DESCRIPTION:
Live at Trinity Chapel in Berkeley, CA - February 14, 2015. Bass Zen bamboo flute.
Performed by Cornelius 深禅 (Shinzen) Boots on 2.74 Taimu shakuhachi, made by Ken LaCosse of Mujitsu Shakuhachi in San Francisco.

The ability of the Taimu to create a resonant air turbulence is being exploited in this piece. An original composition, #24 of 27 written in 2009-2010 for Taimu Shakuhachi, for more information on these pieces "mukyoku" go to this website:
http://www.mujitsu.com/mukyoku/

The long tone Buddhist honkyoku pieces (like Kyorei) and slow Mississippi blues tunes (like solo Junior Kimbrough, for instance) are the primary inspirations for this piece---"mukyoku" is the name of the pieces written specifically for Taimu shakuhachi, The flute on this piece is a Taimu shakuhachi, which is like the cello/trombone/Barry White of the shakuhachi world. The Taimu excels at achieving a tone that is very earthy and glowing at the same time as projecting more than older style large Zen bamboo flutes (hocchiku or kyotaku for instance.) Taimu are made by Mujitsu Shakuhachi in San Francisco and more information about Taimu and mukyoku can be found on this website:
http://www.mujitsu.com/mukyoku/

Recent album at CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/corneliusboots3
Digital album at bandcamp: http://shinzenshakuhachi.bandcamp.com/

The raw bamboo flute is the ultimate contemplative instrument, yet it demands ultimate attention and fierce dedication from the practitioner. Played by Zen monks (and samurai spies, here and there) in Japan for perhaps a thousand years, the sound is somewhere between a Western silver flute and wind playing through trees. Some sounds are uplifting, soaring and ethereal, and some are turbulent, gritty and inexplicable. An ancient voice crying out from the modern virtuoso fringe. Sacred art music with a chunk of rock.

Visit www.shinzenshakuhachi.com and sign up on the mailing list or contact Cornelius for online or in person lessons. You don't need a flute or "basic sounds" before you start learning: with shakuhachi, these are very important aspects of your first lessons.