Kenji Ikegami
Kannon
Crosspoint/17853 Records (Japan) 2025
KOKO-136/RFLP008 (LP)
sleeve : NEW
media : NEW
This is the latest release from Chee Shimizu’s 17853 Records.
Following a series of vinyl releases including Soft meets Pan / Tam (2021), WaNaWa / WaNoWa (2023), and Zen Ensemble / Garden Of Time (2024), the collaborative project between Juzu a.k.a. Moochy and Chee Shimizu presents its fourth installment. This latest release features Japanese bamboo flute shakuhachi player Kenji Ikegami, who uniquely fuses traditional Japanese ethnic music with ambient and experimental sounds. The album includes two extended tracks featuring collaborations with cellist Kohji Seto a.k.a. Denca, who carries on the spirit of Terry Riley, and UtaE, a player of the traditional Ainu instrument mukkuri.
“KANNON” is a duet piece primarily featuring the improvisational interplay of shakuhachi by Ikegami and cello by Kohji Setoh. The introduction, with its gently floating percussive sounds reminiscent of a murmuring brook and chirping birds, evokes the tranquil scenery of a bamboo grove. From this serene backdrop, the first breath of the shakuhachi emerges. Long tones of the shakuhachi resonate and gradually layer upon one another, forming a droning texture. Inspired by this, the cello weaves its own expressive melodies with free-spirited fluidity. Without conflict, the timbres and melodies of the two instruments intertwine, creating a mysterious sonic landscape that ascends toward a quiet climax before eventually dissolving back into the stillness of the bamboo forest.
“RAVEN” is a live recording from the Oneness Gathering, an outdoor festival held in 2021 at Ōba Camp Village in Tokyo. This duet features UtaE on the mukkuri, a traditional Ainu mouth harp, alongside Ikegami’s shakuhachi—a performance that can be described as a dialogue between bamboo and bamboo. The ambient shakuhachi soundscape unfolds with its distinctive trembling tones, crafting a vast sonic perspective. At the center of this landscape, the vibrato of the mukkuri radiates like beams of sunlight.
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I'll be terribly honest: those two tracks are the deepest and most intense I've heard from a long time, a vibrant sound that takes hold of your attention and takes you far, but without moving a step, as if it sounded inside, touching hidden and alive chords. Beauty, like a long breath, a story that the sea gives us, fast clouds that announce spring, wind that smells of flowers and meadows and a thousand leaves of dancing trees.... Gorgeous music that speaks to the heart.
— Gigi Masin (Musician)
What an amazing pair of compositions, beautifully balanced music that transports me to a deep zone where time stands still.
— Jonny Nash (Musician / The founder for Melody As Truth)
This is captivated by an auditory landscape of deep listening—an immersive soundscape of the mind. Could this not be one of the most uniquely innovative expressions in the current realm of traditional Japanese instruments?
— Kaoru Inoue (DJ / Musician)
"KANNON" achieves a profound listening experience by deliberately avoiding the diverse techniques of the shakuhachi and instead focusing on simple, sustained tones. This approach allows one to concentrate on the inner richness of a single note’s resonance and its delicate nuances, creating a sense of release into the infinite expanses within its deep layers. The moment a sound emerges, passes through, and fades away is truly beautiful. "RAVEN" showcases the shakuhachi’s expansive yet delicate tonal expressions with remarkable beauty. I was astonished by its level of perfection, making it hard to believe it was recorded live. The piece harmonizes with the steady pulse of the mukkuri, evoking a sense of music that connects to a spectral dimension. I particularly love the latter half, where the high-register tones of the shakuhachi intertwine with the breath-infused mukkuri, resonating with deep overtones. I was utterly captivated by the gentle unfolding of this piece.
— Ko Ishikawa (Shō player / Ancient Kayō performer)
Although I often say, "Genres of music don’t really matter," I was truly surprised when I listened to it and thought, "Is this really a shakuhachi?" It made me realize how trapped I had been by my existing preconceived notions. It's like a "eureka moment" for my ears! The deep resonance that is incredibly pleasing to the ear, along with the sonic development that feels like it’s breathing in unison with the natural environment, gradually led me to feel as if I had wandered into a bamboo forest, losing track of where I was—a meditative labyrinth-like experience. It reaffirmed for me the truth that sound tells the whole story. The balance of the sound is also exquisite and remarkable. Such improvisational performance reminds us of the forgotten awe that in the natural world, nothing is ever the same—while each individual expresses their uniqueness, they also form part of the overall harmony.
— Nami Hōtatsu (Vocalist / Synthesizer player / Composer)
I was surprised by the abstract tone, which is not unlike that of old instruments. The dense soundscape shows a love of musical culture.
— Jun Morita (Electronic instrumentalist / DJ)
I am ready. Shall we call it the therapy needed in the modern age? The meaning of time in the art of time, a world drawn by sounds like a mirror reflecting the heart. A reward for oneself, something lacking in today's society. A cosmic sense reminiscent of Gagaku. The hybrid sonic experience created by Kenji Ikegami—featuring the shakuhachi, mukkuri, and cello—awakens dormant genes. The fact that it is released from CROSSPOINT further reinforces the message of "awareness." A precious and wonderful work. Music as time—something I want to incorporate into my daily life. Thank you.
ー Macka-Chin (Rapper / DJ)
Kenji Ikegami crafts and plays his own jinashi shakuhachi, made from madake bamboo that he personally digs up from the mountains. KANNON is a futuristic drone-ambient piece where layered long tones of the shakuhachi—reminiscent of Brian Eno’s Music for Airports—intertwine with the fluid improvisations of cellist Kohji Seto, a.k.a. Denca. RAVEN is an ethnic ambient composition in which the perspective-drawing soundscapes of the shakuhachi are bathed in the sunbeam-like vibrato of UtaE’ s mukkuri. Honoring the deep history of jinashi shakuhachi that began with the komusō monks, Ikegami breathes new life into the tradition, creating music that transcends time and connects the ancient past with the distant future.
— Chee Shimizu (DJ / Producer)