Kazue Sawai “The World of Modern Japanese Music”

沢井一恵
現代邦楽の世界
Victor (Japan) 1980
SJL-224 (LP)
sleeve : VG+(WC, slightly wear on edge and corner, color-fade.)
media : EX/EX(some light surface noises.)

Kazue Sawai is a traditional Japanese koto player who, together with her husband Tadao Sawai, has been active in the avant-garde and has discovered new possibilities for contemporary Japanese music. Each piece retains the traditional sound of the koto, but reflects a western sensibility and a contemporary sense of tone, creating a new form of contemporary Japanese music. A1 is a piece for 17 strings koto and percussion composed by Maki Ishii. This is a duet with Sumire Yoshihara, a percussionist who has produced many excellent solo works of her own. As with Midori Takada's "Through the Looking Glass, this is a wonderful piece of work that can be interpreted in the current avant/post-ambient sense.