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Joy

Joy

John Kaizan Neptune
Kosei Publishing Company - KNR-5980
1980

Track Titel Kanji Länge Künstler
1  Play Button Joy 05'45 Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune
JOY (KANKI)
The inspiration for this melody comes from the old and venerated South Indian classical music tradition. However, the instrumentation and musical textures are very fresh. It is one of the few songs on the album for which a title existed before the tune was written. My idea was to create something light and happy, joyful.

MUSIC STUFF: "Joy" begins with an unmetered unison section for shakuhachi, guitar and conga. Following this, the main theme and improvisations are presented in 4/4 time. The scale is pentatonic, with no half-steps between the five notes, except as ornamentation, which is sort of Indian flavored.
2  Play Button West of Somewhere 08'42 Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune
WEST OF SOMEWHERE (SAIHOJODO - WESTERN BUDDHIST PARADISE)
The "Somewhere" in the title is intentionally vague, because although the piece has Indian-sounding aspects, it is difficult to "place" in any given country's tradition. (The title has another angle, reflecting the fact that Buddhism came to Japan via China from India, both to the "West.") Curiously, I first conceived the piece with somewhat of an Indonesian motif.

MUSIC STUFF: The first section is a free-rhythm solo for shakuhachi with the drone sound of the tambura. The second section is in 4/4 time and presents the theme, followed by shakuhachi and sitar improvisations.
3  Play Button Winding Path 04'03 Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune
WINDING PATH (KYOKURO)
This is one of the two compositions not written for this album (the other is "Playground"), but the present arrangement is quite different from the original which (don't laugh) was done as a commercial piece on the theme of "Afghanistan Cowboys." As you hear it here, the odd meter is meant to evoke the "Winding Path" of the title. I personally like all these unusual rhythms; it may be just my background as a drummer showing through, but I feel that they give the ear something to "hold onto" and add interest.

MUSIC STUFF: The first half is in 7/8 time (3 + 2 + 2), while the second half is in the more common 4/4 time.
4  Play Button Temple Road 09'10 Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune
TEMPLE ROAD (JUNREI - PILGRIMAGE)

The combination of traditional Japanese instruments in this work is new: the biwa normally does not playa very strong melodic role, being usually only an accompaniment for narrative singing. Nevertheless, it "joins the shakuhachi and the various Japanese percussion instruments along this "Temple Road" where, just as on a Buddhist junrei or pilgrimage, they encounter many different experiences: there is a free-rhythm space - a rest - along the way, as well as the regularly repeated rhythms of footsteps on the paths.

MUSIC STUFF: "Temple Road" begins with a free-rhythm trio for shakuhachi, biwa and tsuzumi (the latter is a variable pitch Japanese drum). The second section, beginning with the triangle-like sound of the atarigane (a small bell used in kabuki, and in Japanese festival music), is in 6/8 meter, at times alternating with a 3/4 meter feeling.

The large odaiko drum and the tsuzumi have their "conversation," followed by the atarigane, uchiwadaiko, taiko, biwa and shakuhachi for the finish of the ''journey''.
5  Play Button Playground 04'03 Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune
PLAYGROUND (ANRAKU - PEACE AND HAPPINESS)
Whose "Playground?" Mine. The melody explores some of the ideas I've had while literally "playing around" during my daily practice. The piece uses only open fingerings, producing the fundamental notes D, F, G, A and C. The idea of the duet (achieved on the record by the technique of "overdubbing") sort of reflects the patterns and tonal colors I remember hearing on a recording of African Pygmy yodeling - the way they use to keep in touch with each other as they forage through the forests. The interlocking effect is fascinating to me and I hope to the listener.

MUSIC STUFF: The first section is as described above; the second is in 9/8 time (2 + 3 + 2 + 2); and the last short section, involving repeated notes and trills, is in 4/4 time.
6  Play Button Words Can't Go There 05'58 Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune
WORDS CAN'T GO THERE (HIGAN - THE OTHER SHORE; ENLIGHTENMENT)
There are expressions possible with music that can help us into a "space of quiet." Words, because they are symbols, unlike musical sounds, cannot take us into that space. From this comes the title of this piece which (taking my own advice) I won't attempt to describe any further.

MUSIC STUFF: There is no set rhythm in this work, although there are patterns within some of the phrases, of course. I am exploring new tonal colors here, and this explains why you may think you hear, at times, two or three different notes at once. (This, by the way, was not achieved with the use of overdubbing or artificial echo, but instead with special fingerings and other techniques.)

Someone once told me they thought they could still hear the sound of my shakuhachi after the song had ended and I'd put the instrument down. I don't really know if that's possible, but it is sort of the effect I was trying for on the end of this album - something that lingers after all the rest has been said and played.