Bamboo-Na - Die internationale Shakuhachi Gesellschaft

Bamboo-Na

Mitsuhashi Kifu
Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. - COCF-10997
1993

Track	Titel	Kanji	Länge	Künstler
1	Girl of Cancer, The	蟹座の娘	04'23	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	The "cancer" in the title does not refer to the disease, but rather to the astrological sign, and this song is simply about a woman born under that sign. Having said that, I think it is important to discover both cancer and women as early as possible, and not leave it too late! By the way, it is said that you're fated if you fall for a woman born under the sign of Cancer, because she will get under your skin and spread to every part of you. This is one of the songs which helped define the sound of Bamboo-Na.
2	Shot Bar	居酒屋	05'46	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	Whatever your mood, whatever the time, you can always enjoy having a drink. Sometimes you may drink alone quietly, other times you think you should be noticed. Or you may drink with colleagues to grumble about your company or to gossip. Even if you don't drink you can enjoy the different atmosphere of the bar in each season.
3	Lady L	女将麗香	05'25	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	There was once an extremely beautiful woman called lady "L" With her in mind I composed this piece for guitar, but I have to say that it sounds very easy on the ear played by shakuhachi. It is arranged as a bolero.
4	Machina Machina	待てば海路	05'34	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	This composition asks the Japanese "Where are you going to in such a hurry?" You' re missing a lot of good things. Bamboo-Na urges you to take it easy. There's a pressing need to regain a sense of calm. Start working on it now!
5	Mi Bonita	愛しい彼女	04'31	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	This was inspired by the idea that everyone has someone whom they would like to call "sweetheart" and thoughts of whom make you tingle from the top of your head to the tip of your toes, You spend every day pushing aside your shyness and pretending to play it cool.
6	Viento Azul	青い花の風	06'48	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	Through the sound of three kinds of bata drums -iya, itotere and oconcolo - I send waves of endless, true love on the wind.
7	Mancha Solar	太陽の黒点	03'46	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	It seems that sunspots have about a ten-year cycle. When they are active they multiply and enlarge; when they weaken they decrease. It is said that their dynamics strongly affect human psychology, but nowadays many people have become arrogant, and don't realize they are so small compared with the scale of the universe. It can't be helped, but maybe if you have a drink and listen to Bamboo-Na's album, you might have some kind of awakening!
8	Grass Beach	芝浜	07'59	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	The title comes from a famous rakugo story of the same name, about an astute and wise wife who had a lazy, good-for-nothing husband. One day he discovered a purse full of money at a place called Shibahama. Fearing that this would give him an excuse to be even more idle, his wife persuaded him that he had dreamed the whole thing, and sent him out to make a living. He made a fortune. Please think about this story while you listen.
9	Cambio	わかれ道	05'16	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	We all tend to take the air we breathe for granted, and also our family and friends. We should make time to remember to thank them and appreciate what we have.
10	Hasta Manana	また明日	04'46	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	This piece creates a tension with a simple melody line which modulates every four bars and has a unique rhythm called merengue. Toshiya Mizukawa was required to produce sounds which normally cannot be made with a shakuhachi and had a very difficult time doing so. This was the first song defining a new sound for Bamboo-na. We still had no title for this piece the day before we were due to play it live at a concert, so our manager told me to decide on one. I thought, "Well, I'll have it done in time for tomorrow." Then I realized this phrase in Japanese (ashita maniauna) sounded almost identical to the Spanish for "See you tomorrow" (hasta manana), hence the title.
11	Christmas Eve	クリスマスイヴ	03'29	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	This uses the pure tones of the shakuhachi. Can you see a heart-warming scene of soft, light, falling snow like the icing on a cake and welcoming lights through a window? We hope our music brings that picture to life for you.
12	Tsukiuma	付き馬	06'47	Shakuhachi: Mizukawa Toshiya Shakuhachi: Mitsuhashi Kifu
	This is an old Japanese word taken from rakugo referring to a person who collected debts from people who, for example, had entertained courtesans or gambled. Although I composed it twenty years ago and it has been played on various instruments by different musicians, on this CD it's finally getting its place in the sun. It can be said to be representative of my compositions and of Bamboo-Na's music.