vacances by Minami Saeki

Minami Saeki is an actor who also has experience as a film director. Energetically engaged in musical activities as well, she is known for her work as a voice performer on the experimental/improvised music scene inside and outside Japan, mainly through collaborations with composer/guitarist Taku Sugimoto.

This album introduces Minami Saeki the composer to the world. Just one of her compositions, "vacances" (2018), is recorded in this 2-CD set. Comprised only of a set of simple rules, the composition offers the musicians a great deal of space for interpretation. Here, "vacances" is performed in six solos, each by a different guitarist active on the international experimental/improvised music scene: on Disc 1, Denis Sorokin from Russia (playing the domra [Russian folk lute]), Fredrik Rasten from Norway (12-string acoustic guitar) and Taku Sugimoto from Japan (electric guitar); and on Disc 2, Takashi Masubuchi from Japan (acoustic guitar), Lauri Hyvärinen from Finland (electric guitar) and Cristián Alvear from Chile (electric guitar).

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This score is a simple alphabetical arrangement of the letters A to Z according to a certain system. Each performer must pre-set their favourite notes for A to Z before the performance. Because the rules are so simple, I asked six musicians to record the music in the hope that it would sound completely different depending on their interpretations. I hope you will enjoy listening and comparing.

Many talented young people who opposed the crime of aggression fled the country after Russia established mandatory conscription for young people in order to increase the number of soldiers for the invasion of Ukraine. Denis was one of them. When I asked him for this recording, he was at the very moment of the evacuation and said, "I promise to record for you because I will only take my guitar with me." I remember well his words. His first refuge was noisy with cars, so he recorded again at his second refuge. This story has nothing to do with this album, but I felt it needed to be recorded.

I would like to thank the six dear musicians who have graciously agreed to be recorded for the production of this album. (Minami Saeki)
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佐伯美波は俳優であり、映画監督の経験もある。音楽活動にも意欲的で、作曲家 / ギタリストの杉本拓とのコラボレーションなどを通して、ヴォイス・パフォーマーとして国内外の実験 / 即興音楽シーンで知られた存在となる。

その佐伯美波が、今度は作曲家として世に問うた作品が本アルバム。このCD2枚組に収められた美波の作曲作品は「vacances」(2018年) の一曲のみ。簡単なルールだけを課して、演奏家に多くの解釈を可能たらしめるこの曲を、世界の実験 / 即興音楽界で活躍する6人のギター奏者がそれぞれソロで演奏している。Disc 1 には、ロシアの Denis Sorokin (ロシアの弦楽器、ドムラ)、ノルウェーの Fredrik Rasten (12弦アコースティック・ギター)、日本の杉本拓 (エレクトリック・ギター)。Disc 2 には、日本の増渕顕史 (アコースティック・ギター)、フィンランドの Lauri Hyvärinen (エレクトリック・ギター)、チリの Cristián Alvear (エレクトリック・ギター)。