The Garden
“For an album built on a single unaccompanied instrument, The Garden is remarkably full, patient, alive, and quietly rewarding on repeat listening.”
– Paris Move
Music by Asuka Kakitani featuring Mark Urness
Press & Reviews
August 21, 2026
“For an album built on a single unaccompanied instrument, The Garden is remarkably full, patient, alive, and quietly rewarding on repeat listening.” — Paris Move
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August 18, 2026
“The Garden is not an easygoing nature album, nor does it attempt to make the double bass conventionally pretty. Kakitani’s vision is more ambitious and peculiar.” — The JW VIBE
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August 31, 2026
“The Garden is an ode to nature, a moment of contemplation in which plants seem to come alive, breaking free from the soil that nourishes them and reaching toward an imaginary sky filled with light and vitality.” — Silence & Sound
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September 2, 2026
“A breathtaking and immersive new record from Asuka Kakitani takes you on quite a beautiful musical journey.” — Recording Artists Guild (R.A.G.)
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September 3, 2026
“An extended work for solo double bass, using all the capabilities of the instrument, is exceedingly rare, which makes Asuka Kakitani’s The Garden immediately noteworthy.” — INFODAD
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Tracklist
- Seeds 3:50
- Germination 7:59
- Ants’ House (Improvisation) 0:40
- Ditch the Chemicals 5:21
- Apple Tree (Improvisation) 0:48
- Rooting 4:41
- Fireflies (Improvisation) 1:22
- Pollinators 6:48
- Hummingbird Moth (Improvisation) 0:34
- Fly, Fly, Fly Away, Seeds 6:06
- Beneath Our Feet 3:53
Performed by Mark Urness
All compositions by Asuka Kakitani, except #3, 5, 7, and 9, are improvisations by Mark Urness.
Recorded on July 21 and 22, 2025, at Wild Sound Recording Studio in Minneapolis.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Steve Kaul
Produced by Asuka Kakitani and JC Sanford
Art Cover by Mia Kakitani-Sanford
Design by Asuka Kakitani
Title Narrations by Mia Kakitani-Sanford, Mark Urness, and Asuka Kakitani
Asuka Kakitani is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
About The Garden:
The Garden is a collection of compositions for solo double bass by Japanese-born composer Asuka Kakitani, inspired by the quiet resilience, vitality, and interconnectedness of plant life. Drawing on themes of growth, renewal, and community found in the natural world, the music unfolds as a meditative journey through sound. Performed by Wisconsin-based bassist Mark Urness, the album reveals the remarkable depth, color, and expressive range of the double bass in an intimate and reflective setting.
Mark Urness is a versatile bassist, composer, and educator. His diverse performance experience encompasses orchestral, chamber, solo, and jazz playing. He is an associate professor of music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and the principal bassist of the Weidner Center Philharmonic Orchestra. His playing on the unaccompanied jazz album, Foreground, was described by Bass World magazine as “completely in command of the instrument and the tunes, rife with good ideas, melodic instinct, and groove.” Recent performances include Chamber music broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Radio, Concerto performances as guest soloist with the Fox Valley Youth Orchestra, a Solo Recital at the 2018 ISB convention, and jazz performances with Bill Carrothers, Danilo Perez, Peter Erskine, and Joe Locke.