I first heard Ami Yamasaki¡¯s voice in 2016 at a studio where I hosted a radio show in New York. She popped by to promote an upcoming performance at the Japan Society with composer Mamoru Fujieda, koto player Kayoko Nakagawa and ²õ³ó¨ (free reed mouth organ) player Ko Ishikawa.
At that point, I¡¯d never even heard of Yamasaki, though I¡¯d wanted Ishikawa on my program for a while. The studio was dingy, with a grey carpet, flickering fluorescent lights and terrible acoustics. But when Yamasaki began to sing, I heard the sounds of a brook, then birds, trees and a waterfall. I was amazed.
The Japan Society event was billed as ¡°Sounds to Summon the Japanese Gods.¡± During the performance, Yamasaki wandered through the venue¡¯s watery rock garden while gurgling, matching the recorded sounds of fermenting ²õ³ó¨ch¨± in Fujieda¡¯s composition ¡ª a stark contrast with Nakagawa¡¯s koto and Ishikawa¡¯s ²õ³ó¨. All three performers were dressed in shades of white, and the lights reflected off the water creating an ethereal atmosphere.
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