Despite a prolific career spanning 40 albums and collaborations with everyone from Julee Cruise from Twin Peaks to The Orbs, Japanese composer and saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu only recently completed his very first-ever sold-out US tour. Those who know him are familiar with his early ‘80s albums Kakashi and Utakata No Hibi recorded with his band Mariah, or the previously unreleased Kiren, which were all recently released by Jacob Gorchov’s Brooklyn label Palto Flats. Ahead of his performance this past March at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall in collaboration with Ray Kunimoto, KALW’s Charlotte K sat down with Yasuaki to review his constant evolution through techno, new wave, synthpop, jazz, and futuristic rhythmic music.
This article contains a shortened version of the interview. You can hear the whole conversation at kalw.org/charlottek until 6/21 and on Soundcloud
For more information about Yasuaki Shimizu, you can visit his Bandcamp and Instagram, as well as his record label Palto Flats
Special thanks to Jacob Gorchov, Tshego Letsoalo, and David Kwan who have contributed to this interview.
===
TRANSCRIPT:
Charlotte K
Hey, this is Charlotte K, on KALW Music. Thanks to Jacob Gorchov who is behind the label Palto Flats, I came across the prolific Japanese composer, saxophonist, and producer Yasuaki Shimizu. You very likely saw or heard one or two of his records. For example, a red artwork and a cat. That's Kakashi or Utakata No Hibi, that’s the album with his band MARIAH
Well, guess what? We are lucky. Yasuaki did his first very sold out US tour, including a great date at The Great American Musical Hall a couple of months ago. He did stop by San Francisco. And amongst big outlets on his tour, he was interviewed on The New York Times, but also picked KALW to tell us about his journey involving more than 40 albums recorded throughout his career and collaborations with, for example, Sakamoto Julee Cruise from Twin Peaks, Van Dyke Parks, The Orbs, Haruomi Hosono, Michael Nyman, and many others. Buckle up for this journey around the world, starting in Japan and taking you through the field of reverb and creativity in film and television. Enjoy!
Yasuaki Shimizu
Hi, I am Yasuaki Shimizu and you are with Charlotte K, on KALW, San Francisco Bay.
Charlotte Gainsbourg!
Charlotte K
This is Charlotte K and tonight we have the honor to be with Mr. Yasuaki Shimizu.
Yasuaki Shimizu
Good evening. Yasuaki Shimizu!
Charlotte K
How are you? Because you've been doing a whole tour, so you must be a little tired.
Yasuaki Shimizu
Yes. This is my first North American tour, so I'm very enjoying.
Yeah. Hello San Francisco!
Charlotte K
First of all, I wanted to talk about your childhood. Very early on you had an influence with nature.
Yasuaki Shimizu
Yes. So when I was little, my family house was one house in the big field, so I had a lot of insect sounds or frogs. From that time , I was really into technology because insect sounds are like sound waves..I played instruments with insects like musical scales.
Charlotte K
Before you played the saxophone, you were actually interacting with a lot of different instruments.
Yasuaki Shimizu
Yeah, different, I learned lots of instruments myself.
So my father also liked music, and he had many kind of bands, like a Latin band, modern jazz combo, Wang style or karaoke style. One day, my father asked me, tomorrow I have a show, and you have to play this.
And he bought a saxophone and gave it to me. And that's the first time I touched a saxophone. I remember he asked to play this song Tadadaaaa tadadadaa
I played that.
Charlotte K
And then you were launched. Wow.
Charlotte K
I think recently you had an amazing article in The New York Times, and you were saying that “the Pentatonic scale is like going through your blood”. Is it because it helps you define the way you see space and time, like erasing the boundaries a bit?
Yasuaki Shimizu
At the end of the 70s, I had a band called MARIAH. And the beginning of MARIAH was like a style like progressive rock style. And, at the beginning of the 80s, I got a little bit bored about the imitation of the Western style. I don’t know why, but naturally I want to pick up like a more basic Japanese…
Charlotte K
Traditional?
Yasuaki Shimizu
Yeah. Tradition! And so I made the album Kakashi and Utakata No Hibi. That is the answer.
Charlotte K
I really like what you did with a lot of your albums. I think the cello suites. You've recorded them in different spaces, like with a lot of reverb. What is (the concept of) reverb representing to you?
Yasuaki Shimizu
So until that time, I played the bass, piano, drums like an important melody is harmony.And so one day, I played with that image and this time, suddenly, one music paper dropped in front of me. That was Bach Cello Suites, Number One Preludo. And I played that piece without thinking. I very interestingly put some reverb by machine. But I didn't like it and I didn't like that idea. And so, I omitted to record.
I imagine if I go out and find some space, like a very big, big space with noise, like a stone mine or a swimming pool or a Japanese Sento. So I have found it very interesting to try the relationship with. Bach, space and tenor saxophone. You know, that relationship between Bach and tenor saxophone is a very unusual combination because the saxophone is like a very new instrument, like 100 years old or something.
And so Bach is like a master of music. And so tenor saxophone is a more popular music and of course some composers use it Western classical music.
And so, saxophone and space is…you know, saxophone, is kind of made like a tube. The tube is very good with a very big space because some frequencies sound wider and bigger.
Charlotte K
You play with another musician?
Yasuaki Shimizu
Yeah, sometimes. I started with Ray Kunimoto as a collaboration from 2018 for the European tour. I wanted some support who can affect my sound like Max MSP. Also on this tour, I played old songs from Kakashi, Utakata No Hibi and Pentatonica. Also, we use sound effects.
Charlotte K
It’s almost like you are again, adjusting or evolving the sound of your album like you did with Bach, but now it's with your albums
Yasuaki Shimizu
Only my saxophone sound.
Charlotte K
That's amazing. That’s a lot!
Also, when about all the work that you're doing in film and tv, you've done so much alone and with your collaborations. I'd like to talk about your album Music for Commercials.
Yasuaki Shimizu
Hmm. Very interesting.
Charlotte K
How did that come up?
Yasuaki Shimizu
End of the 70s and beginning of the 80s, I made a lot of music for advertising.
During that time, creators were very artistic. When I composed music for advertising, going to studio in the morning. First, I looked at images and, so I made music by improvisation. And so after I went to Paris, I played for Marc Hollander, the owner of Crammed Discs. We decided to make an album.
Charlotte K
And then you went more into film? You also did a collaboration with Sakamoto and then you just did the NHK Saturday drama. And then you also did a documentary called Kaminoko.
Yasuaki Shimizu
I compose a lot of TV drama for NHK. It’s the same Film director from NHK. And we are very good collaborators.
And until now, I think I have released about 10 soundtracks with him and NHK. And that’s Kaminoko. It’s a documentary film and also fiction.
Charlotte K
What are you projects coming up in the future?
Yasuaki Shimizu
Saxophonettes!
Charlotte K
Oh Yeah, I think there is an anniversary?
Yasuaki Shimizu
I think the first time I used Saxophonettes as the name of my album, like an artificial group.
At the beginning of the 2000’s, finally, I formed a group called Saxophonettes. I made Pentatonica with them. Next year, it’s the 20th anniversary of the Saxophonettes being together.
Charlotte K
Wow
Yasuaki Shimizu
Yeah I want to make another Saxophonettes album.
Arigatō gozaimashita (Japanese salutations and KALW ID in Japanese by Yasuaki Shimizu)
Charlotte K
Arigatō gozaimas, thank you so much to Yasuaki Shimizu.
You can find his work on Bandcamp and all mainstream platforms, but also through his label, Palto Flats, online store and vinyl are distributed through many record stores from the Bay. Yes, yes. Little reminder to support your local record stores. This has been Charlotte K for KALW Music.
