Songs for My Sensei
August 25th, 2008 | Published in Songs for My Sensei
Work in Progress Fall 2008
In 1978, Mark Izu began studying “sho” with Sensei, a musician in Japan’s Imperial Court who is a consummate master of both Gagaku (Japanese Court music) and Western orchestral instruments. This ongoing study has helped Izu develop his own musical/conceptual style, one that integrates the “mah” (negative space) and elements of Japanese music, with Western music. His compositions represent an integration of jazz/new music and Asian traditional concepts (the textural, melodic phrase, and the treatment of silence as sound). Izu’s approach to his work is greatly informed by his 30-year study of Gagaku with Togi Suenobu.
To honor Togi Suenogu, Mark Izu has conceived “Songs for My Sensei”. He describes his inspirations and goals for this new project as follows:
Several years ago, Togi Sensei presented me with his own personal sho, an exquisite instrument that had been part of the Japanese Imperial Court for generations. Each time I raise this sho to my lips, I am reminded of all the musicians who have played it before me, think of those who will come after me, and that I am part of a cultural continuum that stretches back over a thousand years.
Sensei Togi Suenobu
My goals with this creative project are to create and perform a new ensemble work that: integrates the Western form of jazz music with the Eastern based art form of Gagaku; documents the legacy of an artist who has had a deep impact on my artistic path, my long-time teacher Togi Sensei; and inspires others in the San Francisco community to learn Gagaku. I will measure the success of this project through the quality of the work itself, audience reaction to performances of the work, if it encourages other of Togi’s former students to step forward and share their experiences, and the creation of an audio recording for archival purposes and distribution to the general public.
During my 2007 residency in Japan, I took traditional Gagaku classes from Togi Sensei and also spent time with him talking about his life and as well as the beauty and specialness to be found in everyday living. I have told many of my own students that in addition to Gagaku, I learned a great deal about life’s journey from Togi; inspiration for my new composition will be gleaned from these insights. Additionally, during this residency, I immersed myself in a whole range of Japanese traditional arts, especially performing arts and music, in order to see culture in the context it belongs in: as a living form. Being in Japan provided me with the chance to check out the contemporary music scene, and to find out who is doing art that integrates east/west concepts and how they are doing it. A lot of contemporary classical music is still deeply rooted in European music and East Coast academia, but I have always felt that the Pacific Rim (including California) has an important part to play in shaping what is truly new and modern in 21st Century music.
Gagaku is one of the oldest classical musical forms in the world, with a lineage dating back through several centuries of Japanese history. Jazz is a distinctly modern medium that is continually being shaped by new cultural and generational influences. By combining these two distinctive art forms within one work, audiences will gain an appreciation of the wide range of possibilities in musical expression, and, I hope, have their interest piqued to hear more of this kind of work.
