Shakuhachi: The Japanese Flute

Personnel: Clive Bell (shakuhachi).
Audio Mixer: Andrew Ainault.
Liner Note Author: Clive Bell.
Recording information: David Ash Studios, London, England.
Photographer: Caroline Forbes.
Clive Bell is a well-known British shakuhachi player as well as a multi-instrumentalist. He studied the shakuhachi in Japan with Kohachiro Miyata, one of today's greatest Japanese shakuhachi masters. He also plays with Japanese koto player Rie Yanagisawa. Bell proposes here a solo CD for the shakuhachi, mixing well-known solo shakuhachi pieces from the honkyoku repertoire (i.e., the repertoire of the Zen Buddhist monks) with folk songs, as well as one of his own compositions. Bell shows an excellent mastery of this difficult instrument. ~ Bruno Deschênes