The album was born from American jazz clarinetist deep interest in Far Eastern culture during his travels through Asia in the early 1960s. Seeking to capture the essence of Zen, he collaborated with two Japanese master musicians: Shinichi Yuize on the koto (a 13-stringed zither).

Tony Scott's 1964 album, , is widely recognized by musicologists as the first true New Age record . Recorded in Tokyo, it represents a pioneering fusion of Western jazz sensibility and traditional Japanese music, predating the ambient and spiritual jazz movements by decades. Context and Creation

Though the tracks sound like classical Japanese compositions, they are almost entirely , rooted in the Zen concept of "beginner's mind"—a state of openness and exploration. The Track: "A Quivering Leaf, Ask The Winds" Tony Scott – Zen - Ask The Wind - Discogs