Video for my favorite Ukiyo-ki song “Quixote Thinks of Fuji.”  The song is a reflection on Hiroshige’s Fukeiga print - which made me think of Don Quixote thinking of Mount Fuji and what it would be like to see it through his eyes.  The video is from a five part travelogue called “Seeing the World.”  It is chopped up and pieced together to more fit the song.  Enjoy…

Repost of the first Ukiyo-ki installment - Another View of Suzukayama… Ukiyo-ki is a moniker for lo-fi instrumental reflections on various ukiyo-e, or wood block prints.  The focus has been Hiroshige for now and will perhaps expand to other artists in the future…. the free download link :: http://soundcloud.com/ukiyo-ki/another-view-of-suzukayama

I finally got around to writing a new song.  This one is called Quixote Thinks of Fuji based on the print Fukeiga by Hiroshige.  This print caught my eye because I like the way Mount Fuji looks like it is an illusion.  I remember seeing Mount Fuji from the train on the Tokaido line.  It really is a sight to behold.  Usually, those kind of things - famous landmarks and the like - are not as impressive as they are hyped up to be.  Mount Fuji really was - I first saw it from behind a mountain and it is a perfect cone.  Then you see the whole mountain and it’s shape is just perfect.

Anyways, I started writing the song and it had a very drunk feeling - which is my preferred style of writing and probably the one I feel most comfortable - where rhythm is not really that important, only flow and some things that can’t really be named.  While I was writing, Don Quixote came to mind and I liked the idea of looking through his eyes to see Mount Fuji and that is how the song was completed..

Here is the download (free, as always) link: http://soundcloud.com/ukiyo-ki/quixote-thinks-of-fuji

The third remix by Mango - this one of Mizobuchi’s Theme.  It has been fun so far re-imagining these little songs with Mango. 

Here is his collective’s website: http://soundcloud.com/the-bodhi-tree-mcs

Here is the third installment.  I love this print and it reminds me a of a lady we used to know named Mizobuchi-san.  She was an old lady with a bowed back who used to make small bags out of old shirts and speak Japanese to you even if you didn’t understand anything she was saying.  

This is called Mizobuchi’s theme.  by ukiyo-ki.

You can download it here: http://soundcloud.com/ukiyo-ki/mizobuchis-theme

Click on the picture below if you want to see the print.  More to come.

Here is the second song in the Hiroshige Series.  I recorded two tracks in one take each - the rhythm and the melodic part - so I could use my other hand to manipulate the tremolo and pitch and drink coffee.

The song is based off Hiroshige’s “Yui-Satta Peak” from the “Hoeido ban Tokaido” series.  The song is called “Trees bronze in my country, too.”  Still under the moniker “ukiyo-ki.”  Click on the picture below to see a bigger version of the print.

You can download the track here:  http://soundcloud.com/ukiyo-ki/trees-bronze-in-my-country-too

Enjoy and more to come.

Print used as inspiration for the music posted below.  Click on the photo to go to soundcloud to download it if you wish.

I decided to start a series of instrumentals, most likely all piano, or keyboard, rather…  

When I play piano, I generally look at a print or a picture.  I recently got a book of Japanese prints from the library and some of them are really inspiring.  For this series, I am going to concentrate on Hiroshige.  Many prints are related to actors of the time or historical events, but Hiroshige did more landscapes, which I particularly enjoy.  

I mainly write piano music by playing things over and over and slowly changing it to how I like it.  This song here was written a little last night and some the night before.  Perhaps it isn’t finished, but it seemed like a good place to record it.  I tried to keep it short.  As with most piano work, it is recorded in one take, improvised on some themes, and is minimally processed - just a bit of compression to control the crazy highs and lows of my keyboard.  

The song is based on Tsuchiyama: View of Mount Suzuka from the series “Fifty-three Stations along the Tokaido.”  It is called Another View of Suzukayama under the moniker “ukiyo-ki.”

You can download it here: http://soundcloud.com/ukiyo-ki/another-view-of-suzukayama

Enjoy.  More to come.

I will also post a big version of the picture soon.