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EUROPEAN SHAKUHACHI SOCIETY Newsletter: Issue 3

January 2007

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Happy New Year to all you Shakuhachi players out there. 2007 promises to be a year that will include the official birth of the ESS, the second European Shakuhachi Summer School (to be held in France) and, no doubt, more exciting developments that we don�’t yet know about! This, the third issue of the ESS newsletter, includes Part Two of Justin Williams�’ �‘A Story of Urushi�’; an article by Katja Kornesky about her trip to Japan, as well as a complete �‘guide�’ to all her drawings; Horacio Curtin, a shakuhachi player and teacher from Spain, has written about the Shakuhachi in Spain and Clive Bell has written a great CD review. As you will notice, I have made an effort to differentiate more clearly between the translations of the articles this time �– so, in this issue, French appears in Orange and German in Green. We also have one translation into Spanish, so that appears in Purple. I hope this makes it easier for readers to navigate themselves around the newsletter. It has been decided that both the Teachers List and �‘Dates for your Diary�’ would be better suited to the main ESS website, rather than appearing in the newsletter, so you won�’t find them here this time. Issue 4 will come out beginning of April 2007 �– please do feel free to start sending articles, etc to me straight away (stephaniehiller9@yahoo.co.uk). I will need them to arrive no later than the last week of February as we need to allow time for the translations to be done. If you are able to arrange translations yourself, all the better Happy reading!

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Index

Page 1 Introduction Page 2 Index Page 3-6 A Story of Urushi part Two by Justin Williams Page 6 Shakuhachi Poem Page 7-14 The Shakuhachi September by Katya Kornetsky, including translations Page 14 Mini-me Page 15-19 The Review Section by Clive Bell, including Translations Page 19-21 Katja�’s Shakuhachi Drawings Page 21-29 The Shakuhachi in Spain by Horacio Curtin, including translations

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A Story of Urushi By Justin Williams

PART TWO If you look down the bore of your shakuhachi now, you may well be wondering what lies beneath its shiny surface. Well, it could be any number of things, from dental powder to epoxy resin! But, the traditional method is indeed closely related to this technology just described. Originally the shakuhachi of the Komuso (the wandering monks of the Fuke Zen sect) was a straight piece of bamboo with no root-end section. It seems at some stage in the early Edo period it started to be made instead from the ground section of bamboo, baring the roots. There have been various suggestions why this is so. I find it most likely due to the fact that if the bore of a shakuhachi is straight, the upper octave is flat. Taking the bamboo from the base of the stem yields a naturally tapered bore, thus making the octaves balances. And so, the instrument evolved. Gradually as time passed, both playing and making became more refined. Even when the instrument was still officially restricted to the Komuso, some Komuso were already professional teachers with teaching studios in the towns. This also allowed for the specialisation of shakuhachi makers, whereas in earlier times it seems making was more the domain of amateurs. This led to refinements in the techiques for making. It was common practice to protect ones shakuhachi with a coat of urushi in the bore, and even on occasion on the outside. But then about 150 years ago, a decisive development took place. The shape of the inside of the bore is critical not only to the pitch of the shakuhachi, but also to the tone colour, and the stability of the notes. If you knock out the nodes of a suitable piece of bamboo, drill the finger holes, and make the mouthpiece, if you are lucky one octave will be easy to tune without too much difficulty. Generally, one or more of the notes in the next octave will be out of tune. Also any number of the notes may be unstable or weak. This is all due to the shape of the bore �– after all, the bamboo may not have had these notes in mind while it was growing! A certain amount of adjustment may be achieved by filing away more of the remnants of the joints, which still protrude inside. In

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fact, anywhere along the bore may be widened using files. This is intriguing work and requires sensitivity, experience and a certain amount of intuition! And these makers gained great skills in this work. However, it is just as likely that a problem is caused by a particular area in the bore being too narrow (remedied by removing material) as it is that a problem is caused by an area being too wide. If you can only remove material, some problems are unfixable. Thus, often notes simply cannot be made to be in tune, or made stable with this technique, and the better instruments made in this fashion rely not only on the skill of the maker but on the luck of the bamboo. (I have heard that Watatsumi said one piece in one hundred will be good!) And so, around 150 years ago, the shakuhachi makers crossed the ancient underwork technology of urushi craft with their now already refined shakuhachi making skills. Imagine that you are making a shakuhachi from a piece of bamboo with seven nodes, as is common tradition. You tune the lower octave, but three notes in the upper octave a flat. This is a problem which cannot be fixed by altering the nodes or the finger holes. Upon examining the bore, you understand that one section (i.e. between two of the nodes) is too wide. As is natural, these things happen. So applying ji in that space will bring that section into relational harmony with the rest of the bore. This is an example of tuning through bore alteration. Then next step is to continue in this way, adding and subtracting material all along the bore, until you have the sound you desire. Towards the end of the Edo period, shakuhachi was being played in ensemble with koto and shamisen. The instrument therefore required a good amount of volume, and for each note not only to be in tune but also to be balanced, i.e. no note should be noticeably weaker or louder than the others. The tone colour should also be good, and balanced overall. Of course, all the things are a factor to some extent in the honkyoku playing prior to this. However, wandering monks playing on their own may have been less bothered by such irregularities, whereas when playing in ensemble, it becomes very apparent if one's pitch strays from consensus. Ensemble music becomes demanding both on the technique of the player, and on the quality of the shakuhachi as a musical instrument (whereas before it was help more to be a religious tool (㷃❖, hôki)).

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So in the end we have a bore which has generally been coated with ji all along its length, very carefully shaped with extreme precision. This takes much time, experience and a very good ear. The result is what we now refer to as �“ji-ari�” shakuhachi �– shakuhachi with ji. Generally any ensemble player, and indeed most honkyoku players also, use this type of shakuhachi. However, the older style of shakuhachi has by no means dissappeared. Now known as �“jinashi�” (without ji) shakuhachi, makers are still creating shakuhachi with little or no ji (often a little is needed here and there for tuning and note balance as I have

Meian jinashi. Notice the natural form of the bamboo walls, and the change in diameter at each node section.

Kinko jinashi

Kinko jiari, with traditional materials. Notice the surface is not totally smooth. It is worked only until the sound is as wanted. This is often the case in older shakuhachi.

Tozan jiari, probably using dental powder as foundation. Very different sound than the kinko shakuhachi on the left.

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mentioned, but in this approach (in contrast to the �“ji-ari�” approach) one adds only just enough to make the instrument acceptable (which is of course entirely subjective) - for example curing one badly unstable note - but staying as close as possibly to the nature-given shape of the bamboo bore. While the ji-ari shakuhachi have a sound often more refined �– sometimes incredibly smooth �– the ji-nashi shakuhachi are all very unique, often being somehow more �“airy�” and perhaps somehow bringing us back to the wind amongst that bamboo grove where Zhang Bo wandered �– wind on open stump of bamboo, ringing out the sound of his master's bell. And so ends our story. For thousands of years it has served us - from the coating of the bowls every Tibetan carries, monk and nomad alike, for their every meal of tea and barley flour - to the magnificently decorated alters of the Potala palace in Lhasa. From the miso bowls and chopsticks of Japan, to the most exquisite multicoloured designs on picnic trays and jewellery boxes. In Japan it is all around us, and I believe it will continue to be. And so too is our shakuhachi story so intimately bound, to this wonderous sap we call urushi. Justin Williams 15th September 2006. Japan.

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Shakuhachi Poem

The moon floats about the pines And the ancient veranda is cold

As the ancient clear sounds come to your fingertips. The old melody usually makes the listeners weep

But Zen music is without sentiment Do not play again until the great sound of Lau Tsu

accompanies you.

Hsueh-Tou (980-1052)

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My Shakuhachi September By Katja Kornesky In my Shakuhachi September I made a business trip to Japan. Okuda sensei had told me at the Shakuhachi Summer School that he lived very close to my company�’s office in Hachioji. One day my colleagues were nice enough to release me early from tiresome meetings, so I could visit him for a lesson. His practise room is just like the Shakuhachi he likes to play: Long. First, he asked me to try play some of his shorter Shakuhachi, but I couldn�’t get any sound out of them. After a few tries I returned to my familiar 1.8 Shakuhachi, but I was very impressed at the sound of the long flutes. He explained to me Hifumi Hachigaeshi, and it was really great to play together with him. That was a very uplifting experience for me. He later told me he will go in November with his students on a bamboo harvesting trip. I hope we will hear from one of you about this exciting excursion. I also had lesson with Furuya sensei another day, and got a completely different view on the piece. For me it was really nice to see how different but great these two teachers are. And for me it is very important to perceive different aspects of one piece. On a Saturday I took my colleague on a trip tip discover Basho. Besides being a Haiku poet, this guy was working for the water ministry of Tokyo. One of his trips he allegedly took for inner enlightenment served actually the tourism industry of Japan very well. He wrote outstanding poems about the pine-tree-rich North of Japan, and now people flock to places such as Matsushima. Anyway, near the beautiful Kiyosumi garden in Fukagawa, Tokyo, lies Basho-An, where this famous poet used to live. 1689, when he departed his hermitage for the later to become famous trip up north (Oku no Hosomichi), he wrote in his diary:�” I began my journey on March 27, with the faint outline of Mt. Fuji appearing in the dawn sky under a waning moon and the tops of the cherry trees in Ueno and Yanaka just visible in the distance.�” When we were there we felt on our faces the light breeze coming from the Sumida river and tried to imagine Basho�’s cherry trees. In the Basho museum nearby we saw many beautiful sketches of places and people he met during his travels.

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The sound of Shakuhachi (possibly)

My friend Yuko, who is a pianist and a Shakuhachi player told me she would perform on Sunday in a very nice Café in Shibuya. Café Ano serves very delicious Czech food. My first challenge was to FIND that place. Well, you know, these Japanese addresses can be very tricky. Usually the house is not on its supposed location, because in Japan cities are organized in blocks. All houses are arranged around one block, therefore number 3 is in no means close to number 4. But it turned out that the map I had was very good, and I quickly found it. The cafe is a very tiny place, which looks like a German living room, with comfy chairs and sofas. Furuya sensei, Justin, who some of you might know from the mailing list and many friends of the players came. Yuko and friends performed Shika no Tone and pieces of Fukuda Rando amongst others. On Sunday evening I had the chance to visit my other Yuko friend,

who is an excellent Shamisen performer. Her husband makes very nice Shakuhachi, and I bought a 2.1 from him. I really love it. It sounds like the North and the South wind and the Sumida breeze I have to say that, since I have been

working at that time, I wasn�’t very good at practising. So I just played as well as I could and tried to remember as much as I could. Which was not much. But it seems to me that an impression of someone playing a tone is much more important than hearing the tone itself. For example, at Furuya sensei�’s place one can sit all night long and watch many different people taking lessons. The images of all these different characters, salary men, students, psychologists and patent lawyers will stay with me till the rest of my life. There are just sooo many musicians around. It is amazing! They all really motivated me in ways of determination, sensitivity and skills.

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I am glad that during this trip I could stock up so much on Shakuhachi treasures. I am just asking myself: Well, I managed to keep my work-life balance, but what about my sleep? Traveller�’s tips: • Kiyosumi Garden • Basho-An • Café Ano • Matsushima Culture tips: • Okuda Sensei • Furuya Sensei • Oku no Hosomichi (Basho) • Fukuda Rando Mon Septembre « Shakuhachi » Par Katja Kornesky Durant mon septembre « Shakuhachi » j�’ai fait un voyage d�’affaire au Japon. Sensei Okuda m�’avait dit lors du Shakuhachi Summer School qu�’il vivait très près du bureau de ma compagnie à Hachioji. Alors un jour, mes collègues on eu l�’amabilité de me laisser quitter les réunions ennuyantes un peu tôt, afin que je puisse le visiter pour une leçon. Sa salle de pratique est tout à fait à l�’image des shakuhachi qu�’il aime jouer : toute en longueur. Premièrement, il m�’a demandé d�’essayer quelques-uns de ses shakuhachi les plus courts, mais je n�’ai pas pu en faire sortir un son. Après quelques essais j�’ai décidé de m�’en tenir à mon familier shakuhachi 1.8, quoique impressionnée par le son de ses flûtes longues. Il m�’a donné des explications sur Hifumi Hachigaeshi, et c�’était bien de jouer avec lui. Ça a vraiment été une expérience formidable pour moi. Il a par après mentionné qu�’il irait déterrer ses bambous en Novembre avec ses apprentis. J�’espère que nous allons recevoir de vos nouvelles à propos de cette excursion excitante. J�’ai aussi obtenu une leçon de Sensei Furuya un autre jour, ce qui m�’a donné une perspective complètement différente sur la pièce. C�’était bien de voir combien différents quoique grandioses ses

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instructeurs sont. Et il m�’a été bénéfique de percevoir différentes approches pour les pièces. Le samedi, j�’ai amené un collègue à la découverte de Basho. En plus d�’être un poète, cet homme a travaillé pour le ministère de l�’aqueduc de Tokyo. L�’un de ses voyages, bien qu�’entrepris à des fins religieuses d�’illumination personnelle, aura par le fait même très bien servi l�’industrie du tourisme japonais. En effet, il a écrit au cours de son voyage de remarquables poèmes sur le Nord du Japon et sa richesse en pins, et aujourd�’hui les gens défilent en masse vers des sites tels que Matsushima. Près du merveilleux jardin Kiyosumi à Tokyo se dresse le Basho-An, là où le célèbre poète vécu. En 1689, en quittant son ermitage pour ce qui allait devenir son notoire Voyage vers le Nord (Hoku no Hosomichi), il a noté dans son journal : « J�’ai commencé mon voyage le 27 mars, avec la vague silhouette apparaissant dans l�’aurore sous la lune en décours, et la cime des cerisiers d�’Ueno et de Yanaka tout juste visibles au loin ». Quand nous y sommes arrivé, nous pouvions sentir sur nos visages la brise légère provenant de la rivière Sumida, et essayions d�’imaginer les cerisiers mentionnés par Basho. Dans le musée de Basho situé à proximité nous avons vu nombre de belles esquisses des lieux et des gens qu�’il a rencontré durant ses voyages. Mon amie Yuko, pianiste et interprète de shakuhachi, m�’a annoncé qu�’elle devait jouer le dimanche à Café Ano, un adorable café à Shibuya. On y sert d�’ailleurs une délicieuse cuisine Tchèque. Cependant, il fallait d�’abord trouver l�’endroit, ce qui ne s�’annonçait pas chose facile vu le système d�’adresses civiques japonais. C�’est que les villes au Japon sont organisées en blocs plutôt que de façon linéaire, et comme les maisons sont elles aussi arrangées autour de ses blocs, le numéro 4, par exemple, ne suit pas nécessairement le numéro 3. Heureusement, j�’ai déniché une très bonne carte de la ville, et j�’ai pu trouvé le café rapidement. C�’est un endroit très sobre, un peu comme un salon allemand, avec des chaises confortables et des sofas. Furuya Sensei, Justin, que quelques-uns d�’entre vous connaissent peut-être du fait qu�’il est sur la liste de courriel, ainsi que plusieurs amis(es) de l�’interprète sont venu. Yuko et des amis (es) ont entre autres joué Shika no Tone et quelques pièces de Fukuda Rampo.

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Le dimanche soir j�’ai eu la chance de visiter mon autre amie Yuko, qui est une excellente joueuse de shamisen. Son mari fabrique de très bon shakuhachi, et je lui ai acheté un 2.1. Je l�’adore! Il a le son des vents du nord et du sud, et de la brise de la rivière Sumida. Je dois dire que depuis que j�’ai commencé à travailler, je n�’ai pas été très diligente dans ma pratique. J�’ai donc fait de mon mieux pour mémoriser et m�’appliquer à ma pratique le mieux possible, ce qui n�’était toutefois pas satisfaisant. Mais je m�’aperçois que l�’impression d�’une personne jouant un son est beaucoup plus importante que ce son en soi. Par exemple, chez Sensei Furuya on peut passer la soirée à regarder des gens de toutes sortes prendre des leçons. Les images de ces businessmen, étudiants, psychologues et avocats me resteront à jamais en mémoire. Il y a tant de musiciens, c�’est incroyable! Et ils ont tous stimulé ma détermination, ma sensibilité et ma dextérité. Je suis ravie d�’avoir pu rapporter de ce voyage tant de trésors du shakuhachi. Mais je me demande : « Bon, j�’ai enfin pu concilier travail et shakuhachi�…mais où vais-je trouver le temps de dormir? ». Conseils voyage (liens en anglais seulement): • Kiyosumi Garden • Basho-An • Café Ano • Matsushima Conseils culture (liens en anglais seulement): • Okuda Sensei • Furuya Sensei • Oku no Hosomichi (Basho) • Fukuda Rando Mein Shakuhachi September In meinem Shakuhachi September machte ich eine Geschäftsreise nach Japan. Okuda Sensei hatte mir während der Shakuhachi Sommerakademie erzählt, daß er sehr nah am japanischen Büro meiner Firma in Hachioji lebt. Eines Tages waren meine Kollegen so nett, mich schon früher aus den anstrengenden Sitzungen zu

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entlassen, so dass ich ihn für eine Unterrichtsstunde besuchen konnte. Okuda Senseis Übungsraum ist genauso wie die Shakuhachi die er gerne spielt: Lang. Zuerst bat er mich, einmal auf einer seiner kürzeren Shakuhachi zu spielen, aber ich brachte keinen Ton aus ihr heraus. Nach einigen Versuchen kehrte ich zu meiner 1.8 Shakuhachi zurück, aber der Ton der langen Flöten hat mich wirklich schwer beeindruckt. Dann erklärte mir Okuda Sensei Hifumi Hachigaeshi, und es war echt Klasse, zusammen mit ihm zu spielen. Das war eine sehr erhebende Erfahrung für mich. Und später erzählte er mir, daß er im November mit seinen Kursteilnehmern auf Bambus-Ernte geht. Ich hoffe, daß wir von einem von Ihnen etwas von dieser aufregenden Exkursion hören werden. An einem anderen Tag hatte ich eine Stunde bei Furuya sensei, und ich lernte dasselbe Stück aus einer ganz anderen Perspektive kennen. Für mich war es wirklich toll, zu sehen, wie unterschiedlich und großartig diese zwei Lehrer sind. Und für mich ist es sehr wichtig, unterschiedliche Aspekte eines Stückes kennenzulernen. An einem Samstag nahm ich dann meine Kollegin auf einen Ausflug mit, um Basho zu entdecken. Basho war nicht nur ein berühmter Haiku Dichter, er arbeitete auch für das Wasserministerium von Tokyo. Eine seiner Reisen, die er eigentlich zur inneren Erleuchtung unternahm, brachte letztlich der Tourismusindustrie von Japan sehr viel Nutzen. Er schrieb bewegende Gedichte über den Kiefer-reichen Norden von Japan und als Ergebnis bevölkern heute Massen an Touristen so entlegene Plätze wie Matsushima. Also, in der Nähe des schönen Kiyosumi Gartens in Fukagawa, Tokyo, liegt Basho-An, wo dieser berühmte Dichter lebte. 1689, als er seine Einsiedelei verließ, um seine später berühmte Reise in den Norden (Oku no Hosomichi) anzutreten, schrieb er in sein Tagebuch: �“Ich begann meine Reise am 27. März, mit dem schwachen Umriß des Fuji im Abendhimmel, unter dem abnehmenden Mond, und gerade sichtbar in der Ferne die Spitzen der Kirschbäume in Ueno und in Yanaka.�“ Als wir dort waren, spürten wir auf unseren Gesichtern die leichte Brise vom Sumida Fluß, und versuchten, uns die Kirschbäume Bashos vorzustellen. Im Basho Museum in der Nähe sahen wir dann viele schöne

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Skizzen der Orte und der Menschen, die er während seiner Wanderung angefertigt hat. Meine Freundin Yuko, die eine Pianistin und Shakuhachi-Spielerin ist, erzählte mir, daß sie am Sonntag in einem sehr netten Café in Shibuya auftreten würde. Im Café Ano gibt es sehr leckere tschechische Spezialitäten. Meine erste Herausforderung war aber zunächst, diesen Platz ZU FINDEN. Japanische Adressen können nämlich sehr verzwickt sein. Normalerweise ist ein Haus nicht auf seiner angenommenen Position, weil in Japan alle Strassen in Blöcken organisiert sind. Die Häuser sind um einen Block geordnet, folglich ist Nr. 3 in oftmals nicht nahe der Nr. 4. Zum Glück war die Wegbeschreibung, die ich hatte, sehr gut, und ich fand es sehr schnell. Das Cafe ist sehr klein, es sieht aus wie ein deutsches Wohnzimmer, mit bequemen Stühlen und Sofas. Furuya sensei, Justin, den einige von Euch vielleicht aus der Mailing-Liste kennen und viele andere Freunde der Spieler kamen. Yuko und ihre Freunde führten unter anderem Shika no Tone und Stücke von Fukuda Rando vor. Am Sonntag Abend hatte ich die Möglichkeit, meine andere Yuko-Freundin zu besuchen, die ganz toll Shamisen spielt. Ihr Ehemann Hiro Matsumoto baut sehr schön klingende Shakuhachi, und diesmal kaufte ich eine 2.1 Flöte von ihm. Ich liebe ihren Klang. Er klingt wie der Nord- und der Südwind und wie die Sumida Brise. Ich muß übrigens auch sagen, daß ich, da ich zu dieser Zeit gearbeitet habe, nicht so superviel üben konnte. So spielte ich gerade das, was ich konnte und versuchte, einfach soviel wie möglich von dem, was ich mitbekam, zu erinnern. Was ich bewusst erinnerte, ist nicht viel. Aber ich finde, daß oft auch ein Eindruck von jemand, der einen Ton spielt, viel wichtiger ist, als den Ton selbst zu hören. Man kann in Furuya Senseis Klasse fast die ganze Nacht lang sitzen und viele unterschiedliche Leute sehen, die dort Unterricht nehmen. Die Bilder aller dieser unterschiedlichen Menschen, seien es Angestellte, Studenten, Psychologen und Patentanwälte haben einen sehr tiefen Eindruck bei mir hinterlassen. Es gibt wirklich sooo viele Musiker in der Welt. Das finde ich Klasse! Sie alle motivieren mich durch ihre Zielstrebigkeit, Empfindsamkeit und ihre Fertigkeiten. Ich bin froh, daß ich während dieser Reise so viele Shakuhachi-Schätze gefunden habe. Ich frage mich nur: Ich habe es zwar

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geschafft, meine Work-Life Balance zu halten, aber was war mit meinem Schlaf? Reisetips: • Kiyosumi Garden • Basho-An • Café Ano • Matsushima Kulturtips: Okuda Sensei • Furuya Sensei • Oku no Hosomichi (Basho) • Fukuda Rando --------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a photo of the �‘mini me�’ that adorned the top of my recent birthday cake, cunningly crafted by my very

talented sister in law (editor)

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THE REVIEW SECTION Two albums by Sabu Orimo: Susabu and Ichion SUBJECTIVE SPIRIT SOUND CDRs http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~sssound/frametop.html BY CLIVE BELL Two solo albums on the tiny Japanese label Subjective Spirit Sound contain the most remarkable shakuhachi playing I�’ve heard in years. Sabu Orimo is a player still in his twenties, with a fine lineage: both his parents were musicians in Punk groups. He studied shakuhachi with Atsuya Okuda and plays exclusively ji-nashi �“hocchiku�” flutes, large, natural bamboo with no lacquer or special treatment to affect the sound. His concert posters announce �“Noise Shakuhachi Solo Live�”, while his label describes him as playing �“Japanese old stone age style�”. Susabu consists of nine pieces all recorded on 28th March 2006. The opener is a passionate treatment of the honkyoku �“San-an�”, full of busy flurries, gasps and violent stamping noises. It recalls the master Watazumido, but if anything is even more uninhibited and earthy. But Orimo�’s control is firm �– he often swivels into silence, and the piece closes with great calm after the storm. A version of �“Koku�” is meditative and beautifully paced. Here you can clearly discern Okuda�’s influence, and at seventeen minutes it�’s the same length as Okuda�’s own recording. Orimo also plays the honkyoku �“Sanya�” and �“Honte No Shirabe�”, but almost half of this album appears to be improvised. Susabu�’s title track is in two parts, between which Orimo probably needed to lie down in a darkened room. �“Susabu Part 1�” is a full-blooded outburst, culminating in an almighty thump. In �“Part 2�” Orimo snorts down the flute like a trumpet, and roars as if possessed. The recording equipment reels under the onslaught �– this is a demented howling you expect more on a lo-fi Punk record. It�’s a shock, but somehow integrated into the story that Orimo is telling. His sound has such integrity that he can carry the listener with him; as with Albert Ayler�’s saxophone, you feel that if he needs to extend his emotional range this wide, then so be it. Susabu concludes with an extremely low-pitched and restrained track titled �“Tsukiyo�”. In spite of all this, it�’s Ichion, Orimo�’s second

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album, recorded two weeks later, that is one of my favourite records of 2006. Four of the five tracks are played on a long and low flute. Here what�’s remarkable is how little Orimo does and how good his timing is. Three minutes can be devoted to exploration of one quiet note. The outside world creeps in around the edges: on �“Yure�” we can hear it�’s pouring with rain. Five minutes in, Orimo makes his move. Gusts of wind whip through the bamboo, then he returns to stillness. These are extraordinary performances that seem to dig deep into Japanese tradition. Critique musicale Deux albums par Sabu Orimo : Susabu et Ichion Subjective Spirit �….. Par Clive Bell Deux albums solos parus sur la minuscule étiquette Subjective Spirit Sound contiennent le shakuhachi le plus remarquable que j�’aie entendu depuis plusieurs années. Sabu Orimo est un joueur dans la vingtaine, et d�’un fin lignage : ses deux parents étaient musiciens dans des groupes Punk. Il a étudié le Shakuhachi sous Atsuya Okuda et joue exclusivement la flûte de type ji-nashi « hocchiku », faite d�’une pièce de bambou colossale et naturelle, sans laque ni altération spéciale visant à en modifier le son. Les affiches de son concert annoncent « Bruyant Shakuhachi Solo Live», tandis que son étiquette le décrit comme jouant avec un « style du vieil Âge de Pierre japonais ». Susabu comporte neuf pièces, toutes enregistrées le 28 mars 2006. La pièce d�’ouverture est une interprétation passionnée de la honkyoku « San-an », pleine de rafales, de halètement, et de violents bruits sourds. Ce n�’est pas sans rappeler le maître Watazamido, mais encore plus primitif, et avec encore moins de retenue. Mais le contrôle d�’Orimo est ferme il revient souvent au silence, et la pièce se termine avec beaucoup de calme après la tempête. D�’ailleurs, sa version de « Koku » est méditative et admirablement cadencée. On y discerne clairement l�’influence d�’Okuda, et faisant dix-sept minutes, elle a la même durée que l�’enregistrement de ce dernier.

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Orimo interprète aussi les honkyoku « Sanya » et « Honte no Shirabe », mais presque la moitié de l�’album semble être improvisé. Les pistes sur Susabu sont divisées en deux parties, entre lesquelles Orimo a probablement dû s�’allonger dans une chambre assombrie. « Susabu partie 1 » est une bouffée vive, culminant en un formidable bruit sourd. Dans la « Partie 2 » la flûte d�’Orimo s�’ébroue comme une trompette, et rugit telle que possédée. L�’équipement d�’enregistrement titube sous l�’attaque voilà un hurlement de démence auquel on s�’attendrait d�’un CD Punk de basse qualité. C�’est un choque, mais qui se trouve tout de même bien intégré dans l�’histoire qu�’Orimo nous raconte. Son son a tant d�’intégrité qu�’il arrive à transporter l�’auditeur; comme le saxophone d�’Albert Ayler, on sent bien qu�’une expression de cette amplitude n�’est pas excessive. Susabu se conclut avec une piste extrêmement sombre et au ton très bas appelée « Tsukiyo ». Malgré tout, c�’est Ichion, le second album d�’Orimo, enregistré à deux semaines d�’intervalle, qui reste l�’un de mes disques préférés de 2006. Quatre des cinq pistes sont interprétées sur une flûte longue et basse. Ce qui est remarquable, c�’est qu�’il y en fait si peu, avec un sens du rythme excellant. Jusqu�’à trois minutes peuvent y être dévouées à l�’exploration d�’une seule note douce. Le monde extérieur se glisse dans l�’arrière fond : sur « Yure », on peut bien entendre qu�’il pleut à verse au moment de l�’enregistrement. Après cinq minutes, Orimo revient au naturel. Le bambou vient nous fouetter de ses rafales de vent, et c�’est le retour au calme. Voilà des interprétations exceptionnelles qui s�’insérèrent à la perfection dans la tradition japonaise.

MUSIK KRITIKEN Zwei Alben von Sabu Orimo: Susabu und Ichion Erschienen bei: SUBJECTIVE SPIRIT SOUND CDRs http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~sssound/frametop.html VON CLIVE BELL Zwei Solo Alben, vom kleinen japanischen Musikverlag Subjective Spirit Sound, enthalten die bemerkenswerteste Shakuhachi-Musik, die ich seit Jahren gehört habe. Sabu Orimo, ein Musiker noch keine 30 Jahre alt, besitzt eine ausgezeichnete Herkunft: beide

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Eltern waren Musiker in Punk Gruppen. Er studierte Shakuhachi bei Atsuya Okuda und spielt ausschliesslich ji-nashi �“hocchiku�” Flöten, aus langem, Natur belassenem Bambus, ohne Lack oder spezielle Bearbeitungen die den Ton beeinflussen würden. Seine Konzertanzeigen verkünden �“Lärm Shakuhachi Solo Live�” während sein Label ihn beschreibt als �„Alter Japanischer Steinzeit Stil�“. Susabu besteht aus neun Stücken, alle aufgenommen am 28. März 2006. Das erste Stück ist eine leidenschaftliche Bearbeitung des Honkyoku Stückes �“Sanan�”, voller lebhafter Bewegungen, Keuchen und gewaltig stampfendem Lärm. Es erinnert an Meister Watazumido, ist aber sogar noch ungehemmter und erdiger. Jedoch beherrscht Orimo sein Instrument bestens, er gleitet oft in die Stille hinein und das Stück endet mit grosser Stille nach dem Sturm. Eine Version von �“Koku�” ist meditativ und in einem schönen Tempo. Hier ist deutlich Okuda�’s Einfluss wahrnehmbar und mit siebzehn Minuten hat es die gleiche Länge wie Okuda�’s eigene Aufnahme. Orimo spielt auch die Honkyoku Stücke, �“Sanya�” und �”Honte No Shriabe�“, aber fast die Hälfte des Albums scheint improvisiert zu sein. Susabu�’s Titelstück besteht aus zwei Teilen, zwischen denen sich Orimo vermutlich in einem verdunkelten Raum ausruhen musste. �“Susabu Teil 1�” ist ein vollblutiger Ausbruch, gipfelnd in einem mächtigen Schlag. In �“Teil 2�”, schnaub Orimo mit der Flöte als wär�’s eine Trompete und brüllt wie ein Besessener. Den Aufnahmegeräten wird schwindlig unter dem Ansturm �– das ist ein verrücktes Geheul, das man eher auf einer zweitklassigen Punk Aufnahme erwarten würde. Es ist ein Schock, aber doch eingebunden in die Geschichte die Orimo erzählt. Sein Klang hat eine solche Einheit, dass er den Hörer mit sich nehmen kann. Wie Albert Ayler�’s Saxophon, man fühlt, dass wenn er seinen emotionalen Spielraum so weit spannen muss, dann soll es so sein. Susabu schliesst mit einem zurückhaltenden Stück in sehr tiefen Tonlagen, mit dem Namen �“Tsukiyo�”. Trotz all dem ist Ichion, Orimo�’s zweites Album, zwei Wochen später aufgenommen, eines meiner lieblings Alben von 2006. Vier der fünf Stücke sind auf einer langen, tiefen Flöte gespielt. Hier ist bemerkenswert wie wenig Orimo macht und sein gutes Timing. Drei Minuten können der Erforschung einer einzigen ruhigen Note gewidmet sein. Die

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Aussenwelt verkriecht sich in einer Ecke: in �“Yure�” kann man hören wie es giesst in Strömen. Nach fünf Minuten macht Orimo eine Bewegung. Windböen fegen durch den Bambus, danach kehrt er zurück zur Stille. Das sind herausragende Leistungen, die scheinbar tief in der Japanischen Tradition verwurzelt sind. Übersetzung: Alfred Lerch __________________________

European Shakuhachi Summer School 2006

Katja has kindly identified some of her wonderful drawings

from the summer school below:

Camp d�’été de Shakuhachi européen 2006 Katja a gentiment identifié quelques-uns de ses dessins du camp

d�’été ci-dessous:

Katja hat freundlicherweise einige ihrer wunderbaren Zeichnungen von der summer school mit den Namen der

Abgebildeten versehen.

Okuda Atsuya

John Neptune

Brian Ritchie

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Kiku

Okuda sensei

Jone, Kevin, Joe and me (Katja)

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Veronique

At the European Shakuhachi Summer School Shakuhachi Aficionados from Europe, Japan, Australia and the US gathered to exchange views and learn Shakuhachi styles from many different schools. Teachers or performers were Okuda Atsuya, Jim Franklin, Veronique Piron, Brian Richie, Kiku Day, Michael Coxall, Clive Bell and John Neptune. On this page are drawings I made of the attendants.

The Shakuhachi in Spain A brief description of the State of the Art

Horacio Curti Shakuhachi Shihan / Ethnomusicologist www.shakuhachi.es; horacio.curti@gmail.com The intention of this text is to describe the present situation of the Shakuhachi in Spain from the point of view of somebody living in Spain and being involved in the Shakuhachi world as player and teacher of the instrument and some of its music. In Spain, the knowledge of Japanese culture beyond Manga, Sushi, martial arts and perhaps Ikebana, is either rare or at least very recent. This lack of knowledge of Japanese Culture includes of course the music and musical instruments from which their names or sounds are seldom familiar. On my arrival to Spain, 6 years ago, I could only locate one Shakuhachi player. Recently deceased, this Japanese musician residing in Barcelona, played the silver flute and the Shakuhachi

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and probably was the first to introduce the instrument to Spain in a relative permanent basis playing mainly free improvised music. The presence of the instrument was nevertheless quite unnoticed maybe due to the musical context in which it was played, the fact that he was not teaching it and finally due to the fact that for him this instrument was second to others, and on his last years to the electronic music and instruments. Later on, I located a wind instrument player residing in Madrid who plays the Shakuhachi among other wind instruments. He was using the instrument mainly in an improvised context, on his own created music and later on has deepened on the Japanese Traditional Music. So, when I arrived, there was nobody teaching Shakuhachi in Spain and the visits of Shakuhachi players from around the world were both scarce and never gave way to courses or lessons that could allow the transmission of the instrument. On these last 6 years the situation has changed considerably, nevertheless it is still far from the situations you could find in places like Great Britain, German or France (to talk only about Europe). To give a more accurate idea, I will approach the situation making a brief revision of the possible Shakuhachi activities someone could find in Spain (activities of the present and the �“not distant past�” of half a decade). To present this information in a clearer way, I find useful to separate those activities that are organized by Institutions from those organized by individuals (people interested in receiving tuition or one of the few persons teaching in Spain). I also find helpful to present separately the activities related to divulgation in general, meaning concerts and demonstrations mainly, from those of instrument transmission such as workshops and classes (both group and individuals). The general divulgation activities trough concerts during the last years have been very un-coordinated and scattered in time, places, contents and players. Nevertheless they have allowed Spaniards to get some contact with Shakuhachi. The activities had included: - Traditional Japanese Music concerts, such as the Spanish tour

of Kakizakai Kaoru Sensei together with Kakizakai Megumi at the Koto

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- Shakuhachi as part of other Japanese Music Forms such as Taiko by Yamato, whose Tour had the peculiarity of including both Shakuhachi and Koto

- Other Music styles like Jazz and more contemporary styles, being examples of this the visits of Bruce Huebner, Ned Rothenberg or the performance of Takemitsu Toru�’s 10th steps of November Steps for Shakuhachi and Biwa by Kakizakai Kaoru and Nakamura Kakujo in 2005 in Barcelona or the very recent performance of John Zorn�’s Cobra, in Barcelona, coordinated by Nathan Fuhr and including Shakuhachi among other 10 instruments from saxophones to drums.

- Of course we need to add the more regular activities of local Shakuhachi musicians giving concerts that go from �“Japanese Traditional Music�” to �“Free Improvised Music�”, with other possibilities that include what could be called �“World Music�”, �“Classical Contemporary�” and relations with Dance, Poetry and Theatre.

Despite the previously mention lack of coordination and the shortage of important activities, it seems like the situation has become more organized thanks to the patience and interest of a group, not so big but rapidly growing, of enthusiasts and also the support given by some institutions. This improvement can be perceived in the way in which the teaching activities have been developing from a total inexistence situation, 6 years ago, to the situation describe below: Among the Teaching Activities, we could distinguish between the ones organized in an Institutional context (even if in general they come from the will of a single individual) from those organized in an Individual Context (activities conceived and produced by one or more individual persons). In Spain, on the last years, the activities from the Institutional Context have been centralized mainly in Barcelona and Valencia, and have been mainly run by 3 institutions (more recently some activities are being organized in Salamanca, some in Madrid and in Barcelona the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona has started as well).

- Musikeon. Institution related to Music research and teaching

with locations both in Valencia and Barcelona has been the responsible of the Spanish tour of Kakizakai Kaoru and Megumi

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sensei on the year 2005, that included 4 cities and involved conferences, concerts, workshops and lessons. Since then, has been regularly organizing courses on Shakuhachi and Japanese Music and regular lessons of the instrument during the whole year.

- ESMUC. The Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya is an Educational Music Institution of University level that gives a bachelor degree (being the highest Music degree in Spain before PhD.) Has organized Shakuhachi Introductory Courses and took part on the Kakizakai Spanish Tour.

- Casa Asia. Institution related to Asia in different areas including Culture. Have organized Shakuhachi Introductory Courses and took part on the Kakizakai Spanish Tour.

- In the city of Salamanca, mention should be made to the Centro Hispano japonés (Hispanic-Japanese Center) of the Salamanca University that has organized concerts and at present is organizing some introductory workshops.

On the Individual Context activities, even if there are of course some exceptions, the activities have been done mainly in Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid and Alicante. Workshops and lessons of the instrument have been organized by independent individuals interested in receiving tuition or by some of the few persons teaching in Spain.

As a �“coda�”, it could be said that Spain is a �“relatively fertile�” ground for the Shakuhachi. By �“fertile�” I mean that there is much to be done and by �“relatively�” I want to express that even if in Spain (maybe I could say on the western countries) there is an interest for what is collectively understood as Japanese, many times this is express on what could be consider a rather superficial way or, in other words, there is a big attention given to the shape and a lack of knowledge, or will to really understand, the content. Beyond the personal appreciation stated above, it is clear that the number of persons that do know the instrument and those that are interested in getting closer to it, has been growing rapidly on the last years, specially on the areas of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia-Alicante. This is not only noticed on the number of Shakuhachi students but also on the fact that there are recordings and musical activities that include Shakuhachi, performed by people that got in contact with the instrument in Spain.

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Notes: - The activities described in the text, as well as the institution and

persons mentioned here do not configure an exhaustive list, but a sample of what in my opinion is more representative of the situation and then helpful to understand better this issue.

- The Institutions that had been included on the text are those that, to the best of my knowledge, have organized activities related to Shakuhachi on several occasions.

- The �“tags�” used to describe some musical forms are in general the result of simplifications that many times can confuse more than clarify. Nevertheless, having this in mind, I used them when it was necessary to state some facts without abounding on descriptions that could take away the focus of the main subject of the text.

- The present description is based in my personal experience as well as my research related to this matter undertaken during the last 6 years, being this the period in which I have been living in Spain.

- I finally want to apologize if, without intension, something important has been left aside.

The Institutions mentioned on the text:

• Musikeon www.musikeon.net • ESMUC www.esmuc.net • Casa Asia www.casaasia.es • Centro Hispano japonés http://www3.usal.es/~nipocent

El Shakuhachi en España Una breve descripción del estado de la cuestión

Horacio Curti Shakuhachi Shihan / Etnomusicólogo www.shakuhachi.es; horacio.curti@gmail.co

Este articulo tiene por única pretensión describir la situación del Shakuhachi en España desde el punto de vista de alguien que vive en Barcelona, España, que es intérprete de Shakuhachi y que está involucrado en los procesos de transmisión del instrumento y algunas de sus formas musicales como maestro de Shakuhachi. En España, el conocimiento de la cultura japonesa mas allá del sushi, algunas artes marciales, el manga y en el mejor de los

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casos el ikebana, es escaso y siempre relativamente reciente Este desconocimiento de la cultura incluye por supuesto a la música y los instrumentos musicales japoneses de los que rara vez se conoce su nombre o sonidos. A mi llegada a España hace 6 años, no conseguí localizar más que un intérprete de Shakuhachi. Flautista de origen japonés (recientemente fallecido) residente en Barcelona que además de la flauta travesera tocaba el Shakuhachi y que fue quizás el primero en traer el instrumento, dentro del contexto de la improvisación libre, de una forma estable a España. Sin embargo la presencia del instrumento pasó algo desapercibida, probablemente por el contexto musical en el que se desenvolvía, porque esta persona nunca enseñó y finalmente porque su interés por el instrumento era secundario a otros instrumentos y en los últimos años a la electrónica como forma de expresión (según el mismo me expresó). Posteriormente localicé un músico vientista residente en Madrid que entre otros instrumentos toca el Shakuhachi. Este utilizaba el instrumento en un contexto de improvisación, en música de creación propia y posteriormente ha profundizado en el uso del instrumento en la música japonesa tradicional. En el momento de mi llegada no había por lo tanto nadie enseñando el instrumento en territorio español y las visitas de intérpretes del instrumento desde otras geografías eran cuando menos escasas y en ningún momento redundaban en cursos o actividades que permitiesen transmitir el instrumento. En estos 6 años la situación ha cambiado considerablemente, aunque aún esté lejos de las situaciones que se pueden encontrar en sitios como Gran Bretaña, Alemania o Francia por ejemplo (para hablar solamente de Europa) Una forma de acercarnos a la situación del estado del Shakuhachi sería hacer una reseña de las actividades en las que es posible encontrar el Shakuhachi en España (actividades en tiempo presente y en el inmediato pasado que representa media década). Para presentar esto con mas claridad, me parece útil hacerlo separando aquellas actividades que son organizadas por instituciones de aquellas que lo son por individuos (personas interesadas en recibir enseñanza o alguna de las pocas personas

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que enseñan el Shakuhachi en España). También es útil, creo, separar las actividades relacionadas con la divulgación en general, como conciertos y demostraciones de aquellas de enseñanza del instrumento como cursos y clases (grupales e individuales). Las actividades de divulgación a través de conciertos durante los últimos años han estado muy descoordinadas y libradas al azar, pero han permitido que en España se hayan realizado algunos conciertos de Shakuhachi. Tanto de interpretes de música tradicional, como por ejemplo la gira española del maestro Kakizakai Kaoru junto a Kakizakai Megumi en Koto, de intérpretes del instrumento en otras formas musicales japonesas como por ejemplo el Taiko en la visita de Yamato, grupo de Taiko que en su gira española incluyó Shakuhachi y Koto y finalmente en otras formas musicales como el jazz o estilos más contemporáneos como la visita de Bruce Huebner, Ned Rothenberg, la interpretación de los 10th steps of November Steps de Takemitsu Toru para Shakuhachi y Biwa por Kakizakai Kaoru y Nakamura Kakujo en 2005 en Barcelona o la reciente participación en 2006 de este instrumento en la realización de Cobra, de John Zorn también en Barcelona, coordinada por Nathan Fuhr. A esto habría que sumar la actividad más permanente de algunos poquísimos músicos residentes en suelo español que realizan conciertos que involucran lo que podría denominarse música tradicional japonesa, músicas de fusión, composiciones propias, música de improvisación libre, música clásica contemporánea e incluso música con danza o poesía en diferentes contextos.

A pesar de esta descoordinación y escasez de actividades, pareciera ser que la situación se ha ido organizando gracias a la paciencia y el interés de un grupo, aun pequeño pero en rápido crecimiento, de entusiastas y el apoyo de algunas instituciones. Esto es algo que puede observarse en la forma en que las actividades de enseñanza han crecido desde una total inexistencia hace 6 años a lo que se describe a continuación. Entre las actividades de enseñanza podríamos distinguir las que surgen de un contexto institucional (si bien son en general motivadas por voluntades individuales) de aquellas que surgen de un contexto individual (concebidas y organizadas por personas en particular).

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En los últimos años, en España las actividades surgidas de un contexto institucional han estado centralizadas entre Barcelona y Valencia alrededor de 3 instituciones (más recientemente han comenzado a aparecer actividades alrededor de Salamanca, algunas en Madrid y se han ampliando en Barcelona con la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona)

- Musikeon, institución musical relacionada con la enseñanza y la

investigación musical, con sedes en Valencia y Barcelona ha sido la responsable de la gira española de los maestros Kakizakai en el año 2005 que involucró 4 ciudades y que incluyó conferencias, conciertos cursos y clases individuales. Desde entonces, esta institución ha organizado anualmente cursos de introducción al instrumento y clases regulares del mismo.

- ESMUC. La Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya es una institución de enseñanza musical de nivel Universitario que otorga un titulo de grado equivalente a una licenciatura (lo cual es el máximo nivel de estudios de grado relacionados con música existente en España). Ha organizado cursos de introducción al Shakuhachi y ha colaborado con la gira de los maestros Kakizakai.

- Casa Asia. Institución relacionada con Asia en diversos terrenos incluyendo el cultural. Han organizado varias actividades relacionadas con el instrumento, incluyendo conferencias y cursos.

- En Salamanca habría que mencionar el Centro Hispano japonés de la Universidad de Salamanca, que ha organizado conciertos y actualmente algún curso.

Por otro lado, desde el contexto particular, si bien hay excepciones puntuales, las actividades se han realizado y se realizan básicamente en Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia y Alicante. En estos sitios se llevan a cabo, con regularidad diversa, clases y talleres del instrumento organizados por alguna de las personas dictando clases de Shakuhachi o de los interesados en recibir enseñanza. A modo de �“coda�”, podría decirse que España es un terreno �“relativamente fértil�” para el Shakuhachi. Por �“fértil�” me refiero a que hay mucho por hacer y por �“relativamente�”, quiero decir que si bien se nota un interés por �“lo japonés�”, muchas veces este interés se expresa de una manera un poco superficial o dicho de

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otra forma, otorgando un valor excesivo a la forma, en detrimento del contenido, del cual o bien se tiene poco conocimiento o al menos poca disposición por profundizar en él. Mas allá de esta apreciación personal, es claro que el número de personas que conoce el instrumento y de aquellos que se interesan por acercarse a él, ha ido creciendo rápidamente en los últimos años, especialmente en las zonas de Barcelona, Madrid y Valencia-Alicante y esto se ve no solo en el número de estudiantes sino también en el hecho de que comienzan a aparecer grabaciones y actividades musicales que incorporan el Shakuhachi de manos de gente que lo estudia en España.

Aclaraciones: • Las actividades descriptas en este artículo, así como las

instituciones y personas mencionadas no intentan presentar un listado exhaustivo, sino una muestra de lo que en mi opinión es más representativo para intentar comprender mejor el tema en cuestión.

• En el caso de las instituciones, la inclusión en el texto se ha basado en aquellas que organizan actividades de forma regular o que al menos lo han hecho en más de una ocasión.

• Las etiquetas para describir formas musicales suelen ser simplificaciones que pueden confundir más que clarificar. Conciente de esto, sin embargo, he recurrido a algunas para poder presentar un panorama general sin abundar en descripciones que podrían desviar la atención del punto principal del texto.

• Esta descripción se basa en mi experiencia personal así como mis investigaciones al respecto del tema realizadas en los últimos 6 años, que es el período que llevo residiendo de forma permanente en España.

• Finalmente me disculpo si, inintencionadamente, algún dato importante no ha sido incluido en el texto.

Referencias de las instituciones mencionadas:

• Musikeon www.musikeon.net • ESMUC www.esmuc.net • Casa Asia www.casaasia.es • Centro Hispano japonés http://www3.usal.es/~nipocent