For those not in the know, Celer is US musician Will Long, who has resided in Japan for a number of years. When citing the works of Celer, it is almost impossible to mention everything he has done. Take time to look through his discography and you will be floored by the amount of albums he has released. Of course, I do not have all of them and whether these in their entirety are worthwhile, I could not say.
The last album I encountered by Long was the wonderfully enchanting ‘Sky Limits’; and ‘Akagi’ is no less impressive. One long track that plays out for just shy of 80 minutes might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there are moments in my life when I need to just put something on whilst watching my cat play; or just contemplating life over a cup of coffee whilst staring into nowhere in particular.
This album fills those spaces with a serene wealth of rich tones and reverberated, understated pads that creep into the corners of your soul. It is of little surprise that this recording was made for a live Yoga event in the Yougenji Temple in Northern Tokyo, given the mindfulness that has gone into the evocative tranquillity that Long achieves, on this truly relaxing addition to his lengthy career.