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Michiyo Yagi

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Released: Jan 1, 2005
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General Info

  • Genre: Electroacoustic / Experimental / Japanese Classic Music

    Location Tokyo, 東京都, Ja

    Profile Views: 85779

    Last Login: 3/17/2012

    Member Since 7/1/2008

    Website http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmphcGFuaW1wcm92LmNvbS9teWFnaQ==

    Record Label Idiolect, also Bomba, Zipangu, Tzadik

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    Michiyo Yagi (21-string koto, 17-string bass koto, 13-string koto, voice) studied koto under the late Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai and Satomi Kurauchi, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. Between 1989 and 1990 she was Visiting Professor of Music at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, U.S.A. During her tenure she premiered numerous modern compositions for koto and came under the influence of maverick American composers such as John Cage, Conlon Nancarrow, and John Zorn. Her solo koto CD "Shizuku" was produced by Zorn and released on the Tzadik label in 1999. In 2001 she recorded "Yural" with her koto ensemble Paulownia Crush for the East Works label. Under the auspices of the Japan Foundation, Michiyo toured Russia with Paulownia Crush in the fall of 2004..... Subsequent CD releases include "Seventeen" (Zipangu, 2005), entirely recorded on the giant 17-string bass koto; "Live! at SuperDeluxe" (Idiolect/Bomba, 2006), a trio performance with bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love; and "Head On" (Idiolect, 2008), a limited-edition live album of the touring trio with Nilssen-Love and Peter Brötzmann. "Volda" (Idiolect/Bomba), the second live recording by Yagi/Brötzmann/Nilssen-Love, was released in January of 2010. A studio recording with Dresser and Rothenberg, a duo album with Sharp, and a "Nordic" session with Eivind Aarset and Raymond Pellicer are forthcoming..... An eclectic performer who continually challenges conventions, Michiyo has made frequent appearances on Japanese TV and has performed at the Kongsberg Jazz, Moers Jazz, Punkt, Musique Actuel Victoriaville, Archipel, Bang on a Can, Tokyo Summer, Vision, Instal, and Music Unlimited festivals..... ..About the koto:.... The koto is one of an extended family of string instruments whose history can be traced back about three thousand years to Central Asia. The traditional 13-stringed koto, which originated in China and reached Japan around the 8th century, is a hollow-bodied transverse harp, usually made of Paulownia wood. Koto strings were originally silk; today they are most often made of a synthetic material called Tetoron. These strings are stretched tightly over movable bridges called ..ji.. which used to be carved from a politically incorrect material of pachyderm origin; today they are usually made of hard plastic. The koto is usually played with three fingerpicks called ..tsume.. (made of tortoise shell and deer skin in days of yore) attached to the thumb, forefinger and middle finger of the right hand. In traditional koto playing the left hand is primarily used for bending notes (but Michiyo's left hand does much more than that!). Michiyo's main axes are the 21-string koto (usually referred to as a "20-string" koto...it's a long story) and the 17-string koto (AKA "bass koto"), both modern instruments conceived in the 20th century. Michiyo's kotos have been modified for amplification.

  • Members

    Michiyo has performed/recorded with: Peter Brötzmann, Mark Dresser, John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Alan Silva, Akira Sakata, Jim O'Rourke, Han Bennink, Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Håkon Kornstad, Otomo Yoshihide, Ned Rothenberg, Eivind Aarset, Jason Roebke, Knut Buen, Bugge Wesseltoft, Satoko Fujii, Joëlle Leandre, Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins), Bill Laswell, Thomas Strønen, Kazutoki Umezu, Masahiko Sato, Carl Stone, Ab Baars & Ig Henneman, Kang Tae Hwan, Tamaya Honda, Assif Tsahar, Billy Bang, MZN3 (Kjetil Møster, Per Zanussi, Kjell Nordeson), Todd Nicholson, Nori Tanaka, Keiji Haino, Thomas Morgan, Josh Berman, Hugues Vincent, Sachiko M., and Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree). Her koto has been featured in ex-Judy & Mary guitarist/singer Takuya's rock band, and she has recorded and performed with pop idol Ayumi Hamasaki.

  • Influences

    Peter Brötzmann, Paal Nilssen-Love, Evan Parker, John Cage, The Necks, King Crimson, Mark Dresser, Porcupine Tree, Elliott Sharp, Underworld, Fred Frith, Queen, Kim Sinh, Bill Frisell, Masahiko Sato, Marc Ribot, Isis, John Zorn, Sonic Youth, Akira Sakata, Eivind Aarset, Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai, traditional Korean musics, Ned Rothenberg, Somei Sato, Bay City Rollers

  • Sounds Like

    "...ancient to the future..."

Top Friends (33)

Michiyo Yagi has 1190 friends.
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