Noon Hour Online Concert: The Shakuhachi, reconnecting in one sound

1. Bosatsu (honkyoku), Gerard Yun, shakuhachi,  (Yoshinobi Taniguchi)               

This honkyoku (original music) functions as an invocation to the boddhisatvas (those who devote their lives to enlightenment in the service of all beings). It is both a prayer, and a call to prayer. Musically it explores many of the virtuoso techniques of the shakuhachi that can take a practitioner many years to master. As a meditation piece it is part of a practice called “Suizen” (blowing meditation), where sound and breath arise from and disappear into emptiness. Each breath, each sound is a meditation on impermanence and the value of each unique moment.

2. Wind-Up Bird (The Creeping Glacier) (Original Song) Nathan Stretch, acoustic guitar; Gerard Yun, shakuhachi (Nathan Stretch)

Inspired by the 1998 novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by celebrated Japanese novelist, Hiruki Mirakami, this original song brings forward the sensibilities and aesthetics of a modern, globalized, transcultural world. In the midst of Western harmonies and the contemporary narrative, the presence of shakuhachi as a transcultural instrument locates the song in cultural and spiritual context.

3. Fuyu no ki (Trees in Winter) Shakuhachi and Music of Plants/Trees (Gerard Yun)

Trees in winter follows the tradition of rooting a haiku poem in a “kigo” or seasonal word, in this case, fuyu (winter). In this live performance the plants at the Grebel Chapel substitute as living trees which exhibit a different “rhythm” than indoor house plants. Shakuhachi is an art of connection. We are taught to find the one sound that harmonies all the sounds in the room as well as the emotional states of the listeners and other practitioners. In this work, the player skillfully seeks to unify the objective sonic elements produced by plants with the calming, meditational medium of shakuhachi. Groups of notes, pitch levels, speed of notes, and length of bio-phrases are completely out of the player’s control and challenge the shakuhachi player to find musical solutions in empathy and support rather than direct manipulation of musical elements.

4. When Leaves Fall  – Semi-improvised music for electric guitar, shakuhachi, and plant bio-sonification.  (Gerard Yun and Nathan Stretch)

Creating music with plants or trees in real time challenges any human musician in making a musical, sonic whole. The approach of musical contemplation is especially effective and results in satisfying contemplative soundscapes. The use of electric guitar for contemplative music is somewhat uncommon. Stretch has demonstrated a particular knack for this art and brings his skills as a contemplative electric guitarist to us today. The shakuhachi takes a different tact in this trio, acting as a sort of “sonic glue” through simple ostinatos (repeated patterns) and a combination of notes that either ground or uproot the general texture depending on the musical needs of the moment. In all the pieces of tonight’s concert, the shakuhachi exhibits the powerful principal ichion jobutsu (In one note become the Buddha).

Gerard Yun is assistant professor in Community Music at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is an accomplished and versatile musician specializing in intercultural, contemplative, and community musics. The shakuhachi is his primary instrument which allows the embracing of nature, spirituality, and of good relations across many cultures and belief systems:

Nathan Stretch (MA Community Music) is the Manager, Community Development at Kitchener Public Library where he oversees the Heffner Recording Studios, and the Commons Studio filmmaking partnership. He is an established multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Prior to joining the library, Nathan worked for many years coordinating projects of The Working Centre: an innovative community-building organization in downtown Kitchener serving deeply marginalized populations.