Hello and welcome to the Lunation Report.

This moon sequence saw good amounts of shakuhachi practice as well as some very special performances. I am lucky to be part of a group of shakuhachi-learners based mostly in the Hudson Valley and as a group we gave a nice performance in Red Hook NY. Following it up, a trio of us, Devon Tipp, Christopher Foss and I, gave a concert on Christopher's rooftop. The performances took place as bookends around the August full moon (a blue moon at that). It was a once in a blue moon type concert experience to hear everyone's shakuhachis sounding together after a full year + of meeting only on Zoom meetings. The Hudson Valley Shakuhachi Choir is distinct among niche instrumental ensembles in that we all study in the Lineage of the late National treasure Yamaguchi Goro through our teacher Ralph Samuelson.

Yamaguchi sensei's and Ralph's sound, by extension, have a very special quality that's usually underplayed by shakuhachi experts these days when cacophonous bombast seems inescapable in all music. Yamaguchi's tone has a strong core but a soft and mellowed exposition that makes the listener feel as if they are being swept off on a cloud into heaven. It's a quality that all of us in the group try to emulate and it's very tricky to get right. Balancing beauty and strength

A young Yamaguchi sensei in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians

A highlight of both concerts was getting to do a rendition of my piece from 2015 called Shimmering Wave. It's a piece that started out as a series of 12 chords in just intonation called Standing Wave that was stripped down to 3 simple chords for the shakuhachi group. I like playing this piece for a few reasons. Mainly because anyone can play it. If you can make any sound at all on the flute you can find a place in this piece. The structure is determined by the player and everyone moves through the three chords at their own pace with the only rule being that you can only play one note per breath. Since the shakuhachi is notoriously difficult to tune for beginner players and can still be wonky for veterans I changed the title to Shimmering Wave since the waveform that the players create warbles and beats as they tune the notes.

Another highlight was driving home after the concet and being followed by the really nearly full blue moon. Until we hit the hurricane in New York that is - it was a wild and beautiful drive.

In personal music practice I'm happy to report that I've taken all of the shakuhachi repertoire I've learned so far and bound the scores into these accordion style books. Organized into 3 levels I can now efficiently store these "gakufu" in my tiny archive and easily pick a piece from each level to play every day. I learned the technique of binding these scores in a study session with Yamato Shudo in Japan. A senior member of the recently defunct Domonkai shakuhachi guild in Kyushu Yamato sensei makes many of his scores himself since the family that publishes the music went out of business. When he saw my photocopied score of the piece Kajimakura he said "I hate this" and took the pages away from me. He proceeded to get out a ruler, knife, and glue stick and whip up the most beautifully bound score I had ever seen. I consider myself lucky to have been able to see this - so if any of the other shakuhachi players reading this would like I can bind your scores for you!

Tea Features of The Month

from Sasaki Sanmi's Cha Dō

"September is late autumn according to the lunar calendar and therefore it has the name 'Sojo' (beggining of frost). However according to the solar calendar it is only the beginning of autumn with the heat of the summer lingering until the middle of the month just as is mentioned in the following haiku:

「残りとは言われぬほどの暑さかな」

Nokori towa / iwarenu hodo no / atsusa kana

The heat is so intense that we cannot call it the lingering heat

-Riyu

Yet... the autumn equinox arrives with a sudden drop in temperature and lo and behold, all the autumn grasses are present...this spirit permeates the way of tea and as the season progresses tea gatherings are held more frequently here and there. "

(Sanmi, Chado, p 441)

One of the best features about this month, for tea people, are formal tea ceremonies under the light of the harvest moon. Held in darkness, these events are celebrations of agricultural prosperity. With the lingering heat and the cool breeze in the evening contemplating the moon can be enjoyed deeply this month. It's also my birth month and, now that I think if it, the birth month of my two shakuhachi siblings, Christopher and Devon, mentioned above.

「月印水　水印月」

In commemoration of that here's a live recording from our rooftop concert of Devon and me playing Kumoi Jishi - a dedication piece that recalls the Lion Dance. It's said that this piece drives away evil spirits so if you feel like you need it please take a listen here.

This has been the Lunation report, see you next Moon