Unique arrangements of original melodies and jazz tunes, flowing improvisations, along with innovative interpretations of modern and classical Japanese works attest to Curt & Bruce's years of experience in Japan and love for the koto and shakuhachi.

10 MP3 Songs in this album (53:20) !
Related styles: WORLD: Japanese contemporary, JAZZ: World Fusion



Details:
Curt & Bruce combine their more than twenty years each of study and experience in Japan giving a fresh voice to the koto and shakuhachi. Their original compositions and arrangements were presented at over 50 venues in Japan in 2007, and January 2008 saw them in the Pacific Northwest for their North American debut tour. They were joined by singer Susan Osborn for their 2008 "Sakura Zensen Tour" in April and May, performing at nearly 20 venues around Japan. Their fall "Momiji Gari Tour" is currently being planned with performances starting in the north of Japan in late September, moving southward to end on the island of Kyushu in Early December.

Japan's Hogaku Journal writes "It is noteworthy that while Patterson and Huebner's music is sometimes âwesternâin feeling and is not confined to Japanese traditional forms or modes, it demands to be performed on Japanese instruments. Pattersonâs koto rings out like an ancient wagon court zither as he strings together soft morsels of sound, and Huebnerâs shakuhachi moves freely, complementing the simple palette. The music comes to life, a natural product of the distinctive qualities of Patterson and Huebnerâs respective chosen instrument."

Curtis Patterson / Koto
A native of Chicago Illinois, Curtis Patterson studied with modern koto great Tadao Sawai. He holds a master's license from the Sawai Koto Institute and is the first non-Japanese national to graduate from the NHK training program for young performers of traditional Japanese instruments. Currently residing in Tokyo where he also teaches koto and shamisen, Patterson has performed with a wide variety of artists including screen actress Matsuzaka Keiko and popular singer/songwriter Kei Ogura. He was part of the AUN drumming unit's 50 concert tour in 2002 and appeared on the main stage at the 2004 Rain Forest World Music Festival in Sarawak, Malaysia. A member of the Sawai Tadao Koto Ensemble, Soemon and the US based Koto Phase, Patterson released a solo CD "Oto No Wa" in 2002 and was musical director for the 2005 documentary film "Magnificent Obsession : Frank Lloyd Wright's Buildings and legacy in Japan."

Bruce Huebner / Shakuhachi
California-born Bruce Huebner studied shakuhachi under the late Goro Yamaguchi (Living National Treasure) at the prestigious Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. He is the first non-Japanese to receive a master's degree in traditional Japanese music performance at the university. He earned his masters license from Chikuyusha, one of the oldest shakuhachi guilds, in 1997, and gave two solo shakuhachi recitals of Japanese classical music. In 1998 Bruce produced an instructional video on shakuhachi performance in English, and in August 2000 he led the Contemporary Sankyoku Ensemble's six-state US Tour while releasing a solo CD of traditional shakuhachi music, "Song of Daybreak." In 1999 Huebner co-founded the Jazz/World Music group "Candela," which has recorded and performed to wide acclaim in Japan, as well as at venues in the United States, Canada and Europe.