Kato Yoshiki - electric guitar Imaoka Yuichi - tabla S. Sha - acoustic guitar Space Jii, Kakuozan, Japan
Heiwa ヘイワ Faded Green Mon 門 --------- 30 min? --------- Free #1 Bossa Tabla -> Nice Space --------- Casablanca Autumn Leaves ---------
Jimmy Page double stop bend Quiet slight rain beeeeeeee nice space familiar phrases Don't Do it settled in おちついた ochituita annshinn tabla 安心タブラ Bop Kordz
This Guy Kato really reminds me of my own playing, only more polished.
11 guests in a room for 30 or so, refreshments all self-provided. First a duet with S. Sha and Imaoka Yuichi, then a duet with Kato Yoshiki and Imaoka, finally a short trio comprised of the three musicians.
The evening centered around percussionist Imaoka. Sha performed two original nubers and a kind of guitar raga written with Imaoka.
After about a 15min. set break Kato took the stage with Imaoka for a free duet washing colors of quiet and even sparse digital and analog guitar over the tabla. This developed into an erratic, stop and start single note solo with a hint of blues and swing, but without the blues hamonies. This is where the 'Jimmy Page double stop bend' above comes from. Kato and Imaoka locked in tight for the following number which started life as a bossa nova with tabla accompaniment. The mood slowly moved into a nearly abstract display of sparse tabla and electronic effects. Kato Yoshiki's smooth and warm lines accented with some wah and delay created a really nice atmosphere throught the fully improvised pieces. At times it was very meditative, other times, noisy and punkish and then there were times where you wanted to get up and dance. Very creative and open. Attentive.
After a last short break to regroup the three musicians took the stage with a twelve minute time limit for the final set. Here the introductions were set aside and the group set down to some real business. Clearly the evening was built up from the beginning culminating in the full group work which, though shorter that the previous stages, condensed the ingredients set before the audience into a delicate main course. Kato took the lead with Sha's Casabanca number as Sha droningly arpegioed away at the circular melody throughout as Imaoka and Kato flitted about over and through raga style variation on the refrain melody from Kashmir. The original song was utterly unrecognizable to both the audience and the performers. Finally for the last number, Autumn Leaves, Sha took a daredevil solo as Kato skillfully wove the chords around the melody, Joe Pass style. Imaoka actually had a swing going on the tabla. This left the audience comfortable and happy and they lounged about on the floor cushions long after the performance had ended.
After the show, an audience member was quoted as saying, "Those guys are real men." What exactly was meant by this, aside from it's literal conotations, is quite unknown, but seems to be the ultimate compliment among Cuban street musicians.