Silk Road Sounds
Kojiro Umezaki: Shakuhachi The shakuhachi – a seventh-century Japanese end-blown bamboo flute – is played by blowing air across the beveled edge at its top, while covering and uncovering the holes with fingertips. Used to create music for Zen Buddhist meditation, its sounds range from soft whispers to strong piercing tones, often reflecting natural phenomena such as falling leaves, wind, and animal calls and gestures. Silk Road Ensemble member Kojiro Umezaki, son of a Danish mother and a Japanese father, remarks: “My multinational background may be one reason I don’t limit myself to the traditional repertoire. Playing the shakuhachi in a more contemporary, musically diverse context is part of its evolutionary process and reflects the Silk Road Project’s mission for music.” Umezaki lives in Montreal and teaches music at McGill University. |
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