Shakuhachi - Japanese Flute

The shakuhachi — a Japanese flute with five holes that is traditionally made of bamboo — is more than a thousand years old. Despite the instrument’s simplicity, a highly developed performance technique has evolved over the centuries and all sorts of timbres and shadings color the music. This excellent set presents five compositions that were recorded by Kohachiro Miyata in the ‘70s for the Nonesuch label’s classic Explorer series. “Honshirabe,” which according to the liner notes is used as a sort of prelude or overture at concerts, serves as an excellent opening track. (A standard shakuhachi is about a foot long, but Miyata plays a longer version of the flute on the piece. He also plays the longer instrument on “Sanya.”) The wonderfully warm tones serve as a nice introduction to a meditative sound world. “Tsuru No Sugomori (Tenderness of Cranes),” which is performed on the standard shakuhachi, is a well-known work that evokes bird song at points. Things wrap up nicely with “Akita Sugagaki,” a lengthier piece that allows the listener to bathe in a sonic realm that feels like it exists outside of time.