchestra is led by mastermulti-instrumentalist, and composer Lucien Johnson, with players from Fat Freddy's Drop, Twinset, and Black Seeds, plus guitarist Justin "Firefly" Clarke, Jennifer Zea on vocals, and Jonathan Crayford guesting on synthesiser solos.
Loosely, you might say this 10-piece act are formed from the mould of jazz, but you could put all sorts of genre descriptions in front - Afro, Caribbean, and Ethio for starters, and this album seems firmly inspired by sounds of the orient and middle east too.
The album (their second after 2010's self-titled debut) reflects their live buzz, but keeps the tracks relatively short and focussed, ranging from four minutes, to six and a half.
The energetic horn section shines on the title track - a steaming, cinematic mind-bender, while Zea, Clarke, and the horns weave beautifully around each other on Watatsumi. Revolve plays with a cheeky little eastern piano mode, while Mifune has a funky, minimal approach with bass and synth moving in oscillating waves.
The River of Sanzu evokes exactly what you would expect from that title, all casually meandering horns and flutes pricked with notions of pyramids, and scarabs, and Zea's vocals on Cherry Blossom are a luxurious seduction. It's an impressive trip.
