Rippling Water recording Musicians:
Maro Kawabata:Guitar, Vocals/
Sammy Shelor:Banjo/
Mike Compton:Mandolin, Tenor guitar/
Ron Stewart:Fiddle/
Rob Ickes: Resophonic guitar/
Robert Gateley:Bass, Harmony vocals/
Keith Little:Guitar, Harmony vocals/
Pam Daley :Harmony vocals/
Recorded at Monkey Finger Studio in Nashville, TN. /
Recording Engineer: Ben Surratt/
Produced by: Keith A. Little/
Album art work: Patty Mitchell/
Linner notes: Jim Hurst/
Influences
Bill Monroe, Tony Rice, Jimmy Martin, Lester Flat, Albert Lee, JD Crow, Cliff Waldron, Don Williams, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Eric Andersen, Herb Pedersen, John Hartford, Jamie Hartford, Jerry Douglas, Buzz Matheson, Jim McReynolds, Raymond McLaine, Jim Hurst, Jim Nunally, Keith Little, Kaz Inaba, Brian Stephenson, Merle Haggard, Mike Compton, Ron Stewart, Clarence White, Nanci Griffith, Carter Stanley, Rodney Crowell, John Starling, Vern Williams, Sammy Shelor and many more
Maro Kawabata was born in Kyoto Japan. At the age of 12, he first saw Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys perform on Japanese television; he thought the music was very inspirational. Soon there after, Maro asked his mother for some spending money to purchase albums by Bill Monroe. Motivated
by Monroe, Maro and his brother Takaharu started to play music together.
The first band Maro ever played in was called The Riverside Brothers; the band name incorporates the direct translation of the Kawabata name and also reflects the fact that Maro and Takaharu are brothers. The band performed in many different venues in Japan included radio, television, and bluegrass festivals.
Maro's story is one of persistence and determination, leading him to school in the United States, back home to Japan where he met and married his American bride, Sandra, and then to return to the USA to raise his family in the midst of his musical Odyssey.
Returning to Japan after college, Maro took with him new ideas of musical expression, ideas that had not been a part of his initial enthusiasm, at least not consciously. At first, he said, "I was searching for technique." Though rewarding at some levels, it was a search that ultimately left him unsatisfied, so much so that for a while he nearly gave up playing.
"Something was missing in my life," he said, and that "something" was music. When he returned to playing and performing it was with new insight --he needed to "get past technique and get closer to the mind..." of those who came to bluegrass as a natural part of their lives. He had to experience a metamorphosis in which he would learn to let emotion and feeling drive his
singing and playing.
Maro has had the opportunity to play with many different musicians, some well-known and some not so well-known. A benefit of this musical interaction is the development of Maro's own sense of musical taste and quality. He toured Canada in 1996 with Kaz Inaba, Kenny Stone, and Tim Dishman and in 1997 played at the International Bluegrass Festival in Oklahoma in 1997.
This latter performance included the playing of a number of talented musicians from Japan. Also in 1997, Maro performed with Randy Howard, Don Rigsby, Missy Raines, and Kaz Inaba as The International Band. These two performances were very critical to Maro in terms of his attitude and approach to music. he was a member of Buzz Matheson and the Family
Pride for a while in Ohio, and later heplayed with The First Impression out from South West Missouri. He also traveled through Japan with Sammy Shelor in 2001 and 2007.
Hey Maro! I got a Martin!! Yep, I got a Martin D-17. Despite the fact that it is all mahogany, it has a really rich sound. I can't wait for you to play it. When are we picking the next time??
Maro! good to see ya here buddy. I'm glad we got to pick some last week and can't wait to do it again. Like the pics and realy enjoy the music. Take care and keep on pickin'. Your friend Rick Faris
Thanks for finding me here in MySpace-land and for sharing your music with me. Good stuff! Best of luck and remember that Life Without Music Would Be A Mistake! :-)
Online Now!
