Owen Chen: Eternal Wind

Every song on guitarist Owen Chen's album Eternal Wind was written or co-written as part of a film score by Joe Hishaishi of Japan's animation company, Studio Ghibli. "The music, stories and emotions we encounter as children stay with us," Chen writes. "Eternal Wind aims to bring forth melodies that live in our past, with our modern-day musical voices and the rich history of jazz."

To help breathe fresh life into Hishaishi's music, Chen teams with a second guitarist, Malaysia-born Andrew Cheng, pianist Carlin Lee, bassist Sean Hannon and drummer Anton Kot, with appearances on three numbers each by tenor saxophonist Cole Palensky and harmonica player Cy Leo (together on "Carrying You"). Hishaishi's themes are melodically strong and accessible, rhythmically tasteful and fluid, leaving ample space for diversity and improvisation.

Lee is especially secure in that framework, delivering several lucid and perceptive statements. Palensky and Leo also fare rather well, lending the core group luster and weight on "The Dragon Boy," (Palensky), "Mononoke Hime" and "A Town with an Ocean View" (Leo) and "My Neighbor Totoro" (Palensky), as well as on "Carrying You." The guitars, Chen and Cheng, basically run interference for the others, soloing rarely and moderately, as do Hannon and Kot.

It would be helpful if listeners were able to summon to mind the music of Studio Ghibli, but there is no way to know if anyone could. Divorced from that connection, Eternal Wind is a pleasant and well-played studio date, but no more than that.