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January 26, 2008
Help World Theater and Music
Hi All, I wasn't sure where to post this.
I normally do not ask people to help with donations but my artistic home, La MaMA E.T.C. in New York City is in a fund raising drive to win a $50,000 grant.
Presently, there is a contest where the the top four non-profits that gets the most $10 donations wins the grants.
Why should you be interested? Well, aside from being responsible for introducing me to the shakuhachi, the founding artistic director Ellen Stewart holds the highest medal of honor from the Japanese government for her tireless work in presenting the Japanese culture (among others) through the arts in the USA. To begin with, she presented a young experimental rock group called Tokyo Kid Brother in 1970 that produced an Off-Broadway hit called The Golden Bat. Tokyo kid Brother was in residence at La MaMa at the time. In the group was a young Akikazu Nakamura. Ellen Stewart was also the first to bring Butoh legend Kazuo Ohno to the United States.
La MaMa E.T.C. is probably the only place in American where one can walk into a show any given night of the week and hear the shakuhachi unexpectedly. Two of the resident house musicians were Japanese and Japanese Americans and played the shakuhachi often when scoring a La MaMa production. This is how I came to discover the shakuhachi in 1992.
http://www.lamamatapestry.blogspot.com/
Those interested in helping can visit the blog and donate at the right of the screen. All it takes is $10. It's not the amount of donation that matters here. It's the head count.
In addition, La MaMa directly supports the shakuhachi world today by supporting my group SLANT. Ellen houses our equipment and provides free rehearsal space (those in NYC can truly appreciate this as we all live in boxes and making noise [our work] is a luxury). I play the shakuhachi in all our shows across the USA and beyond.
Thanks for your time.
Namaste, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2008
Other Uses for Shakuhachi Bamboo
I was doing a lot rattan inlays all day and needed to take a break to unwind. Doing an inlay requires intense concentration because it cuts into the bamboo. One slip of the saw and theres a cut on someone's instrument.
While taking a breather, I noticed a batch of Jasmine incense I purchased recently from a street vendor. I realized I didn't have a holder but right in front of me was a cracked piece of bamboo. In a few minutes, I had my incense holder.
Earth model, no ji, no lacquer...heh heh heh.
Namaste, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2008
Today's Hocchiku is a 2.3.
Hi All, Here is a wide bore hocchiku available today. It's a 2.25 pitch in Bb at A = 442HZ It is naturally a real sweet balanced player with a warm voluptuous sound. An experienced player can go from a whisper to a scream. A beginner would be able to grow with it for many years. Hocchiku are all natural instruments. I would say they are perfect for those into "Green" living.
however, I understand the needs of professional musicians so I am happy to add an utaguchi inlay and lacquer in the bore for anyone who wants these additions. An utaguchi inlay serves to maintain the sharp blowing edge over many years. The lacquer int he bore seals the interior form too much breath moisture and may cause mold if not cared for properly. Please shoot me an email with any questions.
Hear it now! The sample is of me playing vigorously to show how much the flute can take. It certainly can be played with a more mellow sound.
Posted by Perry Yung at 03:19 PM | Comments (0)