I’ll be doing a Shakuhachi making tent next week at La MaMa’s 50th Anniversay Celebration! See here :http://yungflutes.com/blog/entry/shakuhachi_making_tent/” title=” http://yungflutes.com/blog/entry/shakuhachi_making_tent/”> http://yungflutes.com/blog/entry/shakuhachi_making_tent/

I came back from the Angels in Swedenborg performances at Williams College with a collection of very interesting repairs waiting for me. This 2.0 was a little complex as it required a retuning. The flute was made by Shinsui probably around the 1960’s. It is quite a nice, masterly crafted instrument. When retuning this type of flute, I always explore different approaches before I settle on the best option for the particular instrument and new owner, who happens to play with the strong Dokyoku approach. For those players, the flute came in a bit sharp. I first had to determine if it was a bore issue. After measuring and playing for about two hours, I came to the conclusion that the best approach would be to lengthen the flute as the entire instrument (all holes and tonic) came in sharp. Again, this was based on the blowing techniques of the more aggressive Dokyoku style. A Myoan or Kinko player will play this flute at a lower, overall pitch. We discussed the issues surrounding retuning on good instruments and decided to go ahead with it. It’s difficult to find a good flute that fits and once the owner has one, it will be his flute. The decision was informed by experience and awareness and respect to traditional craft as it applies to a modern day professional player.

The first thing I had to do was determine how much to add by attaching sections of bamboo cut-offs at the bottom. It needed 1cm.

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Hi all, I’ll be at the La MaMa 50th Anniversary Block Party on Oct 16th between 2 - 4pm. I’ll be in my own private Shakuhachi Tent doing shakuhachi making and storytelling. See you there!
Join us on East 4th Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue for tours of La MaMa’s Archive and theatres, as well as family-friendly performances by Blue Man Group, The Silver Cloud Native American Drummers and Singers, Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima o Nuioka Hula Dancers, and the Balkan gypsy punk rock band, Bad Buka.
During the afternoon visitors will also be able to take tours of the La MaMa Archive, Ellen Stewart’s private collection document…ing the history of the Off-Off Broadway movement. Registration for the tours will take place prior to the event. To sign up for a tour, visithttp://lamama.org/events-calendar/la-mama-50-world-block-party and click on “Tours of La MaMa’s archive and theatres.
At the conclusion of the block party, city officials will co-name the block “Ellen Stewart Way,” at which time all the church, mosque, and temple bells, and bells all over the neighborhood and the world will ring in a salute to Ms. Stewart — or “MaMa,” as she was affectionately known by artists and audiences alike — who regularly marked the start of performances at La MaMa by ringing a hand bell before welcoming theatre goers.

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Hi All, I’ll be performing in the ‘62 Center at Williams College in Williamstown, MA this week in Ping Chong’s Angels of Swedenborg.
http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/news/09-2011/cast-announced-for-ping-chongs-angels-of-swedenbor_41381.html
http://62center.williams.edu/62center/event.cfm?eid=407

Ping Chong on ANGELS OF SWEDENBORG:

“I imagine that all of us wonder at one or many times what it would be like to go to heaven. Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th Century scientist and philosopher, was one of the few privileged to make this journey in his lifetime. Although he embodied the European Enlightenment in many ways, Swedenborg experienced extensive visions that allowed him to travel to both heaven and hell and returned to write thirty volumes about what he discovered there. I first encountered Swedenborg through Jorge Luis Borge’s singular work The Book Of Imaginary Beings. I drew inspiration from both these sources to re-imagine Swedenborg as a contemporary man caught between his longing for material comfort and spiritual attainment. The production combines dance, theatre, music and multi-media projections and features eight angels, two spirits and, of course, Swedenborg himself, cavorting in a heavenly corral of swirling white feathers.”

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Hello all, I’ve been using a lot of traditional Japanese urushi lacquer for shakuhachi repairs in the past few weeks. The lacquer cures smooth like glass but often contains impurities so it has to be strained before using. Otherwise, the finish may end up with bits of pigment or dust particles. (It’s important to not have the fan on when during the application!)

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I was leaving a rehearsal the other night in the East Village in New York City and saw the Tribute in Light.

I played Tamuke after. Today, only silence.
Be well my friends.
Namaste, Perry

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Irene is here. As I write, we are in the eye of the storm. It’s eerily calm. There’s even a glimpse of sunlight. But the winds will be back in a moment I’m sure. We are presently under an unprecedented storm watch for New York City. The entire MTA system has been shut down, along with every cultural institute. As a result, most of New York City is shut down, including Broadway shows and Times Square restaurants. I tried to send off some flutes yesterday but even my post office was closed.

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Back in the shop for a week and was able to get a lot of work done. Actually, I am working from my in-law’s in Rhode Island where I have a shop set up. Even though we had an epic five-week family trip in California, summer is still in full swing here. There’s still another month before the kids go back to school and instead of being stuck in a New York City apartment, it’s much nicer to work on flutes between backyard BBQs and art and crafts lessons. The thing about being around children is that they remind you of what having fun is all about. As adults, it’s easy to get lost in what we are doing and even believe that what we are doing is fun. But, children will always remind you that it’s important to laugh (and to do it often). I don’t usually get a lot of work done in the summer time as we’re usually traveling, (but who’s complaining) however, this week was quite busy. Quite a few orders and repairs came in while I was out so I needed to focus. I had to finish a small order of Earth Model flutes and I’m am thankful to those who choose to wait for a flute as I know there are many options available for today’s shakuhachi shopper.

There’s some links to my friends and supporters coming up so read on!

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Hi All, I’m back in NYC now after being away for five weeks. What an amazing life journey it’s been visiting family and friends (old and new). On this momentarily blip in life, I’ve had the opportunity to play the shakuhachi during some of the richest moments of the human experience, from the passing of a dear friend’s father to playing for a newborn as he’s starting to focus his eyes. On these dramatically disparate moments in life, I can feel how the flute speaks filter-less from my heart. One can call it self indulgence (or delusion), but I can honestly say that blowing the shakuhachi with a pure intention continues to teach me about life. For me, it’s about sharing the good. It makes me want to stand on a mountain top and yell, “I love you all!”

Now, to the shop. There is a 1.7 Edo period shakuhachi I’m looking forward to meeting

Did I forget to mention…“My life rules!”
Namaste, Perry

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