The International Shakuhachi Society

- Recording: Sky Spirit -

Sky Spirit

Sky Spirit

Neptune, John Kaizan
Victor (Zen) - VICG-8024
1991

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Shakuhachi	Shamisen	Koto
1 (Listen)	Sky Spirit	飛天	08'16	Neptune, John Kaizan
	A piece commissioned by traditional Japanese dancer Kimiei Mutsunoya (Sanae Aoki) and first performed at the National Theater in Tokyo, "Hiten" (Sky Spirit} is a Buddhist "angel" type of being found in many of the religious paintings seen along the silk road, Chinese and Japanese scales are used and the yang-qin (Chinese dulcimer-type instrument) is featured.
2 (Listen)	Four Fun	フォア・ファン	05'00	Neptune, John Kaizan
	As an ex-drummer, I enjoy playing in odd meters and "different" rhythms , but I thought I'd write a piece in "four" (4/4 meter) just FOUR FUN.
3 (Listen)	No Walls	ノー・ウォールズ	04'50	Neptune, John Kaizan
	There are a few reasans for this title: while building a dome house in the countryside of Japan, I had to decide one day between working on the house--building a wall--or composing": I chose to work on the composition. This piece is based on an interesting Indian scale that can sound Indian, Japanese, Western, or bluesy depending on what note is the fundamental and which notes are left out: the walls between different kinds of music are sometimes not so high. Finally, at the time this tune was written, the Berlin Wall was coming down.
4 (Listen)	Either Way	イーザー・ウェイ	05'01	Neptune, John Kaizan
	The theme for this tune was written for an NHK (National Broadcasting) educational tape, I wasn't sure what kind of texture the director wanted, so I wrote a tune that would work either with a swing or straight rhythm. We chose the latter groove for this recording.
5 (Listen)	Tentsuku	テンツク	06'34	Neptune, John Kaizan
	The original titie "Tereteretsuku" and the current title refer to the rhythmic syllables used by Japanese percussianists. Although traditional Japonese music is not known for its use of odd meters, I find them fascinating, and this tune is partly in "seven", partly in "five", and partly in "four".
6 (Listen)	In the Distance	イン・ザ・ディスタンス	05'56	Neptune, John Kaizan
	This tune was originaliy part of RED MOSS ROCK. You can see a long ways from the top of the Rock, but I decided you couldn't see (musically or physically) quite that far IN THE DISTANCE.
7 (Listen)	Red Moss Rock	紅岩	05'24	Neptune, John Kaizan
	Hirukawa is a small coutry village in Gifu prefecture well-known for its granite. One of the prominent landmarks in the area is a huge boulder set in the side of a mountain and covered with a distinctive red moss I was asked to write a piece for a TV program featuring the viilage. The view from the top of the rock is quite something, so I wrote a piece that begins with Japanese flavor and then moves out in a different direction.
8 (Listen)	Turbulence	ミダレ	05'12	Neptune, John Kaizan
	Cloud shapes, cream in coffee, smoke rising: it is amazing that studies in chaos have shown us that there are connections and a kind of "order" in seemingly random events. I thought it would be interesting to write a piece that might seem somewhat turbulent, but in fact is highly structured. One diminished scale--a symmetrical arrangement of half steps and whole steps--is used exclusively, and the rhythmic meter fluctuates.
9 (Listen)	Rosie	ロージー	04'11	Neptune, John Kaizan
	A "happy blues" written for a theater director living in Prague, Czechoslovakia.