[Shaku] Hoffman shakuhachi, koto & vocal in India-Japan Friendship Year

 Greetings from Japan, Bruce.

How goes San Diego (my happy home of 3 yrs in the 70's, and I still have a
home of sorts in Spring Valley). I enjoy getting your mailings
(gokuro-sama!), and apologize for not being a contributor often. Just too
busy (see below). I hope to see you in the autumn (see below, also), but for
now, could you please read the following and pass it on to our shakufriends
out there?

Thank You!

Tim

-------------------------

Dear ShakuFriends

Here's hoping you are enjoying a spring renewal, listening to the birds
rather than watching the news. Fortunate we are to in music (of wind, water,
beast and man) have access at any time to uplifting experience. Please
pardon all the accumulated verbiage below - for too long, there has been too
much action and not enough talk!

website announcement:

I (Tim) & we (Indo-Japanese Music Exchange Association) finally have a
full-fledged website in Japanese, with a greatly expanded/updated version
of the English page that has been up for a few years (that one Thanks!!! to
Monty & shakuhachi.com). See www.ijmea.com/ for indications of how humble
on-the-ground activism based on cooperative research and performance is
helping connect people and things in Asia that have been awaiting attention
for some 1200 years. Response in Japan still lags, and I understand the
reasons why. Regarding one of them, former Ambassador of India and world
renowned poet Aftab Seth's 2002 Japan Times quote about how Japan should
believe in itself more - "The current crisis is one of confidence, not
competence." Other challenges are in India. In all of our productions
involving Japanese and Indian artists, so much time and energy is required
to push and pull for progress that is already sitting there undercover.

shakuhachi, koto & Japanese poetry in Japan-India Friendship Year:

My 18-month project under American Institute of Indian Studies project, that
of adapting Japanese koto to Indian music, has been quite successfully
completed (what a trip that was!), but now is truly set to take off in real
terms. Results include that koto (as a multiplicity of instruments in one,
incorporating previously unexplored techniques in performing many different
ragas and styles of both North and South India) is to be instituted for
training in Indian music in a few universities, including Bhatkhande Music
Institute (where had used shakuhachi to complete the 5-yr program 20 yrs
ago). Performances (of koto, shakuhachi & vocal) with celebrated Indian
artists continually generate more. I have been invited to direct and perform
in music events in the Int'l Conference & Festival "Africa Meets Asia"in
Bangalore in July 2008, so will not be able to attend the shakuhachi bash in
Australia. Gratefully, I continue to be on the move musically with neither
fanfare nor apology, including my Asian music course again this semester at
Keio University, designed by me at request of Ambassador of India to Japan.

Having had scores of successful co-performances and workshops throughout
India and seeing two Japanese instruments being institutionalized as
instruments of classical music of India, I was on Feb 6th introduced in my
Sangeet Research Academy (India's most respected venue) program by Japanese
Consulate-General of Kolkata (Calcutta) as 'the 21-st century American
bridge between Japan and India' (in reference to Chicago's 1893 World
Religious Parliament where Japanese cultural icon Okakura Tenshin met and
was bowled over by Swami Vivekananda, and to the American Consulate Calcutta
as having been the means of introducing Rabindranath Tagore and Okakura to
each other in 1903 and establishing the Japanese Consulate in Calcutta in
1907). Last year, Dr Lokesh Chandra (top authority on history of religious
diffusion in Asia, and former House of Lords MP) had written about me as
"the modern avatar of Pancasika, who sang for Lord Buddha" - (as
prophesied?!) months later I did perform for the Buddha's tooth in Bodhgaya
(singing Buddha bhajans and playing shakuhachi raga with my Indian
accompanists) on the occasion of that famed relic being returned from Kandy
to India after centuries. Then, on 12 Feb of this year, I was ceremoniously
titled "Sangeet Acharya" (saint of music) in Chandigarh.

While toting koto, shakuhachi and equipment on a killer schedule throughout
India during Dec-Feb, the Japanese Consulate in Chennai requested me to
bring a troupe from Japan as the S India grand finale of the India-Japan
Year. I (and wife Sakiko on the ground here in Japan) scrambled to meet all
the complex paper challenges of working with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
putting together a quartet, including a fine young koto player.(student of
Nosaka Keiko). So then, with just 2 weeks turnaround here, I was back in
India with three dependents in tow and many Indian organizers and artists
(most of them as yet unmet) to coordinate with. As well as initiating,
directing and performing in a Japan-Korea collaboration (and covering for a
series of faux pas by the Japanese Consulate) in Chennai in mid-March, I was
privileged to produce to two collaboration concerts with 'the singing
priest' Fr Paul Poovathingal http://www.thesingingpriest.com/and two other
artists in Kerala, and one concert in Bangalore with Karnataka's most
celebrated percussionist. In spite of sudden downpours, human scheduling
glitches, power outages on stage and culture shock in some quarters, I am
happy to report ringing success overall. Please see media reports below, and
our new website www.ijmea.com/ for photos, etc.

(from 8-22 Mar official tour in India-Japan Year)
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEX20080316224726&Page=X&Title=Kochi&Topic=0&
$B!H(BTampura meets shakuhachi!$B!I(B
New India Press full-page story on 17 Mar 08 Cochin concert
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar122008/city2008031256896.asp
  $B!H(BBest of both the worlds$B!I(B - Deccan Herald on 11 Mar 08 Bangalore concert

+ (sample from Jan-Feb 08 final stage of AIIS koto+raga R&D project)

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/02/02/stories/2008020251150300.htm
(review+photo)

http://www.ebizwebco.com/carefitindia/News.htm (flyer & news)
  charity Carnatic concert Visakhapatnam, AP (India) 31 Jan 08

proposal for music activity in USA, autumn 2008:

As I am to present India-Japan crossover music in late October 2008 at the
Society for Ethnomusicology SEM Int'l Conference at Wesleyan University, I
plan to be in the Midwest and East Coast areas of USA throughout October,
and West Coast in November. Performance, lecture-demonstration, workshop,
and/or lecture presenting interdisciplinary and intercultural material would
be possible. Performance items would include tabla and/or other
accompaniment. I am accustomed to working with competent accompanists
(tabla, mridangam, sarangi, etc) locally; or can contract accompanist from
my side. Workshops etc can be done with my own electronic accompanists. Have
had great success with interdepartmental sponsorships in universities
Princeton, Cornell, Syracuse, Chicago, Delhi, London, etc. The E Asian
instruments are fully capable in their new natural roles, and Japanese
classical poetry in thumri is popular with linguists, poets, Eastern
mysticism buffs, et al - and wildly applauded by audiences in Benares and
Tokyo.

I can attach one file which concisely introduces my various roles. I would
also be very interested to learn of your activity.

Thank you for your attention, and to your kindness to all around you!

Best Wishes,

Tim Hoffman

T. M. Hoffman, performing artist and ethnomusicologist
  Sangeet Acharya (India)

  BA (Japan & USA), MA (USA), Visharad (India)

  Senior Performing and Creative Artist Fellow
     American Institute of Indian Studies AIIS (USA & India)
  Lecturer in Musicology and Linguistics
     Keio University & Musashino Academia Musicae (Japan)
  Director, Indo-Japanese Music Exchange Association (estab. 1989)
  130 Yoshizaki, Shimonita-machi, Kanra-gun, Gunma-ken 370-2604 JAPAN
  tel/fax: 81-0274-82-3160 mobile in Japan 090-5447-1903
  e-mail: tmhoffmus21@yahoo.com
              ijmusath@po.wind.ne.jp
http://www.ijmea.com/

(new complete website in Japanese & English)

http://www.indiaedunews.net/conversation/Tim_Hoffman.asp
  National Network of Education (India) interview

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/0003/inroads017.htm
 "American musician finds East meets East" (June 2006)

<some recent sample writing (in Japanese) on Asian music>

http://news.indochannel.jp/column/clm0000030.html
http://news.indochannel.jp/column/clm0000039.html

  $B%$%s%I!&%S%8%M%9!&%;%s%?!<!!(BIndochannel
  $B!V%$%s%I2;3Z$HF|K\J82=!W!!#1!u#2(B

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