In 2016, Moonjune Records released the first Zhongyu album. It's often referred to as a self-titled album, though the actual title is intended to be Zhongyu Is Chinese for Finally.
Most of the pieces were originally written as demos with all programmed MIDI instruments starting in around 2010, but came together in their final forms over the next few years as we rehearsed them. One exception is "Hydraulic Fracas," which was originally titled "Manifest O." It was a later composition that was devised specifically for the musicians involved, and replaced a piece called "Quotations of Chairman Meow" which we never learned. That piece will hopefully appear on a future album.
- Jon Davis: Chapman Stick, guzheng, Mellotron, electronics
- Dennis Rea: Electric guitar, resonator guitar
- Alicia DeJoie: Electric violin
- James DeJoie: Baritone sax, bass clarinet, flute
- Randy Doak: Drums, percussion
- Daniel Barry: Trumpet ("Cat Hair All Over It" and "MBBL")
The album was engineered by Steve Fisk at Soundhouse in Seattle, mixed by Steve Fisk, Jon Davis, and Dennis Rea at Steve's home studio, and mastered by Steve Turnidge. The cover art is by Tristan Olsen, patterned after some old Chinese propaganda posters. Interior photography by Danette Davis. Packaging layout and design by Jon Davis.