i dont consider myself to be much of a writer but i am so moved by this
recording that i wanted to share some thoughts on it.
CD review
Such
The Issue at Hand
Matchless CD 38
released 1999
recorded august 3, 1998 in England
Yoshikazu Iwamoto - shakuhachi
John Tilbury - piano
Eddie Prevost - percussion
The British ensemble AMM was formed in the mid 1960's and since then has
explored free improvisation. 2 of the members of Such, Prevost and Tilbury
have been in AMM since its inception and continue working with that
ensemble. This seems a logical extension of AMM's exploration but for
various reasons the CD is not credited to AMM but they call the ensemble,
"Such". Shakuhachi grandmaster Iwamoto Yoshikazu has been living in
England for 18 years. In addition to being one of the finest interpreters
oh traditional shakuhachi music (Honkyoku) he is a champion of contemporary
music and numerous composers have written for him or adapted pieces for his
brilliant shakuhachi playing. He is widely considered to be one of the
premiere shakuhachi players of today. Until his meeting with AMM for this
recording and a concert that took place earlier he had not sojourned into
the territory of free improvisation.
On listening to this double CD, one can easily hear the influence of the
composer, Morton Feldman on this ensemble. Pianist John Tilbury has been
one of the leading proponents of Feldman's music in Europe and his
sensibilities as an improvisor reflect that interest. The dynamics of this
trio, for the most part stay very quiet. Incredibly subtle, intricate
interplay is happening throughout the 2 discs. In order to improvise well
in a free context, one must remove their egos and listen as much if not
more than they play. Iwamoto's background in the Buddhist tradition of
honkyoku playing prepared him very well for this context! There is little
soloing going on here. Neither of the 3 players are out to prove they can
play by showing off their technical prowess. It is all put aside for the
greater purpose of developing an ensemble identity.
Few shakuhachi players are interested in this kind of music. There are
literally only a couple of handful of shakuhachi players who are involved
in free improvisation or avant garde music. I have often been baffled by
this! The instrument seems a likely candidate for this style of playing.
Studying Honkyoku trains us to listen to silence, to work in free rhythm,
to develop an ear for microtonality and to develop a sense of color and
timbre as prime aspects of a musical language/vocabulary. This shares much
in common with post world war 2 composition (especially the late works of
Cage and Feldman) and the developments in improvised music since the
1960's. Thus it makes perfect sense for a legendary improvising ensemble to
invite Iwamoto to join them for a project.
Is Such providing a model or an example for shakuhachi music for the
future? i certainly hope so!!
Note: Authors bias. I am a shakuhachi player and am involved in various
types of contemporary music; free improvisation, as well as a performer of
new compositions and i have long been in awe of Iwamoto's playing.
Philip Gelb
shakuhachi:performance,lessons
266 40th street Way (basement)
Oakland, CA 94611
510 658 5736
ryokan@wenet.net
http://www.hooked.net/~ryokan/
independent distributor: Cell Tech Super Blue Green Algae
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