Happy New Year from Japan

Happy New Year my lovelies! Let's have a brilliant 2012 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

New Live Schedule

Hope everybody is enjoying happy holidays and keeping warm and cosy! Just a quick one to let you know that I've added a new live schedule here >>>>>>
and also a bunch of added features, such as the ability to follow this blog via RSS feed, or email subscription. Now all it needs is some interesting content, and it will be great! Hmmm, better work on that....

New release: the HIATUS / Updated Discography, 2011

So I thought I'd begin with my updated discography. The new album "A World Of Pandemonium" by the HIATUS has just been released, and I'm playing on track 8- "Shimmer". The recording was quite challenging for me, as the arrangement was quite involved, and the french horn players in the same session were amazing! I had a listen to the finished product in a record shop in Kyoto the other day, and I really like the sound of the finished track!

Discography

"A World Of Pandemonium" (2011)(フォーライフミュージック)- the HIATUS (Playing on Track 8 "Shimmer") BUY IT HERE

"Suteki na Kanshibari ONCE IN A BLUE MOON OST (2011)- Koki Mitani (King Records) BUY IT HERE

闇夜でダンス (2011)- Asakusa Jinta (ケイエスアール) (guest on track one "雷鳴之ジンタ") BUY IT HERE

......
YES (2011)- Yamp Kolt (Cemetry Records) BUY IT HERE

LIVE! (2010)- Tokyo Slim (地底レコード) BUY IT HERE

BUDDY (2010)- The Raymond MacDonald International Big Band (Textile Records) BUY IT HERE

LIVESTOCK (2010)- Farmyard Animals Trio (Voidfiller) BUY IT HERE

SHIBU-KURI LIVE (2010) - Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi with Shibusashirazu Orchestra (Saboten) BUY IT HERE

SHIBU-KURI LIVE (2010) - Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi with Shibusashirazu Orchestra and Kuricorder Quartet (Saboten) BUY IT HERE

..
SHIBU-KURI LIVE - SHIBU HEN DVD (2010) - Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi with Shibusashirazu Orchestra (Saboten) BUY IT HERE

SHIBUYOTABI (2010) - Shibusashirazu Orchestra- CD and DVD (Plankton) BUY IT HERE

HADAKA NO HOSHI 裸の星 (2010)- CICALA MVTA. BUY IT HERE

UMBRELLOWHEAD (2009)- 3 tracks, "Unclothed Nocturnal Manuscript Crisis"(Bellowhead), "Gujo Ondo"(Setsubun Bean Unit) and "Marunouchi"(Farmyard Animals Trio) (Megaphone) BUY IT
HERE

SETSUBUN BEAN UNIT (Japanese Release, one bonus track (2009)- SETSUBUN BEAN UNIT (AWDR/L2-BounDee) BUY IT HERE

SHIBUKURI- Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi+Kuricorder Quartet with Shibusashirazu Orchestra (2009) (Saboten) BUY IT HERE

LIFE BEGINS AT 40- Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi (2009) (Saboten) BUY IT HERE

DIRECTING 14 JACKSON POLLOCKS- Graham Collier (2009) BUY IT HERE

WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES (Official Soundtrack)- Nishiura Tomohito (2009) (Level-5) BUY IT HERE

LIVE AT SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE DVD (2009) - Bellowhead (Westpark) BUY IT HERE

MATACHIN (2008)- Bellowhead (Navigator) BUY IT HERE

DREAMS OF BREATHING UNDERWATER (2008)- Eliza Carthy (Topic) BUY IT HERE

WAITLESS (2008)- Empty Boat (Poo Productions) BUY IT HERE

AGATHE CLERY (Soundtrack) (2008)- Bruno Coulais, Matthew Herbert+Crapou (Milan Music) BUY IT HERE

SETSUBUN BEAN UNIT (2007)- Setsubun Bean Unit (Accidental) BUY IT HERE

SLAPPERS (2006)- Dani Siciliano (K7) BUY IT HERE

BURLESQUE (2006)- Bellowhead (Westpark) BUY IT HERE

MUL SHESHE (2005)- Fantazia (Harmonia Mundi) BUY IT HERE

FARMYARD ANIMALS! (2004)- Farmyard Animals Trio (Voidfiller) BUY IT HERE

THE VERY TINY LITTLE KIDS (2002)- The Very Tiny Little Kids (voidfiller) BUY IT HERE (follow the store link, last page)

SAADIA (2000)- Abdelkader Saadoun

HELIOCENTRIC (2000)- Paul Weller (Universal/Island) BUY IT HERE

THE HOSPITAL RADIO REQUEST LIST VOL 1- Various Artists (2000) (Sink and Stove Records) BUY IT HERE

L'ESPAGNOLE (1999)- Abdelkader Saadoun

SQUARE ONE (1999)- John Bennett Band (JBB) BUY IT HERE

....

Merry Season of Yule to everyone!

Department store wrapping paper design, Tokyo, 1946

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, peaceful holidays and a spectacular 2012!

Here's a couple of quick multi-tracked recordings I did of two of my favourite carols, Veni Emmanuel, and In The Bleak Midwinter (Gustav Holst version). All those deep tuba harmonies should be a good way to check out the low end of your speakers/earphones! The recordings are clean, distortion-wise, but on my MacBook the sound broke up pretty badly. However, on my iphone with my JVC earphones, it sounded fine. Go figure.....

Veni Emmanuel by Otouto58 In The Bleak Midwinter by Otouto58

Sarabande from Suite No.5 in C Minor for solo 'Cello by J.S.Bach

Sarabande by Otouto58

I really love this piece. Bach really stretches things harmonically, and also in terms of range, which makes it quite tough to play. This was my first take today, and i don't imagine I'll get it to sound any better. I've managed to play it as I hear it in my head only once, a couple of years ago!

My favourite interpretation of it has to be by the wearer of one of the world's most resplendent barnets, Mr. Mischa Maisky, somebody I have great respect for, musically and as a human being.

You can hear how this piece should be played right here (and enjoy the barnet)-

Tuba Stand- revolutionary or a mixed blessing?

Let's face it. The tuba is a design disaster. Ergonomically speaking, it's completely and dangerously impractical. I mean, if you made an instrument out of metal which weighed 15kg, where would you plan for it to sit? On the floor, right? Not on your bloody lap, to be cradled and balanced at all times!

Most tuba players I know have lower backs which are utterly and irrevocably {*^%ed. I myself have a slipped disc (or, as it's casually referred to over here, a herniated disc situated between vertebrae 3 and 4). Actually, I'm not absolutely sure if the tuba was entirely to blame for it. It could have been too many long haul flights in 2009, a stressful run of gigs in the UK, or the fact that I'm 189cm (6'2") tall and everything in Japan, from chairs to kitchen surfaces to sinks, is 40cm too low for me. Anyway, one thing is for sure, carrying and playing the beast full time doesn't help.

Also, as I play the tuba in many contexts, not just sat down in an orchestra, many bands would prefer me to stand. And in a lot of energetic musical contexts, so would I, rather than being sat at the back of the stage like a grumpy old man. But frankly, it's been doing me in of late.

So I found this K+M tuba stand. It's designed to be used in a standing position. And it has made an amazing difference. Now when I play, the instrument is at the perfect height and needs next to no support from my arms. Since I'm now standing up straight, I can breathe much more effectively. And I realised that when I'm in a sitting position, my right hand is taking some of the strain of supporting the instrument. I suddenly noticed while using the stand that I can play technical stuff much more easily.

It has made a huge difference. So what's the downside? It's bloody heavy! So although onstage I'm now much more comfortable, dragging the tuba AND stand home after the gig is that much more hard work. Cue comment from comic genius in the street: "bet you wished you played the piccolo mate! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Never gets old, that one......

Here's a video of me using the stand the other day in Nagoya.

Blog Archive

By the way, you can still read my old blog entries HERE, if that's your idea of a good time...

Upcoming releases for 2012!

And keep an eye out next year for new releases from the wonderful Aco (2012/1/18), coba and the fantastic Orquesta Libre !

Welcome to my new blog!

Hello!

Welcome to my new blog! For the last 4 or 5 years I've been blogging over at my MySpace page, but recently I've begun to feel that MySpace has become a bit of a ghost town. In addition, the interface there has made it extremely difficult to do things like update my discography or add music or photos. So I've decided to make the move here. And also to make a Facebook page. If that all sounds a bit disparate, please do not fret- my homepage over HERE acts as a portal to everything, include my Twitter and MySpace archives.

So I hope you find my new blog easier to navigate (me too), and I look forward to reading your feedback!