Oom Dooby Dochas present a reissue of Osamu Kitajima's Masterless Samurai, originally released in 1980. A more world music and definitely a more progressive fusion rock approach is what defines Masterless Samurai, the second album by Japanese prog warrior Osamu Kitajima. On Masterless Samurai, he takes his vision of merging Japan's traditional music with progressive rock and jazz music of the west even one step further than he did with his previous albums. Excessive flute lines of Eastern origin, funky intricate grooves, and fiery synthesizer eruptions are the basic ingredients for most of these impressive instrumentals. The fusion elements are strong in this sound and all the exotic elements from Japanese classic music pull each song far out of the mass of similar acts emerging in the late '70s. Leave behind the Pink Floyd comparison and go for the Canterbury jazz-rock scene, with Caravan and Soft Machine as leading figures, and Osamu Kitajima definitely fits in between these giants due to his creative vision of a progressive world rock music. Don't take the rock elements as utterly physical heaviness; the album rocks but in a more delicate way. The sparkling lines of the electric piano can tell where this record goes. And even a rather gentle tune, like the instrumental ballad "Floating Garden", shows a wicked and progressive edge with expressive sax runs and cool twists and turns, despite the all-in-all relaxed atmosphere.