Rodrigo Rodriguez South Pacific Tour 2007 - 2008

PRANA festival/events team organizes the PRANA festivals, workshops as well as other projects.

The central aim of the PRANA festival is expressing awareness - to bring together and to celebrate many forms of music, arts and dance drawn from countries and cultures all over the world.

PRANA was originally inspired by Somen T. Meijer: "Pure enthusiasm for music from around the world led me to the idea of PRANA in 1992 and thus to the first PRANA festival in 1993. The festivals have always been wonderful and unique occasions and have succeeded in introducing many talented New Zealand and overseas artists to a international audience".

"Equally important, the festivals have also allowed many different audiences to gain an insight into cultures other than their own through the enjoyment of music. Music is a universal language, it draws people together and proves, as well as anything, the stupidity of racism."

Dates:

December- 30th" New Zealand, Whangamata, Auckland-Prana Festival

"January 2008"- 1st New Zealand, Whangamata, Auckland-Prana Festival

Takumania @ Tokyo Jinbutuga

The group is called Takumania. On Shakuhachi we have Tanomurasou (タノムラソウ), also the group's sound producer.

This performance was at a sub-culture underground club called Jinbutuga here in Tokyo. They have quite an eclectic sound, as do most of the acts that perform at Jinbutuga. If you are looking for something that will get your mind out of the main stream check them out.

Takumania performing Nuigurumi （ぬいぐるみ)

Takumania performing Tetsu no Aji Suru Uta (鉄の味する唄)



More details about this performance...
Takomania's Official Website

The Zen of Oktoberfest

Shakuhachi Master John Singer performs the Zen music (called Honkyoku in Japanese), which derives from the ancient tradition of the Komuso (wandering priests), who used the shakuhachi as a tool in their religious practices.

John also specializes in the performance of traditional Japanese ensemble music where the shakuhachi is combined with the stringed instruments called the Koto and Shamisen. Joining John, on Koto, is special guest performer, the exquisite Yoko Itatani. Together they create a magical musical experience.

The entertainment will also feature a traditional Japanese dance by Mana Young, a tea ceremony and story. There'll be a 7:30 p.m. reception with hors d'oeuvres and dessert at intermission. All is included in the $15 ticket, now on sale at Leaves of Grass Books 459-3744.

This is a very special event and WCT is pleased to be able to have these exceptional talents on the Willits Community Theatre stage. Join them for what promises to be a unique evening.

Full article: The Willits News: The Zen of Oktoberfest

Controling Shakuhachi Volume

The sound volume of Shakuhachi depends directly on the flow-rate of your air-stream. And the amount of pressure of air flow indirectly manipulates the sound volume on the Shakuhachi. What does this mean for you? If you can control the rate at which your blow across the utaguchi you can control the sound volume you are playing at.

This is particularly important for beginners who tend to play lower notes quieter, due to the fact that it takes less lip muscle effort, and the high notes louder. This is because when you are learning to tighten your lips you end up blowing faster (harder) trying to keep the lip tension and air moving together. Thus causing the sound volume to increase.

The best way to work on this is to focus on a single note, say the low D (ロ / D3) and move to its higher octave (ロ / D5) using the same fingering. To hit the higher octave you have to tighten your lips so that the stream is thinner. This is what gives the note its higher sound, not blowing faster. Once you get the higher octave, practice focusing the stream in such a way that you are not blowing harder, but focused stream aimed at the utaguchi. Then try to move from the lower octave and back to the higher octave smoothly over and over. This really helps build control in your lips.

If you are living in an apartment building with thin walls this is something you want to get the hang of right away. Else run the risk of really annoying your neighbors. Maybe try working on this in an empty field away from your house, or in a sound proof room / studio. Park? Somewhere....

Just remember, you are dealing with the blowing angle, the tightness of the air stream, and the speed of the air stream.

Tomie Hahn: Sensational Knowledge

Shakuhachi teacher / performer Tomie Hann, associate professor of art at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, uncovers the process and nuances of learning nihon buyo, a traditional Japanese dance form in her new book Sensational Knowledge:

A performer and student of Japanese dance since the age of 4, Hahn has been awarded natori—the professional stage name of Samie Tachibana—from the Tachibana School in Tokyo. In Sensational Knowledge: Embodying Culture Through Japanese Dance (Wesleyan University Press), ethnomusicologist and dancer Hahn examines the transmission of nihon buyo and how cultural knowledge, along with the dance, is passed from teacher to student. She uses case studies of dancers at all levels, as well as her own firsthand experiences, to investigate the complex language of bodies, especially across cultural divides.

Tomie Hann's Official Website

Full article: New Book Explores Embodied Cultural Knowledge and Traditional Japanese Dance

How a Shakuhachi wielding Komuso kicked my ass

So there I was, I had just ran up to the second floor of an old style Japanese dojo. I was alone, but I did have a katana and a shotgun. There were walls with spikes on them that I was able to run part, but it took a lot more work than I expected.

When I finally passed the spikes I encountered two large men and a Shakuhachi wielding komuso. I got rid of the two large guys pretty quickly, but every time the komuso would play his Shakuhachi I was blasted with some magical anti-Samurai spell. It was terrible. Then the komuso stopped playing his Shakuhachi and beat the crap out of me with it. There was nothing I could do.

Ok, well, that is what happened, but I was playing a new Nintendo Wii game at the Tokyo Game Show '07 called "Samurai Warriors Katana (戦国無双 KATANA)". You run around using the Wii-mote as a sword and shotgun stopping the baddies. Leave it to me to find the only game at the show that pits you against a komuso who beats you with his Shakuhachi.

Here is a trailer of the game:



And here is a video with the komuso and his Shakuhachi (1:12):

Super Mario Bros. theme on Shakuhachi

It has finally happened. The Super Mario Bros. theme on the Shakuhachi. Not only that, here it is being played at the top of Mt. Fuji. Think about this for a second... The Shakuhachi is already a physically demanding instrument, and to be able to pull this off at the top of Mt Fuji (Kengamine 3776 meters above sea-level, summit level), where breathing is much more difficult, is something that demands respect. We salute you J-Tozan:

Gunnar 'Jinmei' Linder and "Butoh flowers of life and decay"

An upcoming performance, "New Life", featuring Gunnar Linder on Shakuhachi will take place at the Swedish Embassy in Roppongi, Tokyo. The free performance includes a talk by the artists and a video presentation of the original production. To reserve a seat call [03] 5562-5066 or e-mail info@sweden.or.jp.

"New Life" was commissioned by the city of Uppsala in Sweden to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of its favorite son, the scientist Linnaeus. Linnaeus' botanical language was used as a code for human sexual behavior, with stamens and pistils described as brides and grooms, and Kakizaki works with the sensuality of his withering flowers; fleshy lilies, maiden marigolds, their seeds and sexual parts worked into the dancer's hair in a savage fruitfulness and dry, flimsy rot. Delicacy plays against strength, decay against a relentless sense of potential life.

More about Gunnar 'Jinmei' Linder

Gunnar's CDs available for purchase on Shakuhachi.com

Butoh flowers of life and decay - The Japan Times

How to play 'Smoke on the Water' on Shakuhachi

This is exactly how I sounded the first time I tried to play 'Smoke on the Water'. This is one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long time.

Keep at it 'blefferts'!

Annual Sukiyaki Benefit Dinner

The Normandale Japanese Garden will hold its 23rd Sukiyaki Benefit Dinner on Sunday, September 23, 2007, from Noon to 6:00 p.m. at Normandale Community College, 9700 France Avenue South, Bloomington, MN 55431.

The menu will include Sukiyaki with Rice, of course, along with Cucumber and Shrimp Salad, Ice cream, Fortune cookie, Japanese green tea.

The entertainment program begins at noon and includes dinner, boutique, raffle, Shakuhachi, swordsmanship, Kogen Taiko Drummers, and Sansei Yonsei Kai Japanese Dancers.

Advance tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children and $7 for children ages 10 and under. Tickets at the door are $18 for adults and $9 for children. All proceeds go to benefit the garden.

For more information contact Pat Kirsh 612-866-5322, Toshi Nishida 763-588-1742, or May Tanaka 952-934-9238.