Traditional Shakuhachi Piece titled "Rokudan" which is one of the most famous honkyoku pieces that a shakuhachi performer has to learn. This is just the first movement.

Rokudan - Shodan

Red Eye 2 Tokyo is a Los Angeles-based contemporary jazz ensemble that has roots that stem from Japanese folk music. Shih-wei assembled the band of Angeleno jazzers and Japanese instrumental musicians to explore the mixture of the raw energy of live Japanese folk performance and American improvised music. The two world collides in this cover of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio's "Dodge the Dodo."

Red Eye 2 Tokyo is made up of Shih-wei Wu (shakuhachi, yokobue and taiko), Mike Penny (Tsugaru shamisen), Danny Andress (piano), Ryan Rost (electric bass), and Peter Buck (drums). 

This track is recorded, mixed and mastered by Joel Mankey, and produced by Shih-wei Wu. 

The album cover is created by Absurd Imagery.

Liner Notes: 

Dodge the Dodo by EST Trio
Did you ever thought a fun jazz tune should have a Japanese gagaku insert? 
No? 

Listen to this song and get back to me again.

Dodge the Dodo

Dodge The Dodo

Cycle Song -

The image of the beach and sands always convey a sense of joy to me. 

As an immigrant that carries with him stories from a different shore, the ocean represents the home away from home, because it is a promise that across that flowing body, it touches a land that I have lain on as a child. Now, as a storyteller musician, my "home" has expanded to many more water breakers, beach paths and rocky cliffs. 

So in that ocean which I dwell in, lies the connection between the soft oscillating hums of the Okinawan waves meets the meditative cycles of Indian shores. I sank into it in my reverie with my shakuhachi in my hand, and I sang. 

Only if You Knew -

The time is 6:00a.

Sound: wind blowing, mixed in with children's laughter, high heels clacking on tiled floor, some old man coughed, busy chatter all echoed in a large brick space. 

Smell: burned rubber, faint smell of urine and bleach, overly ambitious smelling men's cologne 

Mood: Sleepy, disoriented that you are tired but everyone else is wide awake, you have not had your cup of coffee yet

Place: Union Station, downtown Los Angeles

Thought: This is moving a little faster than I can process. 

Status: Undocumented Dreamer Working Musician, first leg of 3 hour journy for the afternoon rehearsal.

RedEye2Tokyo - Cycle Song/Only If You Knew

Behind the Yashmak by EST Trio
Composed by Daniel Berglund, Magnus Öström, and Esbjörn Svensson 
1st appeared on Strange Place for Snow is a studio album by the Swedish group Esbjörn Svensson Trio released in 2002.

Adopted and arranged by Shih-wei Wu. 
Performed by 
Shih-wei Wu, Shakuhachi. Taiko
Ryan Rost. Bass
Mike Penny, Shamisan
Danny Andress, Grand Piano
Peter Buck, Drums

Esbjörn Svensson was a fantastic composer-performer on the piano. He led his trio, EST in the 90’s and 2000’s with multiple records that combined jazz, pop, and rock together. He was successful, and honestly a damn good musician. I loved and still love his music. He passed away in 2008 

Although, I have only seen his performances on youtube, the two tunes, Dodge the Dodo and Behind the Yashmak have always spoken to me, so I have made these two covers in honor of him and his legacy, incorporating some Japanese folk elements to the mix.

Behind The Yashmak

Friends that I have just Met by Shih-wei Wu

Performed by
Shih-wei Wu, Shakuhachi
Ryan Rost. Bass
Mike Penny, Shamisan
Danny Andress, Grand Piano
Peter Buck, Drums

Recorded/Mastered by Joel Mankey 

I first saw Mr. Kojiro Umezaki on youtube performing with the world famous silk road ensemble. And, Golly! Can that man move with his shakuhachi. I have never seen anyone that moves like that when he performs. Granted, I was just a classical bassoonist at the time, and my exposure to music consisted mainly of classical music albums and youtube performances of more classical music. 

But, Umezaki's performance touched me. I honestly did not know that music had the power to truly perform and transmit joy till I watched them for the first time.  Long story short, Umezaki quickly became one of my many musical heroes. 

Fast forward, I have had the chance to meet and study under Umezaki for 2 years, and during that  time, I met and worked with most of the folks that are in this band with me. Additionally, Umezaki introduced me to many other collaborators of his that spend a lot of time thinking about music collaboration. empathy building,  human connection, story telling, etc (I can go on for ages). I thought that was pretty amazing. 

So, I wrote this tune in honor of Kojiro Umezaki and many other music heroes who have taken their time sharing their personal journey of a life with music. 

Ko. Thanks for taking your time and showing me all the ropes and taught me by example.

Friends I Have Just Met

That Ends This Uneventful History By Shih-wei Wu

Performed by
Shih-wei Wu, Shakuhachi
Ryan Rost. Bass
Mike Penny, Shamisan
Danny Andress, Grand Piano
Peter Buck, Drums

Recorded/Mastered by Joel Mankey

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

from “As You Like It”
- William Shakespeare

That Ends This Strange Eventful History

https://www.playitforward.com/projects/275

Lebanon is in crisis.

The devastating explosion that rocked Beirut on August 4 — killing at least 140, wounding more than 5,000 and displacing 300,000 from their homes, including 80,000 children — was the latest chapter in an already terrible crisis unfolding in Lebanon. Economic collapse, food insecurity and a surge in COVID-19 cases have left children and families across the country in need of emergency assistance.

(lifted from A Deadly Blast Rocks Lebanon, Already in Crisis on August 12, 2020 by Sarah Ferguson)

I reached out to two fellow LA based artists, Christine Salama (painter) and Ryan Rost (composer-performer) to collaborate on a music project that would benefit the families impacted by the crisis in Beirut.

As you all know, we live in an extraordinary time of Covid-19, and being stuck at home makes one's soul even more stirred, thus it was even more personally rewarding to get to collaborate with these two fantastic artists to make this project happen.

Lullaby for Beirut is my interpretation of 'Yalla tnam Rima,' a Lebanese lullaby, on my Japanese flute. I have consulted multiple recordings to prepare for the project. There is really not a single version that is as close to Fairuz's. Her vocal timbre which is at once soulful and tender captures the spirit of this lullaby. I have decided to take her gentle approach and mixed it with the min'yo (Japanese folk) traditional sensibility.

Christine Salama is the creator of the exquisite visual design to the project. Not only, was she able to capture the spirit of the project with her work, but also provide much insight to the language and culture of the middle east region through her experience as a member of the Coptic christian diaspora in Los Angeles.

Ryan Rost, who was originally invited to lay a bass track to the project, responded with "I'm going in a different direction". He was able to create his own take on the message behind "Lullaby for Beirut" and created a whole world out of my recording.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read about this project, and I hope you will be inspired by these music to donate to UNICEF, who is on the front lines of keeping family safe and sheltered during this time of crisis.

Special thanks to Christine Salama and Ryan Rost for the incredible work on this project.

01. Lullaby for Beirut - Yalla tnam Rima (Solo Shakuhachi)
Shih-wei Wu, Shakuhachi
Recorded in Los Angeles, California
Mixed by Shih-wei Wu

02. Lully for Beirut (feat. Ryan Rost)
Shih-wei Wu, Shakuhachi
Ryan Rost, Mixing and Processing
Recorded in Los Angeles, California

02. Lullaby For Beirut (feat. Ryan Rost)

01. Lullaby For Beirut - Yalla Tnam Rima

Composer-Performer on the shakuhachi, taiko and yokobue. 
Bandleader of Red Eye 2 Tokyo.

Shih-wei

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