MACHIDA, YOSHIO - TENDER BLUES (CD)

"Japanese Steelpan player and composer Yoshio Machida's 11th solo album. 6 pieces by only metal slit drum, with theme "tenderness". Like his past solo Steelpan albums "Naada" (2006) and "Steelpan Improvisation Series [i] and [ro]" (2012), this album is pursued possibility of music by metal sound that has rich overtones. Machida plays this metal slit drum with Steelpan and Galmelan instruments for solo concert and free improvisation with some musicians. Recently he plays this instrument for his new improvised performing project "Sound is Body, Body is Sound" with a dancer. This metal slit drum is made from a part of small gas tank in Japan. Scale C / 2 octaves. This music is influenced from Kora music of Mali, Valiha music of Madagascar, Shona's Mbira music of Zimbabwe, Gamelan of Bali/Java, Kulintang music of philippines and traditional music of Myanmar. Slow swing rhythm, minimal, like Gamelan, sweet tones like Kalimba, it can be called meditative ambient "blues"." (label info)