2009.10.21 Sato's Bar

ゲストに打楽器奏者山下久樹さんをお迎えし、ボサノバナンバーを中心に演奏しました。一曲目のコーヒーとパン、改めて良い曲だと思いました。大森さんは気持ちよさそうに何コーラスもソロをとっていました。そして、いつどんな時も曲が始まった瞬間、世界に入り込める小黒さん。あっぱれです。山下さんは限られたスペースで工夫を凝らして一曲一曲を彩ってくれました。お客様からは「本当に楽しそうにやっていて、うらやましいよ」と声をかけていただきました。

後半はピアニスト中島慎一郎さんが加わって、音のキャンバスに静かで美しい色が塗られました。ライブ終了後は吉川ナオミさん、目黒与志男さん、佐藤祐一さん、長野賢一さんの豪華三条チームが参加してセッションタイム。写真はナオミさんからいただきました。ありがとうございました！本当に楽しい時間でした。

寂しいことに、ビーンズトリオにサウダージを教えてくださった中島さんは今月をもって東京へ異動になりました。新天地でも音楽の輪を広げていかれることと思います。またいつでも新潟に遊びに来てくださいね！■ ■ 演 奏 曲 目 ■ ■ *instrumental
1st Set
Cafe com Pão*
Bananeira*
Minha Saudade
Dindi
Fly Me to the Moon
Triste
No More Blues
Agua de Beber

2nd Set
Garota de Ipanema*
A Rã*
Ate Quem Sabe*
Só Tinha de ser com Você
Under a Blanket of Blue
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
A Felicidade
Você e Eu
Mais Que Nada

As I listen to the record from this recent show, I am filled with
gratitude for having been given the opportunity to play with musicians
who appreciate and enjoy music in the same manner that I do.

Often times musicians I work with are twenty to thirty years senior to me.
I am fortunate to be working close with them and to see how they
continue making efforts to develop their musical skills. Knowing that even
people who have worked twenty to thirty years longer than myself are still
not completely happy about what they are able to do makes me realize
that I have just started this journey, and I will never have to get bored
if I stick with this hobby because there will always be challenges to
overcome as well as thrills I would experience when they are overcome.
I feel encouraged when I hear experienced musicians discuss what they
still want to accomplish and see how they possess everlasting passion
and curiosity towards music.

I myself is still not certain about what I want to become by using my vocal
skills, but I have always been attracted to a singer who sings his/her heart
out to the best of abilities. I do not know what it is that attracts me so much,
but perhaps it is more of a physical aspect than as a form of art. I like it
when I hear a powerful voice come out from a singer’s body with sufficient
breath to support. I like it when the voice bears techniques that can only be
mastered through years of hard work. I think that such　techniques applied
with, or without intention, are success only when it sounds natural to the
listener, but that of course is a matter of subjectivity.

Speaking of the word “success”, may I say that I do not like the word in
general---I should have used another word--- for who is to decide what is
success and what is not. People may not like listening to a poor singer;
however, if the singer is completely happy with what he/she produces,
then we might say it is a success to the singer. Definitions of success is
broad, and I should wait for another opportunity to write about it.

Some people like to point out details or find technical flaws or make a
judgment as to whether they are success or failure. What I would like to do
instead when I appreciate art is to try to see the whole picture and accept
it as it is. I try to find values that the artist means to convey as well as his/
her thoughts and efforts behind it.

The great cellist Yo-Yo Ma was quoted as saying:
"What I look for in musicians is generosity. There is so much to learn from
each other and about each other's culture. Great creativity begins with
tolerance."

I agree that generosity is very important to both people who create art and
those who appreciate it. I think that art requires an open heart for the best
result.

To get back to what I was saying, I am fascinated with physical abilities of
singers. My vocal teacher often says that singing is athletic. If you have
studied singing seriously for longer than one year, you must know what this
means. Singing is about lung capacity, muscle strength and reflexes---the
capabilities also required of instrumentalists in general. So as a person who has
studied singing for several years, to hear someone with trained ears and
superb physical abilities sing is simply a joy. And even when his/her musical
style may not be my cup of tea, there is always something to learn from him/her.
Therefore from that standpoint, as one listener, genres do not matter much to
me; I enjoy appreciating singers of all genres, although that does not mean that
I am able to listen to heavy metal or punk rock for 24 hours and be happy.

When the voice goes out of my body with no physical or psychological
interruption in the way and when there is sufficient physical support for
producing the sound, it simply feels good. I mean that my body feels good, which
then leads to the feeling of comfort and happiness, provided that it also sounds
musical to my ears. Many people who work out on a regular basis say they do
not feel right when they miss a day of working out. I do not work out, which is
a shame, but in terms of physical comfort I enjoy from singing and the effects it
has on my mentality, I must feel quite the same way as people who exercise do.
Therefore I could say that one main reason I continue to sing is that I would like
to discover what I am physically capable of doing and explore its potential.

Notes by Trisa Tamura