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RN-6 CD, $15.00
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Shakuhachi: Kinya Sogawa
Take wo Fuku - Playing Bamboo
An Introduction to Kinya Sogawa's Blowing Bamboo by Ned Rothenberg
In my 30 year odyssey with the shakuhachi I've sometimes struggled with
a certain disconnect in the community of its practitioners. The music
and philosophy of the instrument flows from an ideal of ego-less
exploration of the breath. However, by adorning themselves with
purchased titles, weighty 'names', and assorted rankings a la the
martial arts the shakuhachi scene can be a highly hyped, ego-driven,
competitive place. Ambition may become a major reason players gain
public exposure, rather than the musical depth of their art. Of course
I am describing something that happens to some extent in all the arts,
but the contrast to the underlying philosophy of the instrument makes
it somehow more troubling.
This preamble is a way of stating why I was so pleased to produce this
cd by Kinya Sogawa. I've known Kinya-San for over 20 years since first
meeting him as a fellow student of the late,great Katsuya Yokoyama.
Right from the beginning I found him fascinating and different. He was
not 'hustling' to gain notoriety but working very hard with a much more
interior focus. He had the calm demeanor of a true master blended with
a childlike curiosity about musical and practical elements of life.
Like the players of old he not only played but also built the
instrument, searching for the unique sound within each piece of bamboo.
(In fact I have been playing a flute of his for many years now and it
has become a deep and faithful friend.)
While always eager to learn from his teachers there is in Kinya an
honest and centered independence of spirit that gives his playing a
unique sound quality and an almost effortless weight. Today, one can
hear a musician, who for all his training and technique, still
approaches each time he blows into the flute as a kind of exploration,
not merely executing a known set of sounds but joining the heart, ear
and breath into a unified expression.
From Kinya's notes to the cd:
By taking a length of bamboo, removing the partitions of the joints,
making an oblique cut for the mouthpiece and opening five fingerholes,
you can make a simple musical instrument that can be played in an
infinite number of ways. Especially with the Classical Honkyoku
repertoire (solo pieces played by wandering monks), the simplicity of
the instrument becomes the matrix for truly wonderful fingering and
breathing techniques.
Choshi The simple structure of the piece lets one absorb oneself in sound. (Played on 2.2)
Suzuru What sounds like “korokoro” is called “korokoro.” (1.8)
Sanya A simple yet wild piece. (2.5)
Nagori Ned Rothenberg wrote this piece for Kinya. In Ned’s words: “A
note is so much more than the pitch”…it undergoes a transformation as “
the sonic image turns into its trace.” (2.7)
San’an The melody is beautiful, full of musical turns so suited to classical shakuhachi. (2.1)
Shingetsu Time passes quietly. (2.5)
Reibo A piece full of changes between stillness and dynamism, difficult to control. (2.1)
Kudari-ba Belongs to the category of lighter, playful pieces known as
gikyoku. Sometimes playing in a lighter mood feels good. (1.0)
Kokyo Composed in 1970 by Miki Minoru for Yokoyama Katsuya. In Miki’s
own words: “Kokyo means the uneasy heart of the musician and his cry of
prayer.” (2.5)
Isle Royale In Elizabeth Brown's mysterious duet, unexpected, inventive techniques evoke the haunting cry of loons. (1.8 x 2)
Koku Striving for a sound that flies perfectly straight and endlessly far. (2.5)
See video of the recording session of Koku (sound is from iphone, the CD is vastly superior!)
KINYA SOGAWA is one of the most outstanding shakuhachi performers in
Japan today, and is also one of Japan's finest shakuhachi makers. As
both a brilliant musician and craftsman, he is a rare gem within the
shakuhachi world. In the years before World War II, the best shakuhachi
players were also the best shakuhachi makers, but since the latter 20th
century these roles diverged as the demands required for each
increased. In this sense, Kinya Sogawa represents a renaissance of the
true spirit of the master shakuhachi artist. As a
performing artist, Mr. Sogawa is active in an extraordinarily wide
range of traditional and contemporary music. While his core focus
remains the solo repertoire of traditional pieces passed down by the
komuso wandering monks of the Edo Period, he is also one of Japan's
prominent performers of contemporary music. In the 1990s he was a
leading member of the acclaimed ensemble Pro Musica Nipponia where he
received an award for technical excellence. Since 1993 he has been a
member of the acclaimed Orchestra Asia and is a soloist for the
orchestra’s Japan Team. With both of these ensembles he has toured
frequently in Europe and Asia. In addition, he is one of Japan's
foremost shakuhachi performance and recording artists for the popular
singing style known as enka. He also frequently performs and records
for theater, television dramas, and commercials. His music for the
opening sequence inYasunori Mitsuda's computer game, "Chrono Cross",
was designated "best video game music of all time" by America’s
Hardcore Gaming 101 in 2011. Born in Kobe, Mr. Sogawa
studied the shakuhachi with Katsuya Yokoyama, one of the 20th century
giants of music in Japan, and he was apprenticed to master shakuhachi
craftsman Chikusen Tamai. In addition to his professional performance
and instrument making activities, he has been deeply engaged with the
development of a curriculum in traditional music for the Japanese
public school system.
animul
Ned Rothenberg
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Composer(s) |
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21090
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Enzo Minarelli |
21089
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Aliona Yurtsevich |
21088
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Yiorgis Sakellariou |
21087
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id m theft able |
21086
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Kasper T. Toeplitz |
21085
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Tom Hamilton |
21084
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David First |
21083
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Tomomi Adachi / Jaap Blonk / Owen F. Smith / Duane
Ingalls |
21082
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Marta Sainz &
If, Bwana |
| 21081 |
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Aliona Yurtsevich |
21080
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If, Bwana |
21079
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Ulrich Krieger |
21078
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Triple Point |
21077
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Robin Hayward |
21076
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Ron Nagorcka |
21075
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Secluded Bronte |
21074
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David Rosenboom |
21073
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Peter Batchelor |
| 21072 |
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Alvin Lucier |
| 21071 |
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Lou Cohen |
| 21070 |
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Brian Chase |
| 21069 |
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Jerry Hunt |
| 21068 |
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If, Bwana |
| 21067 |
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Jorge Antunes |
| 21066 |
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Enzo Minarelli |
| 21065 |
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Tensions At The Vanguard |
| 21064 |
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Frances White |
| 21063 |
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Noah Creshevsky |
| 21062 |
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If,Bwana/Trio Scordatura |
| 21061 |
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Nate Wooley |
| 21060 |
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Leo Kupper |
| 21059 |
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Pauline Oliveros/ Francisco López/Doug Van Nort/Jonas
Braasch |
| 21058 |
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Philip Corner |
| 21057 |
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Alvin Lucier |
| 21056 |
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Dimitri Voudouris |
| 21055 |
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Birds + Machines |
| 21054 |
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Kiva |
| 21053 |
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César Bolaños |
| 21052 |
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Lionel Marchetti & Olivier Capparos |
| 21051 |
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Tom Hamilton/
Bruce Eisenbeil |
| 21050 |
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Source Records 1-6 |
| 21049 |
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Noah Creshevsky/ If,Bwana |
| 21048 |
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Simon Wickham-Smith |
| 21047 |
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Kenneth Gaburo |
| 21046 |
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If, Bwana (Al Margolis) |
| 21045 |
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Annea Lockwood |
| 21044 |
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Felix Werder |
| 21043 |
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Dimitri Voudouris |
| 21042 |
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Nick Didkovsky |
| 21041 |
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Montreal Sound Matter |
| 21040 |
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Anla Courtis |
| 21039 |
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Crawling with Tarts |
| 21038 |
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If, Bwana (Al Margolis) |
| 21037 |
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Hans Otte |
| 21036 |
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DIY Canons |
| 21035 |
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Band/Myers |
| 21034 |
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Chris Brown |
| 21033 |
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Tom Johnson |
| 21032 |
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Roger Reynolds |
| 21031 |
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Trios - Collaboration |
| 21030 |
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Beth Anderson |
| 21029 |
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Hamilton, Silverton, Margolis |
| 21028 |
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Warren Burt |
| 21027 |
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Jorge Antunes |
| 21026 |
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David Dunn |
| 21025 |
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Roger Reynolds |
| 21024 |
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If, Bwana (Al Margolis) |
| 21023 |
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Pauline Oliveros |
| 21022 |
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David Rosenboom |
| 21021 |
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Ross Bolleter |
| 21020 |
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Kenneth Gaburo |
| 21019 |
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If, Bwana (Al Margolis) |
| 21018 |
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Leo Kupper |
| 21017 |
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Robert Rutman |
| 21016 |
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Matthew Ostrowski |
| 21015 |
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various |
| 21014 |
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Rune Linblad |
| 21013 |
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If, Bwana (Al Margolis) |
| 21012 |
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Pauline Oliveros |
| 21011 |
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Rune Linblad |
| 21010 |
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If, Bwana (Al Margolis) |
| 21009 |
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Leo Kupper |
| 21008 |
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various |
| 21007 |
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If, Bwana (Al Margolis) |
| 21006 |
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Trigger |
| 21005 |
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Big City Orchestra |
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| IB |
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If,Bwana |
| FPM |
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Frog Peak Music |
| CUE |
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C.U.E. Records |
| SOP |
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Sound of Pig Cassettes |
| ANTS |
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Ants (Italian Label) |
| ANIMUL |
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Ned Rothenberg |
| HOMLER |
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Anna Homler |
| OAKSMUS |
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oaksmus (German Label) |
| GD STEREO |
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Geoff Dugan |
| ANOMALOUS |
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Anomalous Records |
| NONSEQUITUR |
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Nonsequitur |
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