Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Greatest Banjo Battle.....
In mid October 2010 I flew from Germany with my partner Miyuki to her homeland to spend two weeks of banjo fun in the warmth of a Japanese autumn. I played several concerts whilst there. The main concert was at the Kobe Jazz Street festival, but I also was to be a guest with Japanese banjoist Ken Aoki at a concert in Chiba and through my contacts in The Resonator magazine I had been invited to join The Banjo Stompers of Tokyo to present a concert in the country’s capital.
Japanese hospitality is really first class and the music I heard there was of a very high standard. Ken Aoki is a creative and technically astounding banjoist who is among the very top of the crop now. He presented a show called "Banjo on stage" together with two five-string players, sousaphone and drums. It was a sort of Banjomania show, Japanese style. They were really excellent and it was a pleasure to join them on stage. We had a lot of fun together and it is so encouraging to hear such high quality music being created on the plectrum banjo. I was to play the concerts in Kobe with Ken a week later so it was a good chance for us to run through some tunes together. Ken’s English is certainly much better than my very limited Japanese but through our music we had absolutely no communication problems at all. It was also encouraging to see a younger generation of musicians and audience enjoying our banjo music whilst in Japan. Maybe the music of the plectrum and tenor banjo has a real future in the Far East?
A few days after the concert in Chiba with Ken Aoki we met with Hiroyuki Hasebe, leader of the The Banjo Stompers of Tokyo. Hiro, Miyuki and I had wonderful days together in the capital before our concert. Japanese culture is extremely polite and very friendly, add to this a common interest in banjo and you have a wonderful basis for friendship. The Banjo Stompers were immaculately dressed, professional on stage and played to a high musical and technical standard. I was also very happy to finally meet Akira Tsumura who came with his wife especially to attend the concert. Tsumura-san was responsible for publishing the definitive banjo book of his 1001 banjo collection in the 1980’s. These books now sell for well over $1000 each and I prize my copy. My general experience with banjo bands are that they are relaxed and welcoming and the Banjo Stompers are exactly that. A late night visit to the local Izakiya ( a Japanese "tapas" bar) after the concert put a smile on everyone’s face and questions about the banjo in Europe were dutifully answered between plates of mysterious (but delicious!) food.
A trip on the Shinkansen, the famous bullet train, is an experience of its own. The train is one of the fastest in the world, reaching speeds of over 300 kilometres per hour. It is punctual, clean and travels almost silently. It’s only when you look out of the window as you past a bridge or building that you realise just how fast you travelling. We covered over 500 kilometres in just 3 hours speeding down from Tokyo towards Kobe.
The jazz festival there is based around the Crown Plaza Hotel in the city centre, a modern 5-star establishment which serves the most amazing breakfast of both western and eastern cuisine. The street opposite to the hotel becomes the "jazz street" with many venues offering jazz all weekend played by musicians from all over the world. My part in this event was to present the rather frighteningly titled "Greatest Banjo Battle of the Century" together with Ken Aoki. Musically "battling" on stage simply does not sound good to my or Ken’s ears so we quickly worked out some nice duets of ragtime, Reser and Peabody tunes. The festival is geared to more "two beat" jazz styles and there were plenty of other banjo players from Japan in attendance. Once again it seemed that the audience in Kobe were younger than their European counterparts.
It was an amazing experience to visit Japan and I’d like to go back again. I enjoy travelling and meeting different musicians and this trip was special indeed. I am so thankful that the banjo has opened so many musical doors for me and has launched friendships across the world, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Sean Moyses.
December 2010.
www.SeanMoyses.com
Japanese hospitality is really first class and the music I heard there was of a very high standard. Ken Aoki is a creative and technically astounding banjoist who is among the very top of the crop now. He presented a show called "Banjo on stage" together with two five-string players, sousaphone and drums. It was a sort of Banjomania show, Japanese style. They were really excellent and it was a pleasure to join them on stage. We had a lot of fun together and it is so encouraging to hear such high quality music being created on the plectrum banjo. I was to play the concerts in Kobe with Ken a week later so it was a good chance for us to run through some tunes together. Ken’s English is certainly much better than my very limited Japanese but through our music we had absolutely no communication problems at all. It was also encouraging to see a younger generation of musicians and audience enjoying our banjo music whilst in Japan. Maybe the music of the plectrum and tenor banjo has a real future in the Far East?
A few days after the concert in Chiba with Ken Aoki we met with Hiroyuki Hasebe, leader of the The Banjo Stompers of Tokyo. Hiro, Miyuki and I had wonderful days together in the capital before our concert. Japanese culture is extremely polite and very friendly, add to this a common interest in banjo and you have a wonderful basis for friendship. The Banjo Stompers were immaculately dressed, professional on stage and played to a high musical and technical standard. I was also very happy to finally meet Akira Tsumura who came with his wife especially to attend the concert. Tsumura-san was responsible for publishing the definitive banjo book of his 1001 banjo collection in the 1980’s. These books now sell for well over $1000 each and I prize my copy. My general experience with banjo bands are that they are relaxed and welcoming and the Banjo Stompers are exactly that. A late night visit to the local Izakiya ( a Japanese "tapas" bar) after the concert put a smile on everyone’s face and questions about the banjo in Europe were dutifully answered between plates of mysterious (but delicious!) food.
A trip on the Shinkansen, the famous bullet train, is an experience of its own. The train is one of the fastest in the world, reaching speeds of over 300 kilometres per hour. It is punctual, clean and travels almost silently. It’s only when you look out of the window as you past a bridge or building that you realise just how fast you travelling. We covered over 500 kilometres in just 3 hours speeding down from Tokyo towards Kobe.
The jazz festival there is based around the Crown Plaza Hotel in the city centre, a modern 5-star establishment which serves the most amazing breakfast of both western and eastern cuisine. The street opposite to the hotel becomes the "jazz street" with many venues offering jazz all weekend played by musicians from all over the world. My part in this event was to present the rather frighteningly titled "Greatest Banjo Battle of the Century" together with Ken Aoki. Musically "battling" on stage simply does not sound good to my or Ken’s ears so we quickly worked out some nice duets of ragtime, Reser and Peabody tunes. The festival is geared to more "two beat" jazz styles and there were plenty of other banjo players from Japan in attendance. Once again it seemed that the audience in Kobe were younger than their European counterparts.
It was an amazing experience to visit Japan and I’d like to go back again. I enjoy travelling and meeting different musicians and this trip was special indeed. I am so thankful that the banjo has opened so many musical doors for me and has launched friendships across the world, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Sean Moyses.
December 2010.
www.SeanMoyses.com
