Quiet Design presents an exclusive live performance from Kioku in New York City. Available as a free mp3 download.

Track notes from the artists:

Aitake
Composed by Wynn Yamami, realized by Kioku. Inspired by the tone clusters played by the Japanese mouth organ(sho) in the gagaku orchestra, Aitake attempts to replicate the vast sonic spaces of Japanese court music. The percussion provides periodic motives, marking time while avoiding a constant pulse. The laptop replicates the sho while the saxophone evokes Buddhist chants.

In Blue
Composed by Wynn Yamami, realized by Kioku. Envisioned as a radio play and gumshoe detective story, In Blue presents a quick overture, a narrative involving different characters, a climactic crash, and outro. There's also a monkey in there somewhere.

Binalig
Traditional, reconceived and realized by Kioku. The Filipino term kulintang (or kolintang) refers to an instrument consisting of eight small gongs in graduated sizes and the overall ensemble which can include larger gongs (gandingan, agung, babandil) and a drum (dabakan). This piece pools from that rich tradition while providing various scenes from an imaginary village.

Pinari
This Korean prayer song was once performed by shamans to invoke blessings from various deities and ancestral spirits. The present arrangement begins with Pinari (transferred from the voice to the alto saxophone) and includes rhythms and melodies from the Chungbu, Honam, and Youngnam regions.

Aitake and In Blue: composed by Wynn Yamami, Fifth Floor Riverside Music © 2007. Binalig and Pinari: traditional, arranged by Wynn Yamami, Fifth Floor Riverside Music © 2007.

Produced by Kioku. Associate Producer Mike Vernusky. Recorded live by Stephen Schmidt, mastered by Christopher Ariza, flexatone hfp.

Artist: Kioku
Title: Live 6.14.08
Format: Digital
Catalog: Nspace3
Release: 2008

Tracks:

 1. Aitake
 2. In Blue
 3. Binalig
 4. Pinari

Download it.