This year's Jazz Art Sengawa is held on September 16-18

【開催決定！】
今回で9回目を迎える即興音楽イベント、今年も開催します！
「JAZZ ART せんがわ2016」9/16（金）～18（日）
※詳細は決まり次第アップします。乞うご期待！https://t.co/uHFTH4Mc3t pic.twitter.com/TcrAW9mGtN

— せんがわ劇場 (@SengawaG) 2016年4月20日

It's just announced that the date of this year's Jazz Art Sengawa has been set on september 16-18.

Produced by three outstanding musicians, Makigami Koichi, Sakamoto Hiromichi and Fujiwara Kiyoto, the annual festival for advanced pop, avant jazz and improvised music is artist-led and supported by the city of Chofu, the west suburb of Tokyo.

It started in 2008 so this year's is the 9th. It's a sort of miracle that such a bold and ambitious attempt has been continued this long.

Right now there is no information about the line-up but we'll let you know when it's available. All we can tell you is that this event is one of the best in this country and if you are interested in unusual but utterly interesting expression of music you must see this thing. It's convenient (15 minutes from central Tokyo by train), economic (quite affordable 3-day ticket available), and interesting (many bright acts including Hikashu). They're always up to our expectations and we're sure this time's no exception so make a mark on your calender not to miss it.

Sato Masaharu contributed soundtrack for NHK documentary

Sato Masaharu, Hikashu's drummer, recently contributed soundtrack for documentary program by NHK, Japanese public broadcaster. It has three parts and the first one just aired in Japan.

The program is about Amazon, the huge river in Brazil.

Unfortunately, it's only aired in Japan but the summary is available on net. Even it captured the moment Sato recording the soundtrack. You can listen excerpts as well.

ヒカシュー 、MASSA、針兎、黒やぎ白やぎ、等で活躍
作曲家、打楽器奏者、佐藤正治が音楽を担当
NHKスペ「大アマゾン最後の秘境」
ナレーション、松田龍平
参加ミュージシャン、細井豊、太田恵資、内橋和久、四家ストリングス
と豪華！https://t.co/k5akaIEYya

— OK-MASSA (@okmassa) 2016年4月5日

ヒカシューの佐藤正治さんによるこの音楽制作の様子だけで、別個に番組作って欲しい・・・。「NHKスペシャル　大アマゾン（音楽収録風景）」https://t.co/6kZ5gmmQc5

— Reverse HouseLizard (@YamoReverse) 2016年4月11日

The line-up for the soundtrack is Sato (percussion, voice), Ohta Keisuke (electric violin), and Hosoi Yutaka (synthesizer). As you might know, it's MASSA, the trio Sato has been leading for about last ten years. But there's a huge difference - it's all improvised, while MASSA's music is basically composed.

According to the clip, they went into studio shortly after watching the film, then just started performing. There's no written score or prior discussion. Sato said the film was impressive and made him inspired. The result is satisfactory.

Sato tweeted that the soundtrack will be released as CD. We will let you know when it's available.


A Grande Amazonia - NHK-TV

昨日はNHKスペシャル「大アマゾン」第一集のMAにお邪魔しました。ナレーションの松田龍平さん、とても魅力的な方でした。
放映は4月10日、21時。4/4からは、渋谷駅前交差点の大型ビジョンでプロモーション映像が流れるそうです。 pic.twitter.com/az7C1qpj0N

— 佐藤正治 (@MASAHARUSATO) 2016年3月29日

Sato and Matsuda Ryuhei, an actor who narrated the program

本日、NHKスペシャル「大アマゾン」トラックダウン最終日！！
残りの曲たちも最高に良い感じに仕上がりました。
第一回目の放映は、4月10日21時。お楽しみに！！ pic.twitter.com/sTfbkDq1FS

— 佐藤正治 (@MASAHARUSATO) 2016年3月27日

Mixdown at the NHK studio

Makigami / Smulovitz / Hirabayashi "Seikatsu" in Vancouver Canada on May 15, 2016

In May, Makigami Koichi goes to Vancouver for improvised performance with two outstanding artists.

Please join us for an exciting evening of improvised music and dance featuring musicians Makigami Koichi and Stefan Smulovitz and dancer Jay Hirabayashi. The evening will begin with a solo set by Makigami; Smulovitz and Hirabayashi will then join him for a trio to end the night.

SEIKATSU: MAKIGAMI / SMULOVITZ / HIRABAYASHI
15 May 2016 - 15 May 2016, 8:00pm
Studio D, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 W. Hastings, Vancouver V6B 1H4
$25 GENERAL/$15 STUDENTS

See here for details:
www.sfu.ca/sca/events

Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver B.C. Canada

Oboe may be added to the Hikashu's instrumentation someday

Recently Makigami started to practice Oboe.

The instrument is something left by the late Nomoto Kazunori, an ex-member of Hikashu who deceased in 2003, and passed to Makigami.

The cause of taking the instrument is a reunion with Mogi Daisuke. Mogi, an oboe player and conductor, was an old acquaintance and they came to know each other via Sakaide Masami, a mutual friend and Hikashu's member. Sakaide got to know Mr. Mogi when both were living in Germany and introduced him to Makigami.

Mogi, Makigami, and Sakaide

Daisuke Mogi (1959–) was born in Tokyo. He graduated from the Kunitachi College of Music with a degree in oboe performance before going abroad to study in the graduate program at Munich Music College (now the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich). He studied under the famed oboist Günther Passin (1937–2014). After completing his degree there, he stayed on at the college as a lecturer. In 1987 he joined the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra as first oboist. After returning to Japan in 1990, he became first oboist of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in April 1991, and also played with the Japan Shinsei Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he performed as a soloist with jazz pianist and composer Yosuke Yamashita, expanding his repertory beyond the classical genre. More recently he has taken up conducting, and he has also published numerous volumes of essays over the course of his career. www.booksfromjapan.jp

Makigami and Mogi recently started exchanging again through twitter, and joined Sakaide, the trio met at a music shop in Shibuya, Tokyo. They reminisced the old days in Deutschland, while Mogi gave Makigami a quick lesson like basic fingering and embouchuring.

Being an extraordinary voice performer, Makigami is also a multi-instrumentalist. Currently he regularly plays cornet, theremin, and shakuhachi. Also he used to be a bass player of Hikashu in the early period of the band, 1978-1982 (In December 1982, Sakaide replaced that chair and he's been staying ever since then.) More than that, he has a vast collection of ethnic instrument, mostly pipe and string instruments from asia and siberia, and occasionally plays them in public. For instance, recently he came to play hichiriki, double-reed instrument used for Gagaku, a traditional Japanese court music. You can listen to it on "Iroha Tapestry," a cut from their latest album, Ikitekoi Chinmoku [Silence Be Alive].




"Maybe someday I use oboe at Hikashu's performance, although I know it's really hard one to play. Imagining that, I feel somewhat gratifying. Is there any rock band using the instrument? What only reminds me of Roxy Music," Makigami said. In fact, he is known to be a big fan of Roxy. And surely that gratification is shared with us the band's audience as well.

ENOvations summer 1979 - the first western introduction

Recently Makigami tweeted:

懐かしい!! 資料を送ったら、ENOから返事が来て、しかもこのNewsletterにヒカシューが載った。 https://t.co/1Svgs5vrDh

— 巻上公一 (@MAKIBRI) 2016年3月12日

"I remember this!! We sent them our material. Then they gave us a reply, and even picked it up for their newsletter."

Apparently, they were thrilled.

It was summer of 1979. Brian Eno fan club's newsletter called ENOvations published a review of the demo recording of Hikashu. As far as we know, this is the earliest exposure of the band in the west, or anywhere outside Japan.

At that time, the band was already in negotiation with Toshiba EMI. Their first single, "At the End of the 20th Century," was released in December that year.

The demo was recorded in 1978. Not done professionally, contrary to the review implied, but it was completed with great care. It draw some popularity, widely circulated in Tokyo underground scene, and eventually led them to the recording contract with major label. Later it was issued as "Hikashu 1978" in 1996, now available as remastered edition, which was reviewed here:

Hikashu - Hikashu 1978 (1996)

You can see the issue in its entirety here:

www.moredarkthanshark.org/feature_enovations-sum79.html

Makigami Koichi joins Ikue Mori's residencies at the Stone NYC on May 17 & 19

In May, Makigami Koichi goes to New York City to perform at the Stone, the hotbed for NY downtown scene. It's a part of Ikue Mori's residencies at the venue and the line-up is as follows:



5/17 Tuesday (BM)
8 pm
Ikue Mori, John Zorn, Jim Staley and Koichi Makigami (voice)
Ikue Mori (electronics) John Zorn (sax) Jim Staley (trombone) Koichi Makigami (voice)

10 pm
Ikue Mori and Koichi Makigami
Ikue Mori (electronics) Koichi Makigami (voice)


5/19 Thursday (DDT)
10 pm
Improv set with Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, Okkyung Lee, Jim Black, Makigami Koichi
Ikue Mori (electronics) Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Okkyung Lee (cello) Jim Black (drums) Makigami Koichi (voice)


For details, please refer to the Stone website.

thestonenyc.com

Gigs in April 2016

Unfortunately there is no Hikashu gig in March, but in April they are back to the live circuit. That month they have two gigs in Tokyo - April 1st at Hearts+ of Otsuka, and April 27th at Star Pine's Cafe in Kichijoji.



April 1, 2016
@ Hearts+
Otsuka, Tokyo
other act: Kyuchusen, Muteki Candy
open 18:30 - start 19:00
adv 2,500 yen - at door 3,000 yen
hearts-web.net/plus

Hearts+, Otsuka, Tokyo




April 27, 2016
@ Star Pine's Cafe
Kichijoji, Tokyo
open 18:30 - start 19:30
adv 3,900 yen - at door 4,300 yen
www.mandala.gr.jp/spc.html

Star Pine's Cafe, Kichijoji, Tokyo