Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin

Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin is one of the most important non-Japanese experts on the shakuhachi bamboo flute. Already having performed on the instrument for more than a quarter of a century, Seldin runs the largest shakuhachi dojo (instructional facility) outside of Japan and his solo recordings number in double figures (although not all of them remain in print). Seldin's mastery of the traditional, meditative shakuhachi repertoire is the subject of most of his albums. Some of his most fully realized work appeared on the Lyrichord label with albums like 1997's Ichi on Buttsu: Zen Meditation Music and 1998's Makoto: Shinjitsu (With a Heart of True Sincerity). Seldin subsequently recorded Komuso: The Healing Art of Zen for the Relaxation Company; Earth Healing followed in the spring of 2000.