SubtonesSubtones

A High-Pitch Evening of Low-Pitch Music and Art

Live: Joel Grip (Contrabass), Tetsu Saitoh (Contrabass), Miki Maruyama
(Koto), Daysuke Takaoka (Tuba), Junichi Kakizaki (Flower
Art)



Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, celebrated double bassist Joel Grip is in Japan for two short months, in which time he will meet and collaborate with myriad Japanese improvising and contemporary artists.
"Subtones" is one of the defining projects of this special residency, in which Grip is joined by some of Japan's finest improvisational and contemporary artists.

Artist info:

Joel Grip

As an energetic double bassist and producer, Joel Grip plays a great role for the new scenes of improvised music in Europe. By founding the label Umlaut Records, he opened up for creative forms of organizing collectives of musicians and promoting their music internationally. Since 2003 he has been one of the main organizers of Hagenfesten in Dala-Floda, Sweden, a stand-alone festival, making people meet.
Besides touring with groups like Peeping Tom, Kege Snö, Eve R. Trio, Je Suis! or SNUS, Joel Grip's intense and personal music is heard in solo, duo or larger improvising groups in greater Europe, USA and Asia. Besides work in just musical context, collaborations often include contemporary and Butoh dancers, as well as artists, poets, and filmmakers. With music at arms, Joel Grip amplifies reality by making homeless voices heard through the organization Public Health Music.
hp
myspace
Umlaut Records

photo by thierry trombert

Tetsu Saitoh (Double bass player, composer)

Tetsu Saitoh is a Tokyo-based double bass player with a mesmerizing and technically brilliant style unhampered by convention. His hauntingly abstract improvisations combine tango, jazz, contemporary classical and traditional Asian music. For the last 15 years, Saitoh has been touring regularly in Europe and the United States, performing both solo and in collaboration with a wide range of highly respected musicians and performers from around the globe. Saito’s free-spirited
approach to the double bass is sure to enchant both musical connoisseurs and newcomers.
Improvised Music from Japan: Tetsu Saitoh

Daysuke Takaoka (Tuba)

Born and currently active in Osaka, Daysuke Takaoka started playing the tuba at the age of 12. He began his studies of classical music at age 15 and began performing at 20. He plays a range of styles including improvisation, folkloric and contemporary music all over the world, including two stints in New Orleans where among several gigs he recorded with Rebirth brass band, Wild Magnolias and others. Called the "Tuba traveler" by friends, Takaoka has toured Europe a total of
five times across 20 countries. In addition to playing with several ensembles both at home and abroad, Takaoka also produces his own music events and collaborates with artists across various genres including Butoh dance, modern dance, and live painting. His unique performance methods that employ circular breathing and sometime electronic manipulation, Takaoka’s "blowbass" style is not what you would expect from the tuba. Through tireless collaboration, recording and live
performances, he continues to challenge the limits of acoustic-music expression and explore the possibilities of this profound instrument.
hp
myspace

Miki Maruta (Koto)

Miki Maruta studied the koto under Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai and Takako Kikuuta, and graduated from the Takasaki College of Music with top of honors, after earning a scholarship there to study koto music. For two years beginning in 1990, she taught koto music and the jiuta sangen genre as a artist in residence at Wesleyan University in the United States. In 1994 she was selected for an internship in the performing arts at the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the same year played at
the 12th Interlink Festival. In 1996 Maruta performed at the Tampere Music Festival and in 1998 participated in Butch Morris’ “U.S. Conduction Tour.” Also in 1998 she was invited to perform at a concert put on by the Korean Contemporary Music Society. Maruta appeared in a festival sponsored by Kanagawa Prefecture in 1999, the sixth “Hibiki no Renaissance,” and played a concert together with Terry Riley. She appeared in concert in Tunisia in 2001 at the behest of the Japan
Foundation. That same year she released a solo CD on King Records entitled “Tori no Youni” ( Like a Bird). After performing a solo recital in 1995, she began giving regular live shows primarily in the Tokyo area that feature a wide range of materials, from classic pieces to first performances of classic songs, recordings, and improvisation. While doing so she has utilized her flexible sensibility and adaptability to collaborate with artists across an array of genres. Maruta’s performances at music festivals both in Japan and abroad have also been warmly received.
hp

Junichi Kakizaki (Flower Art)

Junichi Kakizaki (b. Jan. 4, 1971) is a Japanese contemporary artist who incorporates flower art in various fields of installation and performing arts. He was born and currently lives in Nagano, Japan. Kakizaki has been described as a "sculptor of flowers." Using natural materials including flowers, trees, earth, etc., he has created works of flower-art in many modes, ranging from sculptural and other 3-dimensional art to photographs, installation, and land art, as well as performance and scenic design.
hp