tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78335482451252107222024-03-14T00:51:57.510+09:00In One BreathThe Shakuhachi world of
Jeffrey Shodou CairnsJeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-32540667795343067582014-05-12T15:24:00.002+09:002015-12-22T14:04:58.677+09:00Hogaku in Brussels<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
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I'll be heading off to Brussels, Belgium to join with a group of 60 players of traditional Japanese music (hogaku) on June 18th. We'll be performing two concerts, the larger of which will be held on June 23rd at BOZAR Center for Fine Arts. The concert will include a large ensemble of Nagauta players. Nagauta, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies Kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yokyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various Japanese drums. The shamisen, a plucked lute with three strings, is a very popular instrument in Nagauta. Nagauta performers generally play shamisen and sing simultaneously.<br /><br />Aside from Nagauta, we weill be performing a selection of jiuta sankyoku pieces and Kinko-ryu honkyoku.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Date: Mon. 23 Jun.2014</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Start: 8 pm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Place: BOZAR Cetre for Fine Arts/Studio</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Supported by the Embassy of Japan in Belgium</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Info & Tickets</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.bozar.be/</span></div>
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<br />Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-52791018358518528902013-09-28T10:34:00.000+09:002013-09-28T10:34:40.454+09:00Apples and Oranges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a recent post by friend Perry Yung of Yung Flutes in NY on the differences between a modern instrument and older instruments made in the 19th century, I commented........<br />
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........modern and the older flute are different beasts all
together and shouldn't be judged by the same standards. Older shakuhachi have a very distinct
character that simply wouldn't hold up to modern, ensemble playing. Their purpose was to serve as a conduit for
the player's spirit or essence to move into the universe. They moved the player's center from being
locked in their physical body to another place in a very conscious action. They served as an expanding mechanism. As such, standardization was less an issue
than with modern instruments. Modern shakuhachi are primarily designed to
suit ensemble playing and to titillate the listener. Any sort of spiritual connection and
expansion comes by way of compositional constructs and not the instrument
itself and isn't necessarily intended for the player, but rather the listener.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For me, the older flutes are a personal, romantic encounter
with an expanded spirit. Very much a
time-travelling experience. When I play
them, I hear a distant voice calling….hello……are you there?<o:p></o:p></div>
Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-77873823885410007802013-07-24T11:57:00.001+09:002013-07-24T21:30:54.287+09:00BUY THIS CD<h2 style="text-align: center;">
NEW CD</h2>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Dear Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It is with
great pleasure that I announce the release of my new CD Zenzen. Recorded and
mixed at Ty Tyrfu, Guelph, Ontario Canada and recorded, mixed and mastered at
BigFish Studio, Kumamoto, Japan . This is a group of pieces inspired by
traditions and how they are distilled through the minds, hearts, lungs and
fingers of myself (Jeff Cairns) on shakuhachi and percussion and my old friend
and long-time Cowboy Junkies sideman, Jeff Bird on mandolin, octave mandolin,
wood bass, tambourine melodique, riq, hulusi and percussion.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: white; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: white; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">As independent musicians, our heart and soul went
into this project (not to mention a certain amount of cash) and we would be so
grateful for your support which basically would allow us to move into the next
project, which awaits.</span></span></div>
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</span><span class="textexposedshow"><div style="background-color: black; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white;">Purchases of this CD can be made by sending an
e-mail to me (Jeff Cairns) at shodoushaku@gmail.com . I accept payment via
PayPal for any purchases made from outside Japan, or direct mail from within
Japan.</span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow">1,500 yen + shipping</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">$15.00 US + shipping</span>
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Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-80465699271511220232012-12-07T14:07:00.001+09:002012-12-07T14:07:23.648+09:00Edo ArtI've been active in the field of collecting shakuhachis for a few years and occassionally come across these very unusual gems.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Although the usual questions in flute purchases, like 'How old is this?', 'Who made it?' and 'How does it sound?' come to mind, I find myself posing a few more questions like 'Why did the maker put this time and effort into adorning this flute?', 'What is the significance of the images chosen?' and 'Did the maker of this flute do the carving, or was the carving done as an after thought?'
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I've come to the conclusion that the carving is done for the sheer joy of representation and perhaps with a little bit of '...because I can' thrown in there.<br>
The images carved onto into this flute are a full-bodied dragon (ryu) at the top entwined around a plant which may be a peony, Pine trees on the lower portion and Bamboo on the root. <br>
The dragon is symbolically common in Japan where it first appeared around 638 ce in the Kojiki. It is typically thought in both Buddhist and Shinto lore to be a water god.
The peony is a traditional symbol of good fortune, high honour, and the season of spring and was introduced into Japanese culture in the Nara period (8th century).
The pine tree is native to Japan and has come to represent longevity, good fortune and steadfastness. Both Japanese and Chinese art associate the pine with virtue, a motif of winter and New Year, and as a premier symbol of long life and even immortality.
Finally, bamboo represents strength of character. A man can undergo hard, difficult, tough times, for which he must adapt, but must never break, never lose his sense of self. A man must keep his essence no matter how bad the world is treating him.<br>
Shakuhachi of this age were far less store-shelf commodities than they are now. Indeed, they were verging on the esoteric and truly represented dreams and aspirations of their creators. As such, they are interesting windows into the past both in terms of visual and audible aesthetic.</br>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-24023480748719709622012-11-22T11:12:00.000+09:002012-11-22T11:12:40.492+09:00nae pogpoHere's a piece of music entitled Nae Pogpo (My Waterfall) performed by my long-time friend Jeff Bird and I that will appear on our upcoming CD release ZenZen. This piece harkens to my meeting with P'ansori master Bae Il Dong and his training at the base of 'his waterfall' for 7 years in Korea.<br />
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Jeff Bird plays melodic tambourine kalimba and various bells. I play 2.0 shakuhachi, kalimba and various bells. I hope you enjoy and I welcome any and all comments.<br />
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Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-22891788558786984852012-11-06T08:09:00.001+09:002012-11-06T08:20:24.100+09:00CracksSince the appearance of cracks in bamboo are commonplace, I wanted to post this response on the topic to a letter from someone new to the instrument in the hopes that it presents a slightly different perspective to others who think they are presented with misfortune when this occurs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="IMG_0103.JPG" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=275444fbb3&view=att&th=13ac94bd54108738&attid=0.1&disp=thd&realattid=f_h93jzzq40&zw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...a hairline crack running through the thumb hole.</td></tr>
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" Cracks are a condition of humanity. They are in a large part what makes things unique. If there were no cracks, we would all be exactly the same person. The co-relate you found in this aspect to your instruments is no coincidence. Embrace these little adjustments, for that is what they are. Your instruments adjusting to their environment. Interject your care and mindfulness and a symbiotic relationship will grow. <br />
My main 1.8 is an excellent point in example. It was made for me by my sensei's father, a master craftsman. He had the bamboo sitting in his workshop for 30 years waiting for the right situation to coax a top level shakuhachi out of it. I was honoured to receive it from him. For the first few years that I had it, I was never satisfied with the sound I was achieving from it. I guessed that it was my inability to produce a good sound. On one trip back to Canada in the winter, I took the instrument out of its case only to find that it had several long cracks right through to the bore. It was unplayable. I was heartbroken. On return to Japan, I presented it to my sensei explaining how it happened and hoping that it could be revived He looked at it and laughed (half out of shock and half out of recognition of the unforeseen twists that life often takes.) He took it and gave it back to his father who returned it to me a few weeks later beautifully bound and playing better than it had ever played before. I think that being exposed to an inhospitable climate in the winter of Canada relaxed some stresses that were inherent in the bamboo from its growth and certainly this instrument now has a wonderful, relaxed and contemplative tone. I'm convinced that it offered me a chance to grow with it.<br />
Do take heart. All cracks offer the potential for growth and a slight change in direction. Embrace that and use your good sense to move."<br />
<br />Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-6266093971662966282012-10-26T14:20:00.002+09:002012-10-26T14:20:47.290+09:00A long RO awayWell, it's been quite a long time since I've blogged here, but I haven't been inactive in the shakuhachi world.<br />
Of note was a great concert I did in August in Vancouver with good friends <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jdanza?fref=ts">Joseph Pepe Danza</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/A.Ryuzen.R?fref=ts">Alcvin Ramos</a> at <a href="http://www.pranayogacollege.com/">Prana Yoga School</a>. It was a Soundwave type performance made popular by Pepe whereby the three of us started the show and played continuously until the end about 2 hours later. We did a mix of pieces interspersed by solos and improvisations on a variety of lengths of shakuhachi, multiple persussion instruments and Al's Tenkan (an overtone shakuhachi developed by him.) <br />
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The concert was entitled Zen Take Tabi which loosely translated means Zen Bamboo Trip and that was pretty much the sentiment that we went into the performance with.<br />
There should be some video coming up soon of this show done by videographer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/don.xaliman?fref=ts">Don Xaliman</a><br />
<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/580781_10151182839445407_2115867316_n.jpg" />This is a kakejiku done by friend and artist Nogami Reizan for the show. It says Zen Take Tabi.Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-37212658949568998732012-04-16T17:55:00.000+09:002012-04-16T17:55:12.345+09:00NomukeHere's a rendition of the classic Tamuke with some added ambiance.<br />
<a href="http://soundcloud.com/jeff-cairns/nomuke">Click here for Nomuke.</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VGRw0RsSZMI/T4veW8MaGVI/AAAAAAAAAG8/PJ6tbex7P1M/s1600/yellowheels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VGRw0RsSZMI/T4veW8MaGVI/AAAAAAAAAG8/PJ6tbex7P1M/s200/yellowheels.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-89992807191578808622011-12-16T14:11:00.000+09:002011-12-16T14:11:55.351+09:00Economic woes hit shakuhachidomIt seems that the economic slump, or maybe more rightly the idea and fear of such a thing has hit the shakuhachi world.<br />
I've been involved in buying, playing and selling second hand shakuhachi at what I consider below-market prices for a few years. Typically, when I put instruments up on my site and notify my mailing list members, they sell within a week or two. Recently, I posted 8 instrument that range all the way from rustic and cheap to stunning and expensive. Two chokan (2.7 and 3.1) sold right away as did a beautiful old quilted maple shakuhachi music stand. The rest, though mostly of excellent quality and under priced at that, haven't budged. Is the general world economy tightening people's purse strings or has the market just been satisfied? My hope is the latter.<br />
The upshot is that it keeps these amazing instruments in my hands for a longer while allowing me to enjoy their wonders. <br />
I wish you all a bright future and keep blowing.Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-2447393729644949522011-12-02T14:14:00.000+09:002011-12-02T14:14:20.748+09:00あ。うん On Top of the Town<div style="text-align: center;">あ。うん On Top of the Town at Matenrou, November 19th, 2011</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dining Room at Matenrou</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1028clarity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1028clarity.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Diners</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pleasures</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1040oilpaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1040oilpaint.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Music</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1042curves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1042curves.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1049comics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1049comics.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1078impasto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1078impasto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Izumi Fujikawa-koto, Jeff Cairns-shakuhachi, Yumiko Minoda-shamisen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1087mildsparkles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_1087mildsparkles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos and Graphics by Robert Mortenson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_0984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/aunnMatenrou2011/DSC_0984.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Flight of Fancy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-75001041865415264122011-11-25T11:36:00.000+09:002011-11-25T11:36:19.956+09:00あ。うん On Top of the Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F8EHjaio3c4/Ts7-q9BN7HI/AAAAAAAAAGc/oCz4NIye7Vs/s1600/m+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F8EHjaio3c4/Ts7-q9BN7HI/AAAAAAAAAGc/oCz4NIye7Vs/s320/m+sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://youtu.be/VKTXSQFvSkY">あ。うん On Top of the Town</a><br />
Greetings all, Hogaku trio あ。うん performed last Saturday evening (November 19th) at Restaurant Matenro high up Hanaokayama just behind Kumamoto's new Shinkansen terminal to a capacity crowd.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S9nPTtidlf4/Ts7-tIEFDNI/AAAAAAAAAGk/CKLqKEsQqmg/s1600/m+night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S9nPTtidlf4/Ts7-tIEFDNI/AAAAAAAAAGk/CKLqKEsQqmg/s200/m+night.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Two sets of modern hogaku music featuring Izumi Fujikawa on 21 string koto, Jeff Cairns on shakuhachi and Yumiko Minoda on 17 string koto and shamisen, were separated by a full course dinner prepared by the Matenro kitchen with an awe-inspiring panoramic night view of Kumamoto city.<br />
Please check out the link above to see a video from that concert of あ。うん performing their rendition of Ryuichi Sakamoto's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, along with audience percussive participation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-34xN9j4nAa8/Ts7-u2T96KI/AAAAAAAAAGs/TIMR5w7-ug4/s1600/preparing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-34xN9j4nAa8/Ts7-u2T96KI/AAAAAAAAAGs/TIMR5w7-ug4/s200/preparing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
More photos will follow.Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-60982890143475639612011-11-04T14:16:00.000+09:002011-11-04T14:16:47.656+09:00あ。うん Live! in November<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lsrq950yhxQ/TrNzCfZdcPI/AAAAAAAAAGU/jtOdkgFLE4E/s1600/maflier_Page_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lsrq950yhxQ/TrNzCfZdcPI/AAAAAAAAAGU/jtOdkgFLE4E/s320/maflier_Page_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Greetings All, The modern Hogaku trio あ。うん will be performing at a spectacular location overlooking Kumamoto city this month. We welcome you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Date: November 19th, 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Time: 7:00 pm</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Place: Matenrou (see above for map and address)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Price: 2,500 yen per person including a delicious light meal prepared by the restaurant and one drink</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tickets: call Jeff at 09049962680</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Details: This is the second performance of あ。うん. This time we will be performing a selection of modern Hogaku with some interesting twists and turns along the way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you intend to enjoy alcoholic beverages, please make sure to either come by taxi, with a designated driver, or be prepared to take a <em>daiko</em> back home.</div>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-90822181570942644572011-10-02T22:11:00.000+09:002011-10-02T22:11:56.041+09:00CollaborationJust finished this 'feel good' piece called 'Letter to my little Sophie'. The piece was conceived by Daniel Bozhich from Kharkov, Ukraine with collaboration from me on shakuhachi (Kumamoto, Japan); Chuck Mac from Portland, Maine, USA; and Ricardo Camara from Miami, Florida, USA.<br />
The collaboration happened on a cool website Called<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://kompoz.com/p/25549"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhU4eC53I3w/TohiBVh3OdI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vcd3AKgqTF0/s1600/kompoz-logo-black-255x70.png" /></a></div><br />
Have a listen. Your comments are welcome. <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" height="250" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.kompoz.com/media/flash/Kplayer2.swf?xmlURL=http://www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/p-25549/trackxml.tbplayer2.music&currentTrack=0&faceSwf=http://www.kompoz.com/media/flash/Kplayer2Face300x250IMU" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><embed src="http://www.kompoz.com/media/flash/Kplayer2.swf?xmlURL=http://www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/p-25549/trackxml.tbplayer2.music&currentTrack=0&faceSwf=http://www.kompoz.com/media/flash/Kplayer2Face300x250IMU" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="250"></embed></object>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-73799735506204713192011-09-14T09:45:00.000+09:002011-09-14T09:45:47.905+09:00meditation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3fT1Xt7Ap68/Tm_3-0fYjUI/AAAAAAAAAF8/IB0i1vTFqUM/s1600/mantis3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LyQIcetx6Q/Tm_4D3pbBkI/AAAAAAAAAGM/SPhHYmWbT6w/s1600/2.7_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LyQIcetx6Q/Tm_4D3pbBkI/AAAAAAAAAGM/SPhHYmWbT6w/s320/2.7_2.jpg" width="51" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--aP-hJr3et8/Tm_3__SPcuI/AAAAAAAAAGI/JraEWnorokI/s1600/mantis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>I picked up my funky, sanskrit embellished 2.75 jinashi this morning for a bit of meditative blowing, and found another there before me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3fT1Xt7Ap68/Tm_3-0fYjUI/AAAAAAAAAF8/IB0i1vTFqUM/s1600/mantis3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3fT1Xt7Ap68/Tm_3-0fYjUI/AAAAAAAAAF8/IB0i1vTFqUM/s320/mantis3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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First come, first serve. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--aP-hJr3et8/Tm_3__SPcuI/AAAAAAAAAGI/JraEWnorokI/s1600/mantis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--aP-hJr3et8/Tm_3__SPcuI/AAAAAAAAAGI/JraEWnorokI/s320/mantis2.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br />
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It wailed.Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-87682794329569075692011-08-29T17:47:00.001+09:002011-10-21T13:28:47.150+09:00Hogaku Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDeSq4SzYME/TltQWgxhnkI/AAAAAAAAAF4/k7Zikvwr9xo/s1600/DSC_0037+B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDeSq4SzYME/TltQWgxhnkI/AAAAAAAAAF4/k7Zikvwr9xo/s320/DSC_0037+B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-24UEFmtOCnQ/TltP_WlXuSI/AAAAAAAAAF0/XH3NdYYgjU0/s1600/DSC_9923+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-24UEFmtOCnQ/TltP_WlXuSI/AAAAAAAAAF0/XH3NdYYgjU0/s320/DSC_9923+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A.UN: Jeff Cairns, Yumiko Minoda, Izumi Fujikawa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Friday, August 19th saw the first public performance of my hogaku trio, A.UN at Gallery Kimura in Kumamoto city. A small venue on the underground level of a corner building on a side street to one of the main shopping arcades, Gallery Kimura, a sometimes art exhibition space, sometimes live show venue seating around 60 comfortably was surprisingly packed with patrons accepting a standing room invitation by the time the music got underway.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNsA4maMjVk/TltPoyKgRxI/AAAAAAAAAFs/fAM_0R3pBto/s1600/DSC_0005+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNsA4maMjVk/TltPoyKgRxI/AAAAAAAAAFs/fAM_0R3pBto/s320/DSC_0005+a.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B'Pzy Dance Company's Mayumi Yoshida</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Verbal communication throughout the show was in Japanese and English, much to the delight of the multi-cultural audience in attendance and the raison d'etre of the members of A.UN was to present Hogaku in its broader spectrum with a choice of numbers ranging from hogaku jazz, to a Spanish-flavored 17 string koto solo, to a piece that sprang out of the traditions of Nagauta, to individual solos part of which included the dance interpretation of Mayumi Yoshida<br />
ending with an oft-times frenetic piece written my composer Marty Regan called Dragon Eyes. The evening was well received by the appreciative audience.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1OBUQcRNhc/TltPkYuXmrI/AAAAAAAAAFo/DSqfjEaXWzM/s1600/DSC_0071+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1OBUQcRNhc/TltPkYuXmrI/AAAAAAAAAFo/DSqfjEaXWzM/s320/DSC_0071+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A.UN Thanks all that were in attendance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-30242744957934042572011-08-09T12:36:00.000+09:002011-08-09T12:36:41.473+09:00A.UNWell, the trials of getting a new studio up and running, along with my teaching and performing schedules have kept me away from the keyboard for some time. The studio is now a viable entity <a href="http://thebigfishstudio.com/">BigFish Studio</a>. We are nearing completion of our first project with Kumamoto-based rockers, The Bliss.<br />
Within the past 6 months, I've also joined with two of Kumamoto's outstanding koto/shamisen players and formed the Hogaku group A.UN. We'll be doing our first performance on August 19th at 7:30 pm at Gallery Kimura in Kumamoto with a line up of tunes from a mash-up of Kumamoto's famous folk piece Soran Bushi and Paul Desmond's Take 5 we call Soran Five; a 17 string koto solo by Yumiko Minoda based on a Spanish theme; a shamisen/shakuhachi piece by <span class="postbody"> Seiho Kinea called </span><span class="postbody">Meikyo featuring </span><span class="postbody">Yumiko Minoda and me; </span><span class="postbody">a five-part koto solo performed by Izumi Fujikawa entitled Yomigaeru Itsutsu no Uta by Hikaru Sawai with special guest dancer Mayumi Yamada from the B_P.zy! Dance Comany; an adaptation of the Kinko-ryu honkyoku Shika no tone performed by me</span><span class="postbody"> and Dragon Eyes composed by <a href="http://martyregan.com/">Marty Regan</a>.</span><br />
<span class="postbody">From a shakuhachi player's point of view, Marty's piece Dragon Eyes has been the most challenging to bring to a performance level. Written for a 7 hole 1.6, but played on a 5 hole instrument, not to mention the speed of some of the phrasing with complex meri/kari alternation, plus being able to play the 14 minute + piece from memory has consumed a great deal of practice time, but I'm feeling good about it now and look forward to performing it. I'll write again after the show with a few photos or a video. Meanwhile, here's the poster for the show (pretty much in Japanese).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zMpXymZWQXw/TkCqrYk5DjI/AAAAAAAAAFM/4D5biOIWEZg/s1600/aun.flier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zMpXymZWQXw/TkCqrYk5DjI/AAAAAAAAAFM/4D5biOIWEZg/s320/aun.flier.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><span class="postbody"> </span> <br />
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Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-21998307665299422132011-01-21T14:19:00.000+09:002011-01-21T14:19:17.098+09:00Yuri or '...but sensei...it's been three years!'There are often questions raised by beginner shakuhachi players with regard to technique and the production and use of yuri is no different.<br />
To those unfamiliar with the term, it is the vibrato-like sound heard attached to shakuhachi notes when played. Non-Japanese unaccustomed to playing traditional wind instruments might suspect that this is accomplished by pulsing the diaphragm muscle similarly to some vocal vibrato techniques. In fact, that is one form of yuri found largely in modern music and known as <i>ikiyuri</i>, however this should not be confused with the more traditional type known as <i>agoyuri</i> where <i>ago </i>(pron. ahh-go)means chin. <br />
There are typically three types of agoyuri:<br />
1)tateyuri- produced by moving the head slightly up and down as if to nod 'yes'. This produces a distinct shift in pitch and is much easier to produce in the otsu and kan range than the dai-kan range.<br />
2)yokoyuri- produced by moving the head from side to side as is to indicate 'no'. This produces a rising and lessening in intensity of sound with a slight pitch shift. Again, easier to produce in the lower two octaves than the highest. This is also the most typical yuri played when yuri isn't written into the score.<br />
3)mawashiyuri- This is produced by moving the head in a repeated circular manner around the vertical plane. This less used type of yuri produces a dramatic effect of the two above types combined.<br />
Attempts to play these techniques should be incorperated into your practice regime going from subtle to exaggerated and back to subtle. On both extremes, attempt to play yuri to the point that it breaks the sound. Develop the extremes.<br />
There is a saying that all Japanese know: san nen kubi furi, which translates, three years neck waiving and refers to the ability to master the technique of yuri on the shakuhachi. I believe that one shouldn't accept that as a given. More properly it means that beyond the amount of time it takes to master getting a reasonable sound and being able to play all notes, flourishes like yuri can be attempted.<br />
Good luck with it.Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-44125520944203858872011-01-09T17:03:00.008+09:002011-01-11T22:14:20.446+09:00Monster shakuhachi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TSlqYEQnE8I/AAAAAAAAAFA/hcQuVYafd-4/s1600/big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TSlqYEQnE8I/AAAAAAAAAFA/hcQuVYafd-4/s320/big.jpg" width="93" /></a></div>I made this shakuhachi (I guess it can be called that) from very large root end madake as an experiment. I positioned the holes according to <a href="http://www.navaching.com/shaku/chokan.html">Nelson Zink's</a> equation for ergonomic hole placement on large shakuhachi. The result (as expected) was a 3.0 that plays in E, but manages only one octave plus a bit. As expected, it takes a lot of air, but is manageable both from that point of view and from a handling point of view.<br />
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Here is the 3.0 next to a 2.0 for comparison.<br />
Have a listen!<br />
<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://mustafastc.fileave.com/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"> <param name="movie" value="http://mustafastc.fileave.com/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&soundFile=http://boxstr.net/files/7049006_fszhl/mon.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-87234447517696921842010-12-17T14:13:00.000+09:002010-12-17T14:13:51.776+09:00BigFish Studio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/studio/IMG_0503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/studio/IMG_0503.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, this post isn't exactly shakuhachi related, but it certainly is part of my world. For the past 1 1/2 years, I've been planning, researching, building, gearing-up and tweaking a small, pro level audio project studio along with my partner and good friend Richard Gilbert on Mt. Kinpo to the west of Kumamoto city. It's now at the point that we can start lining up clients for recording. We're putting the final touches to our website which should be done this weekend. Other work at the moment is concerned with building and installing bass traps and audio diffusion in the mix room and vocal booth. Our goal is to create an environment suitable to record the many traditional musicians living in this area and certainly from elsewhere as well, though we aren't adverse to recording modern musicians either. In fact, one of our initial clients is a local, 5 piece rock band called The Bliss.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/studio/IMG_0579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/studio/IMG_0579.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We warmly invite any shakuhachi players interested in putting their sound down in a beautiful atmosphere to give us a shout. </div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/studio/IMG_0543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 171px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 270px;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/breathin55/studio/IMG_0543.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-90147435320503635982010-11-26T14:07:00.003+09:002010-11-28T12:45:35.179+09:00More than a name.I mentioned that I recently played at Kumamoto Castle with my friends and co-members of our recently formed trio Izumi Fujikawa and Yumiko Minoda. Our trio doesn't have a name and we all feel that it would be good to have one, so I've been knocking around some ideas and came up with this: I like the Japanese word hibiki (響) which means echo. It in itself would be good but I thought of alternate kanji that might add more meaning to the name and came up with this: hi (<a href="http://tangorin.com/kanji/general/%E6%96%90%E7%84%B6"><span style="color: #d96655;">斐</span></a>) which means beautiful or patterned, bi (侎) which means to soothe, and ki (<span style="color: #d96655;">気</span> ) which means spirit. Therefore HIBIKI ( <a class="common1" href="http://tangorin.com/kanji/%E6%96%90%E4%BE%8E%E6%B0%97#E69690"><span style="color: #4690db;">斐</span></a> <a class="common2" href="http://tangorin.com/kanji/%E6%96%90%E4%BE%8E%E6%B0%97#E4BE8E"><span style="color: #4690db;">侎</span></a> <a class="common1" href="http://tangorin.com/kanji/%E6%96%90%E4%BE%8E%E6%B0%97#E69690"><span style="color: #4690db;"></span></a><a class="common3" href="http://tangorin.com/kanji/%E6%96%90%E4%BE%8E%E6%B0%97#E6B097"><span style="color: #4690db;">気</span></a> )or beautiful soothing spirit. What do you think?Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-46829098623138441362010-11-25T21:41:00.000+09:002010-11-25T21:41:12.145+09:00At the Castle, November 20th, 2010<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5VeSb2LkI/AAAAAAAAAEg/kMb_c97B7Ic/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5VeSb2LkI/AAAAAAAAAEg/kMb_c97B7Ic/s320/IMG_0400.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5WHWI4XnI/AAAAAAAAAEk/s_oaOFfuy1g/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5WHWI4XnI/AAAAAAAAAEk/s_oaOFfuy1g/s320/IMG_0361.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I had the pleasure of performing with my good friends Izumi Fujikawa on 21 string koto and Yumiko Minoka on shamisen at Kumamoto Castle's Honmaru Goten building last Saturday night to nice little crowd.<br />
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The evening started off with some Higo biwa which is a rarity in its own right. There are very few Higo biwa players anymore and it might well be that Shoko Goto is the only performing Higo Biwa player left.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5YXoQOuwI/AAAAAAAAAE4/dwBc1NMydbE/s1600/slspcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5YXoQOuwI/AAAAAAAAAE4/dwBc1NMydbE/s200/slspcover.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>We followed Goto-san's performance with three pieces. The first was a duet for shakuhachi and 21 string Koto written by American composer, Marty Regan entitled <i>Song Poem of the Easter Clouds</i>. Izumi and I recorded this piece as the first cut on our 2006 CD release <i>Silent Letters, Secret Pens</i>. This is a lyrical piece that suggest both an old and modern feel. Our second piece was another Marty Regan composition written 3 years after the first entitled <i>Dragon Eyes</i>. This piece, written for 2.4 and 1.6 shakuhachi, 21 string koto and shamisen depicts the story of a dragon waking from a slumber, taking off and expressing itself through it versatility of flight. It's a challenging piece to execute, but usually proves to be popular with audiences.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5WsQXHvAI/AAAAAAAAAEw/Qf_TCymARZA/s1600/IMG_0330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TO5WsQXHvAI/AAAAAAAAAEw/Qf_TCymARZA/s320/IMG_0330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Our third piece entitled <i>The Squall</i> was originally written as a koto solo, but we thought it would work with shamisen and shakuhachi, so we went there and it worked. As the name suggests, it's short, fast and hard. A treat to watch as well as hear.Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-61656397152204210562010-11-05T13:10:00.000+09:002010-11-05T13:10:29.537+09:00My Interview on A Shakuhachi JourneyI'd like to draw people's attention to another blog that I've had a great deal of pleasure to read. It's written by a shakuhachi player from Vancouver, Canada named Erin Riffel. She has been chronicling her journey learning the shakuhachi and has been of great help to many like her. She started to include monthly interviews with other shakuhachi players with the idea to give some insight to others beginning this oft times difficult journey. This month I have the honour of being the 'Player of the Month' on her blog. Please have a read.<br />
<a href="http://ashakuhachijourney.blogspot.com/2010/11/featured-player-jeff-cairns.html">http://ashakuhachijourney.blogspot.com/2010/11/featured-player-jeff-cairns.html</a>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-62273334210019718772010-10-29T14:07:00.002+09:002010-10-29T14:12:32.248+09:00Up in the TreesI recently came into contact with a very interesting person. His name is <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TMpWYYfLw5I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/-t3DZ0Q5NCo/s1600/thomas+allocca.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" nx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TMpWYYfLw5I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/-t3DZ0Q5NCo/s320/thomas+allocca.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0mm 0mm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://www.wooden-architecture.org/index.htm">Thomas Allocca</a> and he's a wooden architecture designer and journalist from Italy. The reason that I've come into contact with him is that he has taken an interest in cultivating many varieties of Madake (<a href="http://www.wooden-architecture.org/madake.htm">phyllostachys bambusoides bambusoides</a>) in his homeland. To that end, he contacted by good friend <a href="http://www.hollowbamboo.net/">Derek Van Choice</a>, maker of Inga shakuhachi and me for information. An aritcle was published in an online magazine which can be found <a href="http://www.wooden-architecture.org/articles.htm">here</a> . Aside from wanting to supply Europe with a local source of madake (largely for shakuhachi making) he has done some very interesting archetecture related to tree houses.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0mm 0mm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TMpWQ31dnlI/AAAAAAAAAEM/9-DMJyUvPMo/s1600/treehouse+10+by+John+Harris.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TMpWQ31dnlI/AAAAAAAAAEM/9-DMJyUvPMo/s1600/treehouse+10+by+John+Harris.JPG" /></a>Check him out. He's an interesting guy!</div>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-74417897518011623962010-10-22T14:00:00.000+09:002010-10-22T14:00:43.532+09:00What's in a name?It seems that koto player Izumi Fujikawa, shamisen Yumiko Minoda and I have formed something of a performance trio with the intention of spreading the sankyoku word. We will likely be leaning more heavily on modern music than traditional as can be heard in our second performance together on November 20th at Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto City, Japan. We'll be doing two pieces by American composer Marty Regan called Shinonome no uta which appeared as the first track on my CD Silent Letters, Secret Pens that I did together with Izumi, and Dragon Eyes that we perfomed in October. The third piece is an adaptation of a koto solo piece that is quite frenetic. The koto part has been written, but the shakuhachi and shamisen parts will be largely improvised. I'll have more on that later.<br />
That all being said and good, our trio still needs a name. I'm open to any suggestions you might have.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TMEaZnOTcqI/AAAAAAAAAEI/efAzWsbuGfg/s1600/imagesCALING52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VAsp8p6s0TI/TMEaZnOTcqI/AAAAAAAAAEI/efAzWsbuGfg/s1600/imagesCALING52.jpg" /></a></div>Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833548245125210722.post-49685837084156331172010-10-08T13:48:00.001+09:002010-10-22T13:45:21.327+09:00Back at ItI've been away from this blog for quite some time, but back at it now.<br />
Since I've been down, the Kumamoto Shakuhachi Festival has come and gone. Reprocussions have been many and one of note is that I've since joined together with my long time friend and kotoist extrodinaire Izumi Fujikawa and shamisen/kotoist Yumiko Minoda. Our first performace was on October 12th and Kumamoto's Honmaru goten. The concert was part of Kumamoto Castle's Festival series. We performed a piece written by American composer Marty Regan called <a href="http://www.martyregan.com/flashControl.php?song=dragoneyes.mp3">Dragon Eye</a>s. It was a difficult piece and took some time to work into, but we were happy with our first performance of it. Both Izumi and I will be performing in the same venue on November 20 in the evening. I'll write more about that later.Jeff Cairnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11551344193278099326noreply@blogger.com0