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Ugetsufu

Ugetsufu

Sugawara Kuniyoshi
Kyoto Records - KYCH-2007
1995

Track Title Kanji Length Artist
1  Play Button Ugetsufu 雨月譜 12'23 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
In 1980, composer Yoshimatsu and Sugawara were members of an odd group which combined jazz and traditional Japanese music. This work, written for and premiered by Sugawara, is one of Yoshimatsu's first compositions. Rather than a work which is scored in the conventional manner, there are four sheets of music, one for each season of the year. The form develops freely as each performer realizes his or her own individual part. The parts sound together, but with an improvisatory feeling. "Ugetsufu" means "Rain and Moon Music." The composer chose this title to lyrically represent the bringing together of traditional Japanese instruments in a purely Western-style ensemble.

Takashi Yoshimatsu was born in Tokyo in 1953, and is a graduate of the College of Engineering at Keio University. While pursuing his love of jazz and rock music, he taught himself composition. He is particularly interested in contemporary music. He has written works for both Western and non-Western instruments and several of his compositions have been recorded. In 1985 his "Concerto for Guitar" received a prize from the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency.
2  Play Button Kaei 花影 10'23 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
Hoki was encouraged to write this, his second work for traditional Japanese instruments, by his friends Kuniyoshi Sugawara and his wife Shoko Izumiyama. It was premiered by the pair in Sapporo in 1985. The form is a variation etude which blends Japanese and Western styles. It is based on the duplicity of the seen and unseen sorrows of human beings, and while one persistent motif is unceasingly repeated, anguish and joy appear in various forms. The title has no specific meaning, rather it is just one way of trying to grasp the meaning of the music.

Makoto Hoki was born in 1951. He began his career as a composer of music in the Western style, but in recent years he has also written for traditional instruments. He is currently teaching music at a university in Sapporo and is a member of the Japanese Composers Society.
3  Play Button Kotoba no Yoru 言葉の夜 08'03 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
"The shakuhachi is an extremely refined instrument which as yet is still comparatively unknown. It is particularly difficult to find a substitute for the profoundness of the five-holed shakuhachi. As a specialist in Arabic music, I wanted to create something which only I was capable of composing for the shakuhachi. I thought of combining the resonance and spirituality of the traditional shakuhachi works with the subtleties of the traditional theoretical Arabic melodic patterns called maqam. This work combines these maqam with traditional shakuhachi techniques." (Jun Chikuma)

Jun Chikuma is an expert performer on and scholar of the Arabic nay and as such he has participated in recordings of traditional Arabic music. As a composer he has written for Arabic, Japanese and Western Instruments and has several recordings of his works.
4  Play Button Renzan 連山 11'28 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
"This work was written for composer Sawai's brother, distinguished shakuhachi player Sanzan Sawai, who passed away at a young age. Tadao Sawai is the one of the preeminent Japanese koto players and at the same time the composer of some of the greatest works for traditional instruments. However this duet for two shakuhachi, "Renzan," is his only work which does not include koto or shamisen. Composed around 1970, this is only the second performance of the work. It has disappeared from the list of Sawai's compositions and has become somewhat of a 'phantom' work. Even the details surrounding that sole performance have been lost. I received the score some time ago and have been looking for an opportunity to perform it. With the cooperation of the composer that dream has become reality on this CD." (Kuniyoshi Sugawara)

Tadao Sawai was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1937. His father was a shakuhachi performer, and at around the age of 10 Sawai began to study the koto. In 1959 he was chosen by the Japanese national broadcasting company NHK as the best new performer, and from that time forward he began to be active as a performer and composer of contemporary music. In 1960 he graduated from the traditional music department of Tokyo National Music of Fine Arts and Music. He has performed widely throughout Japan and the world and his compositions are among the most widely performed in the koto world.
5  Play Button Kata Ashi Torii No Eizo 片足鳥居の映像 03'51 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
(Images of a One-Legged Torii Gate)
"If you climb up some stone steps in the Sakamotomachi area of Nagasaki, you will find a torii gate (a two-legged arch at the entrance to Shinto shrines) with only one leg. I'm not certain what time it was exactly the first time I saw it, but I'll never forget how I stood rooted to the spot, staring in utter amazement as I considered what brought about that empty space and the mechanics of the balance of the structure. In 1970, when I was asked by the famous Kohachiro Miyata to write an unaccompanied shakuhachi solo for him, the image of that torii gate somehow attached itself to that request. Looking back, it seems to have been a mysterious connection. Without a doubt, this one-legged torii gate was created by the atomic bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki. The anger and tragedy of those victims of long ago are enveloped in this music." (Sato)

Toshinao Sato was born in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Keio Universtiy. He has composed extensively for both Western and Japanese instruments. Currently he is serving as the chairman of the committee of the Contemporary Japanese Music Association.
6  Play Button Nihon Minyo Kumikyoku Dai Ichiban 日本民謡組曲第一番 04'29 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
This work is based on five well-known Japanese folk songs. Yasaburo Bushi, from Aomori, is a children's counting song which has made its way into the adult world and is loved by people of alt ages. Itsuki Lullaby, from Kumamoto, is known throughout Japan, and in this suite the shakuhachi carries the compassionate melody. The mood brightens for the up-tempo Tsugaru Jongara Bushi, from Aomori. Sendo Uta (Song of ferryman) from Hiroshima paints a picture of the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. The suite concludes with the famous "Fools Dance: the Awa Odori, from Tokushima.
Yujiro Fukushima was born in Kumamoto in 1932, and he studied both composition and conducting. He is active as a composer and teacher, and throughout his distinguished career he has won many prizes for his works.
7  Play Button Not Listed on Album Jacket 04'51 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
8  Play Button Not Listed on Album Jacket 04'10 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
9  Play Button Not Listed on Album Jacket 03'01 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
10  Play Button Not Listed on Album Jacket 02'43 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
11  Play Button Not Listed on Album Jacket 02'36 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
12  Play Button Not Listed on Album Jacket 03'25 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi
13  Play Button Not Listed on Album Jacket 02'42 Shakuhachi: Sugawara Kuniyoshi