Humcrush Japan Tour

In June, Makigami Koichi organizes a Japan tour of Humcrush, the electro unit of improvised music from Norway. He will also participate in performance.



June 8th
Cinema Maebashi
Maebashi, Gunma
Humcrush with Makigami Koichi
open 19:00, start 19:30
2,000 yen (advance), 3,000 yen (at door)
tel. 027-231-8000　fax. 027-231-8006
cinema maebashi site

June 10th
Roppongi Super Deluxe
Tokyo
Humcrush with Makigami Koichi, FANTASTIC EXPLOSION, yudayajazz, CARRE
open 18:00, start 19:00
2,500 yen (advance), 3,500 yen (at door)
super deluxe site

June 11th
Nu Things
Osaka
Humcrush with Makigami Koichi
open 18:30, start 19:30
4,000 yen (advance), 4,500 yen (at door)
for reservation, call 06-6211-8711
or contact via mail, rollcall@i.softbank.jp

June 13th
Yugawara Contemporary Music Festival
"voice & electronics"
Yugawara Hinoki Charity Concert Hall
Shizuoka
Humcrush with Makigami Koichi (voice, theremin), Jim O'Rourke (guitar), Ikue Mori (electronics)
start 15:00
4,000 yen (advance), 4,500 (at door)
The annual festival, which was founded by Makigami last year, will be held in his hometown, Yugawara. This time the unit is to be augmented by guest musicians, and play the pieces of modern composers like John Cage and Robert Ashley. Ticket is now available via e-plus or makigami office (mail at ticketdesk@makigami.com).

flyer for the festival

Marching Watermelon

Danball Bat, a new wave band based in Tokyo, invited Makigami Koichi as a guest act at their gig on May 8th, 2010. (As of the band's name, it means "cardboard baseball bat")

After a solo set of voice and theremin, upon the band's request, Makigami performed "Marching Watermelon" with them.


Makigami Koichi with Danball Bat performed "Marching Watermelon" at UFO Club, Koenji, Tokyo.


Marching Watermelon
words by Makigami Koichi
music by Tobe Satoshi

bovine
densed
immersed
marching watermelon
moved in

enchanted
pulsing
starting off
marching watermelon
sneaked in

vaguely
catnapped
being in midsummer
marching watermelon
looked happily

The Uniform

The band with the uniform

Did you notice the uniform the band used, white trousers, red jacket and white hat?

It was a replica of Japan team's uniform in 1964 Summer Olympics Tokyo. The band used it in the period of their debut, late 1979 to early 1980.


It was Chikada Haruo's idea. As the producer of the band, he made every effort for getting them exposed in media and the uniform was part of it. Although it was only time they used uniform, it worked well and certainly helped the recognition of the band.

At the End of the 20th Century (1979)

"20 seiki no owari ni" (At the End of the 20th Century) is the first single of Hikashu, released on October 1979. The record company, Toshiba EMI, promoted the single well and the song was frequently played on radio. The band also appeared some TV programs. The publicity boosted the name recognition of the band which they still enjoy.

The video quoted below is from TV program broadcasted live on December 1979. The location is La Forêt Harajuku, a department store, which is still in operation.



The emcee of the program was Chikada Haruo, who is also the producer of early Hikashu recordings. And he helped a lot for the band getting media attention. The following is a translation of the opening dialog with Chikada and Makigami.

Chikada: Next is a band with strange name ... Hikashu. [To Makigami; pretends not to know the band] You are now in recording, right?

Makigami: Yes. We are now recording a LP.

Chikada: Is there anything you could tell that your music is absolutely different from others?

Makigami: Well, probably there are music like ours ... but I could tell you, there is something in music which has been regarded as useless garbage. We took it and reconstructed it in our own way. That's our music, I think.

Chikada: So, is there any commercial potential for such kind of thing?

Makigami: Probably, yes.

Chikada: Okay. You play that song, "At the End of the 20th Century"?

Makigami: Yes.

Chikada: Now, Hikashu!

At The End Of The 20th Century
words & music by Makigami Koichi

If you are to find love at the end of the 20th century, it needs the power of the planets and the magic of death.
Try to look through the cutaway of love, then you will find hell or darkness there.

Raise your voice (hi hi hi)
Use your brain (hi hi hi)
Raise your voice (hi hi hi)
Use your brain (hi hi hi)
What is the thing you are looking for?

If you are to lose ideology and try to find love, it needs the light of the moon's surface and the preconceivance of death.
Try to look through the atmosphere of love, then you will find ruin or darkness there.

Raise your voice (hi hi hi)
Use your brain (hi hi hi)
Raise your voice (hi hi hi)
Use your brain (hi hi hi)
What is the thing you are looking for?

If you are to find love at the end of the 20th century
If you are to find love at the end of the 20th century
What is the thing you are looking for?

Chikada Haruo & Beef - Lady Hurricane

Chikada also performed on the same program with his band, Beef. In intro, there is a man talking from audience. He is Kato Kazuhiko, the producer of "Alternative Sun".

Jazz Art Sengawa 2010

Besides Fuji Rock, Hikashu will appear 3rd Annual Jazz Art Sengawa this summer. The festival is directed by Makigami Koichi, along with Fujiwara Kiyoto and Sakamoto Hiromichi. It will be held on July 9-11 at Sengawa Theatre and Sengawa Avenue Hall, Tokyo.

As always, the program of this year is quite attractive. For instance, Tanikawa Shuntaro is probably the most renowned living poet in post-WWII Japan (he has been a subject of speculations regarding the Nobel Prize in Literature for years), and Tanaka Min is one of the greatest Butoh dancer ever. All these people collected under one roof is simply incredible. Diverse, inter-genre, and prominent in a good way, it is well-representative of creative music scene in Japan.

If you are interested in jazz, avant-pop or improvised music of Japan, this is surely not to be missed. Capacity is strictly limited (Sengawa Theatre has only 130 seats and allows no standing) so get in quick.


July 9th, Friday

16:15-17:00 Art Parade

Sengawa Theatre

17:00-17:40 Opening Ceremony

18:00-18:50 Voice Space
Tanikawa Shuntaro (poetry reading), Tanikawa Kensaku (p), Sasaki Mikio (poetry reading)

19:30-20:10
Haco (vo, electronics), Sakamoto Hiromichi (cello), Arai Ryoji (live painting)

20:40-21:30
Umezu Kazutoki (reeds), Tanaka Min (butoh), Yamashita Yosuke (p)


Sengawa Avenue Hall

18:30-19:10
Komori Keiko (saxophone), Yoshino Hiroshi (b)

20:00-20:40
Fujiwara Kiyoto (b), Komatsu Reiko (per)


July 10th, Saturday

Sengawa Theatre

11:00-11:40 Voice Play for Children
Ootaka Shizuru (voice), Makigami Koichi (voice)

14:00-14:40 Warehouse
Kido Natsuki (g), Takara Kumiko (vib, per), Gideon Jukes (tuba)

15:40-16:30 Fujii Satoko Orchestra Tokyo

17:30-18:20 Fujiwara Kiyoto NY Trio Original
Fujiwara Kiyoto (b), Peter Madsen(b), Fukuke Shunsuke (ds)

20:00-21:00
Sakata Akira (reeds), Jim O'Rourke (g), Yagi Michiyo (koto), Pika (ds)


Sengawa Avenue Hall

13:00-15:00 Free Music Session for Improvisation
Moderated by Sakamoto Hiromichi

16:00-16:40 Daikokuyama
Kuroda Kyoko (p), Yamaguchi Tomo (per), Ota Keisuke (violin)

17:00-19:00 Free Music Session for Improvisation
Moderated by Makigami Koichi

19:30-20:00 Samm Bennett

20:30-21:10 Kokoperi
Saga Yuki (voice), Hayashi Masaki (p), Yamamoto Tatsuhisa (ds)


July 11th, Sunday

Sengawa Theatre

11:00-11:45 Sunday Matinee Concert: "Violin from Imaginary Country"
Ota Keisuke (violin)

13:00-13:40 Otomo Yoshihide solo invisible songs
Otomo Yoshihide (g), Abe Fuyumi (vo), Suneohair (vo), Yakushimaru Etsuko (vo)

14:30-15:10 Hikashu
Makigami Koichi (vo, theremin, cornet), Mita Freeman (g), Sakaide Masami (b), Shimizu Kazuto (p, bass clarinet), Sato Masaharu (ds)

16:00-16:40
Suga Dairo (p), Hachiya Maki (voice), Sotoyama Akira (ds)

19:30-20:10 John Zorn's Cobra: Tokyo Sengawa Operation, Otomo Yoshihide Unit #1

20:30-21:10 John Zorn's Cobra: Tokyo Sengawa Operation, Otomo Yoshihide Unit #2
Haco (vo, electronics), Yoshida Ami (voice), Yakushimaru Etsuko (voice), Suneohair (vo, g), Takada Ren (steel guitar), Sachiko M (sinewaves), AYA (b), OLAibi (per), Yamamoto Tatsuhisa (ds, per), Takada Ko (sho), Nagasu Yoka (satsuma biwa, shakuhachi), Otomo Yoshihide (prompter, g), Makigami Koichi (prompter, voice, theremin)


Sengawa Avenue Hall

12:30-13:10 Yamaneko San
Yamamoto Yama (trumpet), Kaneko Yasuko (trombone)

14:00-14:30 Ito Atsuhiro (optron)

15:00-16:30 Super Bass Jam for Free Improvisation
Moderated by Fujiwara Kiyoto

17:30-18:10 Sakamoto Hiromichi Special Dance Session

19:00-21:00 Sengawa Free Session


Ticket information:

3Days Ticket - 12,000 yen
1Days Ticket - 4,000 yen for July 9th, 4,500 yen for July 10th and 11th
for Sengawa Theatre and Sengawa Avenue Hall

1Day Ticket for Sengawa Theatre - 3,000 yen for July 9th, 3,500 yen for July 10th and 11th
1Day Ticket for Sengawa Avenue Hall - 2,000 yen for each day

All prices listed are for advance. At door, add 500 yen for the prices herein.

Tickets are available now at Sengawa Theater office or Ticket Pia.

Sengawa Theatre

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Sengawa Avenue Hall

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Tanikawa Shuntaro (reading), Tanikawa Kensaku (piano)


Tanaka Min with Milford Graves


Ito Atsuhiro (optron) on Sony Walkman ad

Related Entries:
Jazz Art Sengawa 2010: Additional Concerts
Jazz Art Sengawa 2010 update
Jazz Art Sengawa

Small gig in Yokohama

In the beginning, Makigami declared that this time he might sing less than usual. That means this will be night of jam and improvisation. However, most of the audience anticipated that. Because the place, Airegin in Yokohama, is jazz club famous for its policy. Specialized in real jazz and improvised music, the venue has been around for over 20 years. The band choosed the place and that means something special, unusual thing would happen.

The band went to the stage and while Makigami did preamble, all of sudden Shimizu battered a mouthpiece of his bass clarinet with his fingers and made a series of crackling sounds. It was a signal of starting to play and the band did a long improvisation. It continued over 20 minutes. Fierce, strong performance with various drum beats.

Next they did an instant composition. Mita showed some motif and the band developed New Orlean-ish, Allen Toussaints-like song from it. Makigami also made up a lyrics and sing it. After that, the band went back into long improvisation. Then Sakaide teased with the opening phrase of "Beto Beto" on his bass and the members quickly reacted. It became extended performance than usual, 15 minutes long, including Makigami's cornet solo. The 1st set ended with it.

It seemed to me that most of the attendees was regulars and expected something different that night. But of course there was exceptions.

In front of the stage, there was a little girl escorted by her parents. Makigami did notice and chatted with them in the intermission. Dad told him that his daughter's favorite tune was "At the End of the 20th Century" and Makigami replied they'll do the song later. At that point, the band did only one composition ("Beto Beto") and that was probably out of the expectation for them.

The 2nd set started with long improvisation, too. After that, Mita talked about one of his old composition, entitled "The Morning too chilling". He said it was still in progress and showed the main riff. Having been explained the chord progression, rhythm pattern and some embellishments, the band picked them and worked together on stage. It was curious experience. I felt like witnessing their rehearsal. The band grasped it quickly and started playing. Makigami was watching Mita hummed the melody, then suddenly shouted "I got it! It's Rokyoku!" and started singing exaggerated Rokyoku-like phrases. Rokyoku is a genre of the traditional Japanese narrative singing, used to be popular in 1920-30s but now kinda obsolete. The audience cheered.



Hitofushi Taro - Rokyoku Komoriuta (Rokyoku The Lullaby) in 1990. Big hit of 1963, sold over two million and still sells 20,000 copies a year.

After another improvised piece, the band launched "Sun Ra is the Pianist". It also became extended performance. In its introduction, Makigami took long cornet solo again. In outro, the band chanted the main melody, and started to march among the audience. I was quite surprised because I saw them doing thing like that for the first time. It's more like Sun Ra! Everybody in the audience was clapping their hands with the tune and I thought it's nice way to closing the set. But it was not. They went back to the stage and did "At the End of the 20th Century". Makigami fulfilled the promise with the family, and that's how the main set ended.

At encore, Makigami asked the audience some request first. Someone replied "Nioi" from "Uwasa No Jinrui", and other cited "Chinatown in San Francisco" from Makigami's first solo, "Minzoku No Saiten". After showing excerpts of those songs, the band played "Mottainai Hanashi" from the "Hanauta Hajime" album.

After the performance, the family looked quite happy. They chatted with Makigami again and thanked him.

Hikashu has been always eager to play improvisation in concert but usually they devoted themselves to do that between compositions and certainly do not do that long. So it's very rare case. Their improvisation has some "quality", which I cannot explain properly, but I can clearly say I like it very much. They always give us something interesting and I confirmed it that night again. Hopefully they'll do small gigs again in future.



Encore set on April 24, 2010 at Airgin in Yokohama. Shooted by the club's owner, Mr. Umemoto. Note at 4:59, Shimizu, the pianist, went back into the verse of "Mottainai Hanashi" from the bridge at unusual timing on purpose. The other members showed some surprise but kept in time.

Fuji Rock Festival 2010

Big news. Hikashu will perform at Fuji Rock Festival on July 30th, 2010. They rarely do huge-outdoor-rock festival thing and Fuji Rock is now the biggest and the most popular rock event in Japan. Other than Hikashu, many acts of interest also appear.

The festival also welcomes people from overseas. English services are available everywhere and lots of concert-goer from outside Japan come and see this thing.



If you ever consider coming to Japan and attending Hikashu concert, think seriously of this opportunity. It is a rare chance to see the band performing in such a situation.

The festival will be held for 3 days. And, other than music, there are lots of entertainment options you can surely enjoy.



The official web site of Fuji Rock is here (in English). Lots of information is available there, including how to buy ticket from overseas. Happy travelling!

Related Entries:
Fuji Rock Festival 2010 update