Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

New CD by Christopher Yohmei & Byron AuYong
BreathPlay

Shakuhachi with water, voice, er-hu (Chinese fiddle), piano and an assortment of Asian percussion in a recording that pushes past the traditional and avant-garde to a music that is both ancient and contemporary.

Available from CDBaby
http://cdbaby.com/cd/baycyb
Price: $15

Tracks:
1 Water Whispers
2 San'ya
3 Elephant
4 BreathPlay
5 Cricket
6 Mist

notes
Seattle composer/performer Byron Au Yong and Tokyo shakuhachi musician Christopher Yohmei Blasdel explore sounds from around the Pacific Rim using shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), water, voice, er-hu (Chinese fiddle), piano, and Asian percussion. Au Yong and Blasdel met at the International House of Japan and have worked on a number of musical projects since 1996. Their site-responsive performance at the Tokyo Art Museum designed by Tadao Ando was praised by audience members as "inventive and stimulating." Au Yong creates ceremonial musical events scored for Asian, European and hand-made instruments. His work has been performed in Canada, China, England, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Projects include Piao Zhu: Flying Bamboo, YIJU: Songs of Dislocation, and Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas.

Christopher Yohmei Blasdel began shakuhachi and studies of Japanese music in 1972 with National Treasure Goro Yamaguchi. In 1984, he received the professional name "Yohmei" from Yamaguchi as well as a graduate degree in ethnomusicology from Tokyo National University. Blasdel has performed, taught and lectured throughout China, Thailand, Europe, North America, Mexico, India, Malaysia and the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Author of numerous books and articles, his most recent is THE SINGLE TONE--A PERSONAL JOURNEY INTO SHAKUHACHI MUSIC (Printed Matter Press, Tokyo, 2005).