Summer Touring

Hello!
This summer I'll be getting out and about, touring quite a bit, including Mongolia and South Korea, with FU-CHING-GIDO, two countries I've never played in before, so that's all very exciting.
Here's my schedule up until July. There may be some extra dates coming in, so I'll do my best to keep it updated. You can keep up with my live schedule HERE.
And not to forget, FU-CHING-GIDO will tour Japan for the first time in October. More details HERE!
Hope to see you out there somewhere!

MAY

13- FU-CHING-GIDO w/tipsipúca+, Csiga Jidanda
mona records, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo

16- Orquesta Libre + Rolly
TakuTaku, Kyoto

17- Orquesta Libre + Rolly
Tokyo, Nagoya

28- Csiga Jidanda + Gideon Juckes
Gallery Mus-soh and Zuzu, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo

JUNE

4- Jinta La Mvta
22nd Jüdisches Filmfestival Opening Ceremony, Potsdam, Germany

5- Jinta La Mvta
WABE Berlin, Germany

6- Jinta La Mvta
22nd Jüdisches Filmfestival, Brandenburg, Germany

12- Miwazow Matsuri vol.5
Star Pines Cafe, Kichijoji, Tokyo

15- Orquesta Libre
Pit Inn, Shinjuku, Tokyo

23- FU-CHING-GIDO
Izakaya "Haruki", Seoul, South Korea

25- FU-CHING-GIDO
Playtime Festival 2016, Gachuurt, Mongolia

JULY

9/10- Orquesta Libre
Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Denmark, (Full details to follow)

12- Orquesta Libre
Porgy and Bess, Vienna, Austria

13/14/15- Orquesta Libre
Cafe Museum, Passau, Germany

23- Orquesta Libre & Rolly

Fuji Rock, Café de Paris

Upcoming Goodness!

Just a quick one, as my feet haven't touched the ground since we finished our run of "K.Faust" in Matsumoto. That was an incredible time! Already really missing the family feeling of the Kushida Kazuyoshi company.
I'm lucky that helping to bring me out of my post Faust blues, I'm keeping busy with some very exciting performances which I'd like to let you know about.
Firstly, on 29th October, Orquesta Libre will play Shinjuku Pit Inn. We didn't play together as an instrumental unit alone since our European tour. It will be great to revisit those tunes again, and maybe play some new material too!
http://www.pit-inn.com/sche_e.html

Then, from November 1st, I have a small tour with a very interesting lineup of Jinta La Mvta, which includes two circus shows in Takamatsu. I had my first rehearsal today and there is some amazing talent on show. If you are down that way, I definitely recommend coming along to see it.
100-nen Circus- www.100nencircus.com/
Tour details-
http://www.cicala-mvta.com/

And, last but not least, on November 17th, my band Nerima Tea Club will play at café MURIWUI! Lovely wonderful talented band members, excellent venue, free entry, it should be a great night!
Here's the flyer-

K.ファウスト/K.FAUST

Late summer has arrived. The humidity is slightly less crazy and there have been a few storms around Tokyo. Yesterday I started rehearsals for my fourth production with Kushida Kazuyoshi. It feels great to be back in the company of such great and creative actors, musicians and performers, and to be reunited with friends. Kushida San's timely production of the Faust legend, "K.ファウスト/K.Faust" will run from October 6th to 14th, Setagaya Public Theatre, Tokyo, followed by October 19th to 21st at Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, Matsumoto, Nagano.

You can find full information here- http://k-faust.com/

Featuring the great Sasano Takashi as Faust, French Circus artists and music by Coba. It should be really special!!

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

....

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.