Essence

Vol. 1(2002)
Music of Traditional Spirit

This encounter of three soloists of Japanese musical traditions, and their expansions to world music promises the experience of a continuity and beauty stretching between ancient sound and modern sensibility.

Masayuki Koga

Eastwind (1987)
Japanese Shakuhachi Music

The shakuhachi is the Japanese bamboo flute. It is a magical instrument. It is directly connected to the breath — man's own connection to life — and, in turn, intimately connected to man's spirit, emotion, and intellect. It is capable of very subtle tonal variations and expressive nuances. It is, thus, beautifully responsive to the artist and the artist's feelings.

Heart of the Wind (1987)
Shakuhachi Solo Improvisation

Drawing on the tradition of Japanese folk songs as well as that of the original shakuhachi music, Masayuki Koga here creates a rich collection of improvisational pieces. He paints the tonal landscape with the elements natural to this bamboo flute and gives us a recording which is familiar yet new each time we listen.