OTHERLANDS COLLABORATION #19
Date: Mar. 7, 2020 • Location: Miyama, Japan
My history with Taro is worth a mention...nine years ago, he saved my ass (pardon, but it seems appropriate).
*To know more about Taro’s music and projects, please visit his Facebook Page.
I was scheduled to play my first gig in Japan, and it was a one-off duo with Canadian guitarist and luthier Jordan McConnell (of the Duhks). A significant earthquake and tsunami had just occurred, but the gig was going ahead. I arrived to the Asheville airport, presented my passport to check in...and discovered that it had expired. I couldn't believe it. Honestly, I had never thought to check. With a 10-year renewal cycle, I had forgotten that they renewed. Horrified, I contacted passport services, my ticket provider, and Jordan, of course.
Expediting a new passport was out of the question. Shame upon my name. I was out of a gig, and the Jordan-Casey duo gig was looking solo. I apologized profusely and put out the word to the few people I knew from Japan that I wouldn't be seeing them after all. And then I got a note from mandolinist Taro Inoue. He offered to fill in for me on the gig. Hired and done.
In the frenzy of figuring out "what to do now" I learned my ticket could be saved for a change fee of $300, but it had to be used within one year. The decision: go back to Japan within the year—but this time I would do a 2.5 week tour, and it would be a trio: Jordan, me, and Taro. (Have a listen here) Upon my return to Japan eight years(!) later, I had to visit Taro.
Folks not familiar with bluegrass might be surprised to learn that Japan has a very healthy bluegrass scene. The late banjo player, Sab Inoue, of the pioneering band Bluegrass 45, was Taro's father. And for college, Taro attended the bluegrass program at ETSU (Eastern Tennessee State University). He's steeped in the tradition but also branches out, sharing that he's recently been playing with DJ's - with his acoustic mando (no effects pedals). *Side note: On our first night back together, he took me out to jam with a reggae band and we finished at underground DJ club in Kyoto at 4:30am.
Checking in on his life, I learned that he abandoned the cramped and bustling lifestyle of Tokyo three years ago for what he calls his "little cabin home on the hill." This is a reference to a classic bluegrass song of the same title written by Lester Flatt and Bill Monroe. His place is about a one hour drive north of Kyoto city in Kyoto prefecture, or about 3 hours if you're me—taking two trains (Kyoto→Sonobe→Hiyoshi) and a bus (Hiyoshi→Miyama).
Miyama is a small village in the Japanese countryside that is known for a rare collection of traditional homes with tall thatched roofs. I could feel echos of western North Carolina, mountains and all. Taro’s little cabin is up a hillside full of tall and incredibly straight cedar trees, has electric with a natural spring for water, and a wood burning stove. He's got a great record collection and the walls are covered with instruments. It's pretty much the type of place I hope to have out in Madison County, North Carolina someday.
He and his partner Yukky (also a great singer), took me into the village for a quiet stroll past thick thatch roofs (some covered in moss), home gardens, beautifully sculpted pine trees, and finishing at the local Shinto shrine. After a lunch of local eggs, chicken, and rice, we headed down the road to the nearest farm store to get veggies for tonight's hotpot dinner.
Taro has a relaxed vibe that is all about taking things as they come. He is open to accept and work with whatever is presented, operating very much in the moment. This is also well reflected in his music. Even though we had played a lot eight years ago, I was still pressing him about what we might play today for my Otherlands session. "Let's jam and we will see" was the basic answer.
Back to the cabin after a relaxing afternoon, I got started on my on-location a/v setup puzzle. I was looking for some way to fix mic’s in the center of us, to capture the natural mix of the room, but I wanted to avoid a tall imposing mic stand. The stroke of setup genius came from one of his neighbors who was hanging out fixing Taro's bicycle. He suggested using the fireplace toolset stand—it was the perfect height and you can see the top of it in the video.
As for what we would play? The answer was quite clear where we would start, the bluegrass standard "Little Cabin Home on the Hill." It's a great song with a distinct verse and chorus that are fun to improvise on, and the chorus can even be split into two different sections, as if there are three parts total. And since we wouldn't be singing it, there was great freedom of interpretation in groove and form in the moment.
Donning some thick fuzzy slippers, we warmed our fingers up on some other tunes while the wood stove warmed the room. When it came time for the main song, we rehearsed a couple of form ideas, and decided to see what happened in the moment. We played three takes and they all had distinct personalities thanks to Taro. He kicked each one off with a groove different from the others and I reacted. The first began with repetitive ostinato. The second began at a much faster tempo. And the third stretched the chords to be twice their normal length. Each time was a fresh new experience and so fun to play. (I chose the third take for our video.)
With "Little Cabin" finished (or so I thought) Taro suggested getting Yukky to sing a song with us. We ended up playing two.
The first "Kono Mura de Umarete" or “Born in this Village” was chosen because it's a song composed by an older gentlemen in their village. (Stay tuned for a video of this.) It's a commentary about times and village life around Miyama changing. It was lovely to have a vocalist with us, and on the instrumental sections we reinterpreted the melody of "Little Cabin Home on the Hill."
For our last song, Taro presented a brand new composition, written just two days before. Stylistically, it echoes some old-time American tunes, with a single verse repeated between instrumental sections. Lyrically, it was inspired by a warm wind through the mountains he felt, marking the onset of spring. The title is "Haru Kaze," which means "Spring Wind." (There’s a short excerpt at the end of our video.)
Playing and hanging was a breeze. We wrapped up our day with a hot pot meal of wild boar and horse—both new and delicious to me—accompanied by local vegetables. And when we weren't playing, the record player was spinning a wide range of artists, from Andy Statman, Aphex Twin, Mississippi John Hurt, the Monroe Brothers, and The Shaggs.
I arrived back to Kyoto around 2am and departed the following morning by 10a for Kamakura, Japan. It was a perfect way to cap off my time in this part of Japan. I certainly hope it's not another eight years before Taro and I make music again.
CREDITS
Song: Little Cabin Home on the Hill (Lester Flatt & Bill Monroe)
Music Arranged by: Casey Driessen & Taro Inoue
Mandolin: Taro Inoue
Fiddle, Audio & Video: Casey Driessen
Additional Music: Haru Kaze (outro, with Yukky on vocals)
SPECIAL THANKS
Yukky