Uttara-Kuru

Fusing ancient Japanese instruments like the koto and the shakuhachi flute with western acoustic instruments and synthesizers, Uttara-kuru forged a sound that was firmly planted in the 20th century yet echoed a deeper, more primal purity. Their name came from the Japanese Buddhist version of Shangri-La, a place where peace reigned and cultures converged -- an appropriate moniker for a group that sought to create a similar peaceful convergence in music. Their debut album, Prayer, consisted almost entirely of sutras -- Buddhist chants, some of which were over 1000 years old -- t...