Ikkyu and Murasaki Reiho song

With the great help of shakuhachi player, Annelies Nederbragt, who gladly recorded a nice tale about the important zen monk Ikkyu told by Kurahashi sensei. It was a pleasure to be present at his workshop wich was centered around the song dedicated to -or made by- Ikkyu. I got a hold of a copy of this tale and his playing of this song: Murasaki Reiho. That score can be downloaded free from Kurahashi's site here.

Hear him play the song: here.

His story, which I found quite interesting can be heared below or downloaded (34M)

Before posting this information I contacted Kurahashi about his consent on the posting. He answered in his style: 'You may use them completely as you like.' :)

Shakuhachi marketplace opened!

There is a new initiative of the the international shakuhachi forum an ebay like selling forum intended for shakuhachi related products! I think this initiative is nice and was missing in the shakuhachi society!
The flute I have for sale I put up there and can be found here.

On the forum this announcenment was made by Ken LaCosse:

SHAKUHACHIMARKETPLACE.COM

Hello Shakuhachi Forum Members,I'd like to announce the opening of The Shakuhachi Marketplace. This commercial site is the new buy/sell forum and allows registered members the opportunity to buy and sell items by auction or fixed price. It operates much like Ebay except it is less costly for sellers and will focus on the niche market of shakuhachi. This method of buying and selling will solve some of the commercial issues we've experienced with the Shakuhachi Forum. It will also provide a service to the shakuhachi community by establishing a fully functioning, stand alone, niche market for shakuhachi commerce - something which was difficult to achieve within the Shakuhachi Forum walls. In addition, the site will help provide revenue to keep the Shakuhachi Forum running. Sellers have the option to set up stores or list individual items. Stores arefree for the first 30 days of the site and $10 a month thereafter. Basic individual listings are free to post for the first 30 days. Charges apply to features which give items more prominence such as 'front page featured,' 'bold,' extraphotographs,' etc. Sellers will be billed 5% of the selling price only if the item sells. There are no charges for buyers. All transactions are secure as the site is equipped with an SSL Security Certificate. Paypal is the preferred method of payment. What to sell?Although The Shakuhachi Marketplace is a niche site, there are also categories for recordings, accessories, books, as well as other instruments. In addition, members are allowed to list non-shakuhachi related items or anything you think shakuhachi people might be interested in! A variety of shakuhachi quality and price levels are allowed providingdescriptions are accurate. Item editing and allowance are at the discretion of the administration. Banner ad space can also be purchased for those who are interested inadvertising on the The Shakuhachi Marketplace pages. Feel free to take a look at www.shakuhachimarketplace.com. The first step is to register. It's always free. It is recommended to register with your forum usernameor something recognizable to ensure credibility. Once registered you are able to buy and sell items. There is a help and FAQ's section to help you get used to the site. Also, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.Hopefully this will be a venture that can be beneficial to all of us.

Best regards,

Ken

European Summerschool part II

Some more pictures here to see about the Summerschool, held in Leiden. Now with me in them as well. And even one where Gunnar Linder 'persuaded' me to join the ESS (European Shakuhachi Society) which is good!

The wondrous world of ...

Some days ago, another fellow-blogger about the shakuhachi Erin wrote about me! Well I was the subject, but not the main point of her entry. She wrote about the wondrous world of the digital era we live in and the possibilities it gives us to communicate. Because this entry had me in it and gave me a warm smile and I'll copy her entry here for my memories. The technology is wondrous, the shakuhachi world is, the flute certainly is! and Erin is a wondrous person as well! Her blog is recommended, but for the shakuhachi readers that is no news probably. Here are her words:

A few weeks ago I got together with my friend Bas to talk about shakuhachi playing and practicing. We met at home, he in his den while I sat at my dining room table. We played various of our flutes for each other and compared the shakuhachi in our small collections. Bas has a wonderful shakuhachi blog and he began his journey on the bamboo path about the same time as I. We have numerous other aspects in common, as friends generally do, and though he lives in the Netherlands I feel close to him. Both Bas and I have the same shakuhachi teacher and we find it interesting to compare notes with regards to pieces being practiced and techniques being honed. It is inspiring for me to have a friend at about the same level. Naturally I am impressed and amazed by the great shakuhachi players' recordings but to have a peer who is progressing along side of me offers a special and much more personal inspiration. I can hear his accomplishments and can feel directly encouraged by them. Sometimes when I hear a player with years of experience playing a piece, I wonder if I will ever be able to play anywhere near that level however when I hear friends play who are closer to my level of learning I feel motivated by their skill and renew my efforts believing more in my potential to master the basics which are of course the foundation of all playing which will follow. Much of this would not be possible if we did not live in the digital age. Bas and I correspond by email, within each others blogs and, most recently, over Skype. Yes, some day it would be good to actually meet and play in person but for now I feel my life is enriched thanks to technology allowing our friendship to flourish. Thank you Bas!

Shakuhachi on the radio!

For the interested listeners some older and more recent radio-streams. They are sourced from the Boeddistische omroep (Buddhistic Broadcast)

The first and most recent (9-8-2008) is a full length broadcast and interview (with music) with mr. Kurahashi. It can be found here. Lots of music there!

Another more older (16-2-2005), but interesting is this broadcast with Akikazu Nakamura. It can be found here. The interview starts at 35' minutes. It is in English with some Dutch in between.

Another nice interview, fully in Dutch, with: Harrie Starreveld about Komuso and Shakuhachi. De moeite waard over een persoonlijke ontdekking van de shakuhachi. (17-2-2008 )

Happy listening!

Not available: El cheapo Edo jinashi (1.9)

Not for sale: the flute I bought from Brian Tairaku Ritchie: the 19th century jinashi Edo period flute aka 'El cheapo Edo'. Brian's words about it were: it is a good flute, not great, and to make it sound the best play it soft with a little vibrato. I can concur that, it isn't a flute of agression, but one with a sweet tone. Especially the kan register is unusually sweet (comment of another player on European Summerschool). Tilo Burdach played, saying he didn't like the shakuhachi sound in general, but this one sounded more friendly to his ears. He almost traded it for the Kyotaku I wanted (and later bought). The Edo flute is 1.9ish in size.
I am asking the same price as Brian sold me, it is a nice price for a nice flute I believe. The floot is in good condition. The utagushi is a bit wobbly, but smooth and this doesn't effect playing whatsoever. It is a jinashi, with some nodes left inside and a nobekan.
See pictures for more details: