Kaoru Watanabe is a New York-based musician, classically trained in a wide range of traditional traditional Japanese instruments. An in demand collaborator, he’s worked with a long list of western artists, including Laurie Anderson and Andre 3000. “The Arch” is his sophomore solo album. The set takes its title from a short story by Akutagawa Ryunoskue, and reflects on Watanabe’s life spilt between Japan and the American mid-west. Contemplating the contradictions that exist between these worlds. Attempting to link the two.

Having travelled to his parents’ homeland to study with masters, Watanabe’s pieces are improvisations that employ current digital compositional tools to produce a distinctive mix of ancient and modern. Built around Zen zithers, patiently plucked and picked koto strings, glissandos, whistling woodwinds, shinobue and ryuteki flutes, taiko drums, learned on Sado Island, and ceremonial narimono percussion. Saxophones, Sci-Fi synths, and glitchy, but graceful, electronics in places augmenting these heritage elements.

The title track matches free sax skronk with loud Japanese yawps. “Kazekaoru Gogatsu” comes alive, and also has a carnival, omatsuri, vibe, with a belching, bleep-y bass-line and rapid electro / acoustic percussion. Both tie into the album’s hanabi-takai (firework festival) artwork.

“Hiraeth” scrambles its sources, but still starts out serene, before climbing to a cathartic cacophony. “Rubicon” dances to gamelan-like gongs. “Kumo No Ito” has Watanabe’s partner, Yuri Ito’s “la la la” lullaby vocals ride rapid, racing patterns. “Activities Of Daily Living” opens as a soothing pastoral, coloured by wordless, scatting, spiritual, human harmonies – recalling Airto or Pedro Aznar on Pat Metheny’s “Mas Alla”. Then, evolves to a machined march of busy whizzing, whirring and tribal drumming.

Dedicated to Ito, the closing “Unadorned” surrounds a poem that details some of Watanabe’s intersecting, international memories. Juggling childlike wonder with hindsight. To my ears at least, Watanabe’s music makes for a pretty unique fusion. Delicately balancing folk and circuitry, with jazz in the way he blows his solos.

Kaoru Watanabe’s “The Arch” can be ordered directly from New Amsterdam / Figure 8.