Michiyo Yagi - "Seventeen" (Zipangu) 2005
Michiyo Yagi—17-string bass koto
The 17-string bass koto is perhaps the most unusual instrument for improvisation every conceived. But Michiyo Yagi feels so at home with this rare musical creature, that it sounds like it's a standard instrument. She has recorded a stunning, intriguing, and unique solo CD that shows the range and impact of an instrument most people never heard of before.
The first tune, "Obsidian," starts with a thrumming bass line above which Yagi carefully places notes in the upper register. The bass line works with a rhythmic insistence, like the lower edge of a guitar, but with a sound all its own. The resonance of all the strings creates an overall set of harmonies that no other instrument achieves in quite the same way.
On the second number, she lays down an even stronger rhythm and even wilder movements in the upper strings. She moves through different ways of playing that sound like music moving in multiple directions at once. Using different "treatments" to obtain unexpected sounds, as if more unexpectedness could be added, she manages to find emotive sounds that diverge and converge in intricate patterns.
"Sedna" is slower, more drawn out and developed. Each distinctive section feels like it was crafted for effect and delivered with care. Yet, Yagi always has a sense of wide-open form. The tension between the traditional expectations of composed sections and uncontained delivery is amazing. "The Bicycle Ride," for example, works with a steadier tempo and more of a clear melody, but then is graced with elegant, dripping tones that draw tonalities from all musical styles from east to west.
"Suetsumuhana" and "Deep Green Sea" both move with deep, meditative minimalism. Each note carries huge weight. The tunes move solidly and powerfully with layers and layers of tones, harmonics and resonances that wash over one's ears. On these two tunes, in particular, the high technical quality of the recording really lets you hear all the subtleties and nuances of the tone and technique.
Though the range of sounds and song styles might have been more coherent from song to song, the impact is perhaps greater for the diversity. In the past, too, many instruments started out as rare (the saxophone for one) with a sound that was not immediately accepted. Then, as people became accustomed to the new sound, they embraced it. Though the 17-string bass koto does not seem to be a candidate for mass appeal, after listening to Yagi's incredible technique and broad view of the instrument, it just might happen.