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Asobibachi

[Genre]Taiko

Asobibachi appears on the following albums

Album Artist
Play ButtonTaiko no Sekai Shakuhachi : Riley Kōho Lee
Upon an invitation for Riley, Matthew and I to visit Japan in June 1998 to present a series of concerts in Nagano Prefecture, we each set about the task of writing and arranging for our most unusual combination of instruments. Through a process of improvisation it soon became apparent that each of us offered a distinctive voice and character that, if maintained, could work as a unified ensemble.

Taking a typical sixteen beat taiko rhythm and phrasing in the rather odd combination of 7s, 5s and 4s, I was able to extend the material over a large percussion set-up of tuned gongs, cymbals, slit drum and shimedaiko. Hearing the didgeridoo as an earthy fundamental tone, almost subterranean in its intensity, I could then place the delicately traced lines of the shakuhachi above this foundation of rhythm and colour. Each performance, however, developed differently from the other as we extended the ideas through improvisation. Taking from that experience, I have composed a new piece incorporating a second percussion part and subtle use of low taiko and gongs.

In the spirit of Wadaiko, the title means "stick play”.