I’m writing today’s entry (but going to upload later) at a café Adagio near by the downtown bus station. This is one of my favorite places, so I come by here almost every weekday after classes, enjoy a coffee and study a little until the time bus leaves. In spite of much snow, I came here today too, for a nice coffee.When I came here two weeks ago, I met to a performance of a band composed by six elderly musicians playing the guitar, zither, percussion, wood bass and violin. They played country music like pieces with taking vocal parts in turn. They weren’t necessarily virtuoso players, but their performance, rather their ordinariness impressed me particularly in a different way from that other audiences felt.
I wrote it was country music they played before, though, it can’t be defined easily like categories of CD section. Also, they must not have intended to play “country music” at all, which I supposed as an American music. While they enjoy playing that, audiences naturally expect that too. They just shared their music which penetrated in their blood: that is nothing less than their legacy. As well as Buenos Aires where Tango was born, a significant current of fine arts is born in nation of immigrants. Only people starving their identities manage to acquire their original styles. Those styles have a simple and universal power that even impresses a foreigner such as me.
I mortally jealous them, but their music are just for them. In Japan, we don’t have such the way for expression. Because of long peaceful history, Japanese culture didn’t either stand against or confront American cultural influences, instead took in it in the particular way. I always wonder what our culture gained and what we lost in this crucial turning point of history.
This entry is a sort of reflection or another side of my last essay in class in which I mentioned the recent pop culture without conflicts over national identities. In fact, as I’ll approach to something universal in this way as a musician. I will never hesitate to be conscious of differences and even conflicts: only those tensions must finally lead me to find a new style of expression that represents my, our identities. This is my way... as an independent nationalist.
7 comments:
Hi Nobu,
I like the sound of your Adagio cafe - I would love to be able to hang out in little places like that downtown more often.
I find your comments regarding musical individuality really interesting - I hadn't thought much before about adversity or a search for identity in terms of musical style, but it makes a great deal of sense to me.
Writers, too, or other artists, I think, often have a certain kind of greatness because of their feeling of displacement in society at large. It comes out in their writing or their art.
I agree it about other arts.
but writing depends on language, and it is difficult to separate visual arts from their life style or practical factors.
So, I think performing arts like music and dance are the most important for minor nationality people to send message others.
Anyway, I will play the viola in this Christmas season also at Adagio! I was asked just yesterday.
This is exciting.
That's great!! On what date and at what time will you be playing? I'd love to hear it if it's possible. : )
OK, I'll let you know as soon as the schedule is decided. Probabry, afternoon in weekend, near by Christmasday..
I really liked to read your blog. It is clear to me that you look seriously into foreign events, and what they mean to the world. You balance out a lot of different issues which are very deep, such as nationalism, family, religion, etc. I can tell from reading your blog that you love music but look at it in a different way than someone who merely likes to play. I think your ideas in music are very original, and I can tell that you believe it has a deeper place in society than just entertainment. It is clear that you are very proud to be Japanese, without boasting or glamorizing your home country. I can tell you care deeply for Japan because you ponder the past history of Japan and tell how it has shaped the present. From your blog you come across as a serious, insightful, learned person. I think Buddhism helps shape a lot of your ideas and plays an important role in your life. You have a different outlook on every aspect of life than anyone I have ever met. I am not sure if it is because you are foreign to this country, but you seem to look at things different - not good or bad, just different. It seems that you read into things a lot deeper than others and analyze a lot of what you see.
Oh! I also forgot to tell you that from reading your blog you struck me as a really cool guy, in the most genuine way.
Oh..Thanks Jake!
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