Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Yungflutes · 2010-08-09 08:56:23

Anyone else like their Ramen with shakuhachi?

This is my favorite Ramen Joint in NYC: http://ippudo.com/ny/

The broths are rich and deep with layers of complexity, like a good shakuhachi tone.

There's always a line out front no matter what hour of the day. The last two times I tried to go, we were told the wait was 3 - 4 hours. So I visited the website to see if reservations were available. Lo and behold, there was the sound of the shakuhachi! Upon further investigation, I discovered that the owner is a good friend of a famous contemporary master who not only performed at the opening of the restaurant, but on the main stage of the last three world shakuhachi festivals.

Can anyone guess the identity of this shakuhachi player? (tip: the sound file is not a good clue)
- Perry

edosan · 2010-08-09 09:13:37

Yungflutes wrote:
Can anyone guess the identity of this shakuhachi player? (tip: the sound file is not a good clue)

YAMAMOTO Hozan.

Yungflutes · 2010-08-09 09:37:18

edosan wrote:
Yungflutes wrote:
Can anyone guess the identity of this shakuhachi player? (tip: the sound file is not a good clue)
YAMAMOTO Hozan.

Good guess! But, I don't believe Yamamoto sensei performed at the Big Apple World Shakuhachi Festival.

I hope I didn't throw you by saying he was a contemporary master. I meant to say that he was alive and playing contemporary music aside from traditional.

Tairaku 太楽 · 2010-08-09 10:51:01

Maybe it's Aki Nakamura. It has to be someone who knows jazz.

radi0gnome · 2010-08-09 11:08:59

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:
Maybe it's Aki Nakamura. It has to be someone who knows jazz.

It doesn't sound Japanese influenced much at all to me. No names, my guess would have been you, Tairaku, but I'll still keep my guess to a Western player. Even Sadao Watanabe, my favorite Japanese sax player, doesn't sound that Western and he has the idiom down solid.

Tairaku 太楽 · 2010-08-09 11:12:21

Not many Western players, including me, playing on the main stage at the Festivals, unless it's Neptune. But it doesn't sound like Neptune at all.

Could be Ned Rothenberg if it's a Westerner. He lives in NYC and could have played at the opening of the restaurant. I don't know if he played on the main stage at the festivals.

Elliot K · 2010-08-09 11:26:50

Sounds more like Christopher Blasdel.

edosan · 2010-08-09 12:04:09

Yungflutes wrote:
edosan wrote:
Yungflutes wrote:
Can anyone guess the identity of this shakuhachi player? (tip: the sound file is not a good clue)
YAMAMOTO Hozan.
Good guess! But, I don't believe Yamamoto sensei performed at the Big Apple World Shakuhachi Festival.

I hope I didn't throw you by saying he was a contemporary master. I meant to say that he was alive and playing contemporary music aside from traditional.

Well, YES, you did, Perry. "Contemporary master" and "master playing contemporary music": not exactly equivalent.

(And, people, Perry stated very clearly that the sound file is NOT a good clue, so why are you using it as a reference?)

Last edited by edosan (2010-08-09 12:12:54)

Yungflutes · 2010-08-09 18:51:25

Ok. More hints:
Not a westerner.
Lives in Japan
Kinko player who has performed modern pieces such as November steps and in popular cultural music like Okinawan Pop and Salsa, among others.
Taught in the Prague summer school.
Is being considered as one of the next National Treasures (I was told by a reliable source).

changjc · 2010-08-09 19:48:58

Maybe he is Yamamoto's student.
Fujuwara Dozan.
One of the top shakuhachi masters.

Elliot K · 2010-08-09 20:12:37

Ah, then it's Kifu Mitsuhashi.

Tairaku 太楽 · 2010-08-09 21:14:02

Did not think of Kifu Mitsuhashi, nor does it sound like him! I thought it sounded good, but I would not have picked it as Kifu based on the playing.

Did he play at the opening of the restaurant in NYC? Or did he play at the opening of the Japanese branch of this restaurant. Could have confused us with that.

Perry did you notice he plays the main riff from "Watazumi's Tea Bowl", when was this recorded?

Moran from Planet X · 2010-08-09 21:53:49

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:
Did not think of Kifu Mitsuhashi, nor does it sound like him!

I agree, it doesn't sound like Kifu.

Perry wrote:
(tip: the sound file is not a good clue)

So if it doesn't sound like Kifu, how could we identify him?

Yungflutes · 2010-08-09 22:26:46

Elliot K wrote:
Ah, then it's Kifu Mitsuhashi.

Bingo!

Elliot, the next time we're in the same city, the Ramen's on me!

Tairaku wrote:
Did he play at the opening of the restaurant in NYC? Or did he play at the opening of the Japanese branch of this restaurant. Could have confused us with that.
Perry did you notice he plays the main riff from "Watazumi's Tea Bowl", when was this recorded?

I mentioned Ippodu to Ralph the other day and he told me Kifu was a good friend of the owner and played here in NYC for the opening. Yeah, I dig the playing. The riff fits into the shakuhachi scale naturally, doesn't it?

Chris Moran wrote:
So if it doesn't sound like Kifu, how could we identify him?

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse anyone, I don't have any info on the sound file. It doesn't sound like Kifu to me either. There's a lot of Jazz cats in Japan. It could be any number of people. I just thought some of you would enjoy a little Shakuhachi Trivial Pursuit

Thanks for playing!

Anyone in NYC wanna meet for Ramen?

Elliot K · 2010-08-10 01:19:53

Perry, next time you're in San Francisco, let me know - I'll drive an hour south to the city for some good (vegetarian) ramen anytime.
Everyone else: I didn't guess Mitsuhashi because of the clip - I never would have gotten it from that. Just did the process of elimination thing. Kinko player + non-westerner + November Steps + teacher at Prague, etc.

Moran from Planet X · 2010-08-10 02:20:16

Yungflutes wrote:
Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse anyone ...

me?

confused?

never.

— Former Head

(p.s. It still doesn't sound a bit like Kifu to me. Are you sure that someone's not pulling your shakuhachi???)

Tairaku 太楽 · 2010-08-10 07:32:55

Chris Moran wrote:
(p.s. It still doesn't sound a bit like Kifu to me. Are you sure that someone's not pulling your shakuhachi???)

I am really confused, because at first I thought it was me, until I recognized that I hadn't played that music and have never been to the restaurant. But I didn't think it was Kifu. So if I sound like Kifu and Kifu doesn't sound like Kifu, does that mean that I don't sound like me? This is over my head.

Yungflutes · 2010-08-10 09:25:51

Elliot K wrote:
Perry, next time you're in San Francisco, let me know - I'll drive an hour south to the city for some good (vegetarian) ramen anytime.
Everyone else: I didn't guess Mitsuhashi because of the clip - I never would have gotten it from that. Just did the process of elimination thing. Kinko player + non-westerner + November Steps + teacher at Prague, etc.

Very cool! Is there good Vegetarian Ramen in the Bay Area?!

ChrisMoran wrote:
(p.s. It still doesn't sound a bit like Kifu to me. Are you sure that someone's not pulling your shakuhachi???)

(not going to touch this one with a 10 foot shakuhachi)

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:
So if I sound like Kifu and Kifu doesn't sound like Kifu, does that mean that I don't sound like me? This is over my head. wink

This all raises an interesting question. How many players can be positively identified solely by a recording (excluding a well-known recording)?

marek · 2010-08-10 10:50:33

Hey guys,

I enjoyed this quizz remendously. Can anyone post another one?

Not only it's good listening development it's really interesting.

Cheers,

Marek

Moran from Planet X · 2010-08-10 12:30:44

Yungflutes wrote:
ChrisMoran wrote:
(p.s. It still doesn't sound a bit like Kifu to me. Are you sure that someone's not pulling your shakuhachi???)
(not going to touch this one with a 10 foot shakuhachi)

You have a 10?

Geeezzzz ...

Zakarius · 2010-08-10 18:50:44

Yungflutes wrote:
(not going to touch this one with a 10 foot shakuhachi)
Chris Moran wrote:
You have a 10?

*jealous*

Zak

Jeff Cairns · 2010-08-10 21:56:37

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:
So if I sound like Kifu and Kifu doesn't sound like Kifu, does that mean that I don't sound like me? This is over my head.

Hell no! It means that Kifu can sound like you.......and that speaks highly of the man's range.

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2010-08-09 08:56:23

Shakuhachi with Ramen

#2 2010-08-09 09:13:37

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Yungflutes wrote:

#3 2010-08-09 09:37:18

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

edosan wrote:

Yungflutes wrote:

#4 2010-08-09 10:51:01

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#5 2010-08-09 11:08:59

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:

#6 2010-08-09 11:12:21

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#7 2010-08-09 11:26:50

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#8 2010-08-09 12:04:09

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Yungflutes wrote:

edosan wrote:

Yungflutes wrote:

#9 2010-08-09 18:51:25

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#10 2010-08-09 19:48:58

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#11 2010-08-09 20:12:37

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#12 2010-08-09 21:14:02

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#13 2010-08-09 21:53:49

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:

Perry wrote:

#14 2010-08-09 22:26:46

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Elliot K wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

Chris Moran wrote:

#15 2010-08-10 01:19:53

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#16 2010-08-10 02:20:16

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Yungflutes wrote:

#17 2010-08-10 07:32:55

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Chris Moran wrote:

#18 2010-08-10 09:25:51

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Elliot K wrote:

ChrisMoran wrote:

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:

#19 2010-08-10 10:50:33

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

#20 2010-08-10 12:30:44

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Yungflutes wrote:

ChrisMoran wrote:

#21 2010-08-10 18:50:44

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Yungflutes wrote:

Chris Moran wrote:

#22 2010-08-10 21:56:37

Re: Shakuhachi with Ramen

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:

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