Various Artists
Nippon No Yokobue
ALM Records / Kojima Recordings (Japan) 1981
AL-3011 (LP) w/obi (dirts), insert.
sleeve : EX-(some small and slightly spots)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise)
Released in 1981 on ALM Records, the label of Kojima Recordings founded by recording engineer Yukio Kojima, this album focuses on the rich tradition of Japanese transverse flutes, including nohkan, shinobue, Edo satokagura, and noh hayashi. Featuring master performers such as Kazutsugu Tanaka, Taneo Wakayama, Hyakunosuke Fukuhara, Hiroyuki Koinuma, and Daigoro Fujita, it documents a live concert held at Ishibashi Memorial Hall in 1980. The album opens with a solo nohkan performance by Kazutsugu Tanaka on A1, followed by A2, which presents four consecutive pieces of kagura bayashi, music traditionally performed as an offering to the gods. Side B begins with a contemporary work for nohkan and shinobue by composer Koji Tomotani, before closing with B2, a noh piece performed by nohkan, kotsuzumi, and otsuzumi. A superb recording that offers a profound encounter with the essence of Japanese classical performing arts, passed down continuously since ancient times. Highly recommended.
A1: 九様乱曲
A2: 神楽囃子