Michiyo Yagi Trio

Michiyo Yagi Trio

Michiyo Yagi (electric 21-string koto, 17-string bass koto, voice)

Takashi Sugawa (contrabass, cello)

Nori Tanaka (drums)

Michiyo Yagi studied koto under the late Tadao Sawai and Kazue Sawai, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. During her subsequent tenure as Visiting Professor of Music at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, U.S.A., she premiered numerous modern compositions for koto and came under the influence of maverick American composers such as John Cage, Christian Wolff, Conlon Nancarrow, and John Zorn.

Yagi’s debut CD Shizuku was produced by Zorn and released on his Tzadik label in 1999. In 2001 she recorded Yural (BAJ/ewe) with her six-koto ensemble Paulownia Crush; this group toured Russia under the auspices of the Japan Foundation in the fall of 2004. In 2005 Yagi released Seventeen (Zipangu), entirely performed on the giant 17-string bass koto. Live! at SuperDeluxe (Idiolect), a trio performance with Norwegians Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (contrabass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), followed a year later. In 2008 Rikskonsertene, the national concert institute of Norway, sponsored a ten-city tour by the trio of Michiyo Yagi, the German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, and Paal Nilssen-Love, a group that has been touring internationally since 2006. Head On (Idiolect, 2008) and Volda (Idiolect, 2010) both featured this trio. Yagi’s most recent release is Reflexions (Idiolect/Bomba 2010), a duo album with guitarist Elliott Sharp. Forthcoming CD releases include a “Nordic  ambient” album co-produced by Eivind Aarset, a quartet session with Joe McPhee, Lasse Marhaug and Paal Nilssen-Love, a trio with Marhaug and Nilssen-Love, and a classical/contemporary recording.

  An eclectic performer who continually challenges conventions, Michiyo Yagi has performed at the Moers, Kongsberg Jazz, Punkt, Újbuda Jazz, Musique Actuel Victoriaville, Archipel, Bang on a Can, Tokyo Summer, Vision, Instal, and Music Unlimited festivals. Her collaborators have included Mark Dresser, Jim O’Rourke, Akira Sakata, Sidsel Endresen, Han Bennink, Eivind Aarset, Alan Silva, Kazutoki Umezu, Omoto Yoshihide, Ned Rothenberg, Knut Buen, Bugge Wesseltoft, Satoko Fujii, Joëlle Leandre, Håkon Kornstad, Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins), Masahiko Sato, Carl Stone, Billy Bang, Keiji Haino, Mats Gustafsson, and Sachiko M. Yagi’s koto has been featured in ex-Judy & Mary guitarist/singer Takuya's band, and she has recorded with neo-prog rocker Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), pop idol Ayumi Hamasaki, and singer-songwriter Angela Aki.

Michiyo Yagi currently leads the Michiyo Yagi Double Trio and the Michiyo Yagi Trio, and also performs solo concerts, all with an emphasis on her original compositions.

http://www.japanimprov.com/myagi

http://michiyo-yagi.cocolog-nifty.com

Contact: idiolect@mac.com