A WALK IN BEAUTY

When I see breathtaking scenery I feel that the beat of my heart matches the one of nature. And what my heart wishes is probably what the heart of nature wishes as well. I express and share these moments. That's what music is to me.

When I look back, all the moments are joined together to make a road. Journeys to places that my heart desires, performing at beautiful places, collaborating with great musicians, having concerts with spiritual energy... Many experiences like these have made it possible for me to make 5 albums so far.

Not too long after I started playing the Indian flute, the journey I took to record my first album "Chaco Journey" comes to mind. The infinity of rocks, wind and light at places I visited such as Turtle Island and the Southwestern regions of the United States were like being at a zen temple. I played the flute for days. At one point, it felt as though the sound became the wind headed for the horizon. The doors deep inside my heart opened up and my energy poured out to make the album. That experience is the foundation of my expressions.

And now the nature within me smiles. Whatever shape or form it takes, I can proceed down the path that I believe is beautiful.

HIDEAKI MASAGO

1. FOOTPRINTS OF THE MOON
Finalized at a studio in Tokyo during the winter of 1994. The session with the coyotes was recorded in Chaco Canyon. When I close my eyes, I can recall the peacefulness. Silhouette of stars and lights. The memories of the moon inside my body.
<from Chaco Journey>
2. YUME NO KUNI (DREAM LAND)
I feel that long ago, the meaning of the word "land" meant all the mountains, rivers, grasses and trees that lived there. And I believe that is also the future. Always with that feeling I play this song.
In February 1996 during the recording of AMAZING BLUE, I was able to enjoy the zest of life.
 <from Amazing Blue>
3. JUNGLE JOY
The jungle is full of life. And is full of songs. Like our ancestors that lived thousands of years ago, I pray that we'll be able to coexist with these songs.
 <from Planet Love>
4. AT GREEN MAHOROBA
A forest no one has ever touched, a spring no one has ever tasted, where the animals play at the foot of the trees... The sound of Indian flutes and the Celtic harp was inspired by this image.
 <from Colors in the Wind>
5. COLORS IN THE WIND
Freed from my emotions and thoughts. Like being unleashed into the wind, and carried away, the wind will sweep you into the new world of natural harmony.
As if drawing eight pictures from a single theme, I created eight songs during the spring of 1999.
 <from Colors in the Wind>
6. SUNRISE SONG
Improvisation helps you express your heart openly. And during a live performance in Shizuoka, this song was created through many improvisations using a Zuni tribe melody. <live 1999 December>
 <CD Planet Love>
7. OCEAN OF STARS
1991. A village in Dogon. The place I spent the night was on the terrace on top of a roof of a house made of mud. The sky was filled with stars as though they were cells of the universe. Like rippling waves and the beating of the heart, the lights pulsate. Awakened by the birds chirping in the morning, for a moment I felt like I was in a village of the Jumon era. <live>
<CD Chaco Journey>
8. WAVES OF URUCHIMU
JULY 2000. While I was staying on Iriomote Island to made the album MAAPAI, this tune came to me out of nowhere. The sound of waves and the guitar was simultaneously recorded at Tsukigahama. Naturally, the rhythm of the waves established the tempo of the song.
 <from Mapai>
PLANET LOVE
1992. When I traveled to the southwestern region of the United States for the first time, I came across a huge monument made of stone. Any way I looked at it, the monument looked like some kind of altar to me. The impression I got was a combination of amazement and delight. It made me realize that the monument stood on the planet long before man ever set foot on this land.
 <from Planet Love>

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