Out of control...

Last night a group of us hit Colare in Kurobe for a little bit of Shamisen craziness from the famous (and I actually mean that, they have a website, have done tours and everything) Yoshida Brothers.

I have to say that I have never been a big fan of the shamisen. It's a cute little instrument but have never liked the sound of it too much.

But last night, I have to say, the performance was pretty sensational. It kicked arse (there was a very high auric density). They played fast, furious, and not a note was out of tune. They were like the 'Jimi Hendrixes' of shamisen. I never thought I would say this about a traditional Japanese instrument - but it was really exciting. It was a musical paradox - they played in a typical controlled manner, but the music was out of control. Great!

In the same way, I played a koto concert last sunday. It was actually a New Year's party whereby all the koto musicians in Asahi get together round someone's house and rock the jams in their own Japanese style (in Koto terms this means play the pieces which they have been practicing ofr the last few months). I love the koto, I love the sound, but at times am not too keen on some of the songs. They are slow, controlled and lacking a form of (for want of a better word) 'oomph'. I like songs with 'oomph' and traditional forms of Japanese music such as enka are not famous for their 'oomph'.

However, in the same way that the Yoshida Brothers proved me wrong about shamisen playing (and by God they had stacks of 'oomph'), the last song played at my koto New Years party had 'oomph' by the bag load.

It just goes to show, that just when you think you have figured out Japan, you are thrown a curveball and are pleasantly surprised. Traditional Japanese instruments are not only alive and well, but packing a considerable punch in modern contemporary music.

http://www.yoshidabrothers.com/