The Hill Overlooking the Harbor – Things That Change, and Things That Remain
During my time at Yokohama International School (YIS) from elementary school through high school, I vividly remember the 20-minute climb from Ishikawacho Station on the Keihin-Tohoku/Negishi Line to Harbor View Park, carrying my heavy American-made cello case. (Looking back now, it might have been good muscle training!) I would walk through Motomachi, climb the stairs next to the Foreign Cemetery (some steps were sloped, so be careful as they were slippery when it rained), and arrive at the top breathless. There was no Minatomirai Line with direct connections to the Tokyu Toyoko Line or Fukutoshin Line, and the area now called "American Hill Park" was a barren wasteland surrounded by a fence. Entering that area was considered a test of courage among my friends. Now, when I walk through American Hill Park, I feel a little happy knowing what the old "wasteland" used to be like. I feel like I'm part of the changing history of the same area.
In this column, I would like to talk about the Yokohama area where I grew up since elementary school and my musical activities. Currently, as a cellist, I mainly play classical music, but I also have the opportunity to play a wide range of genres, including tango, jazz, Japanese popular songs, and pop music. In particular, the group that started me playing genres other than classical music was Shanti Dragon 3 (a trio), in which I am still active. The group name was different back then, but I had the opportunity to play with Akemi Hayashi (piano/composition/arrangement) and Tadashi Kongo (saxophone) of the trio since junior high and high school, and we even collaborated on the CD "Yume Futayo" when I was in high school. I feel very honored to be able to perform with these two people, whom I have called my teachers for many years.
My affection for the Motomachi area has grown particularly strong in recent years, partly because Yokohama International School's campus is moving to Honmoku in January 2022, and partly because my father, who loved the Motomachi area, passed away in 2017. My father, Morgan Gibson, was a poet and a university professor of literature in both Japan and the United States for many years. After his death, together with my mother, who is also a university professor of literature, we translated some of his poems into Japanese, and we recite them along with improvisational music at Shanti Dragon 3's live performances. I have fond memories of my father, who loved the Motomachi area, chatting while drinking a huge latte at Starbucks.
I was originally born in Michigan, USA. At the age of four, I started learning the cello using the Suzuki Method. At six, I moved to Japan and attended a public elementary school in Mihama Ward, Chiba City, for about two years. It was an area surrounded by housing complexes, and there were almost no foreigners, so I remember my father and I really stood out. Later, wanting to improve my English skills, I moved to Yokohama and started attending YIS (Yamaha International School of English). For me at that time, Yokohama (especially around Bluff) was like New York. There were students from various countries in the class, and I heard a wide variety of English. Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, the UK, China, Korea, Japan, and many more. It was a fortunate environment where I could be exposed to many different kinds of English. And the English spoken by the teachers and students each had its own unique character. (For example, when a teacher from New Zealand pronounced "disk," it took me a while to understand that it was actually "desk.") Looking back now, I realize I learned a lot not only from the curriculum but also from these experiences. In terms of music, I gradually moved from the Suzuki Method, which emphasizes playing by ear, to studying how to read sheet music, and despite repeated confusion, I slowly became able to play in ensembles and other musical activities.
In my later elementary school years, I grew to love pop music by bands like GLAY and Spitz, and decided to learn bass guitar in my neighborhood. I called a school I found in the phone book and went to visit. (Internet searches weren't common back then.) Unfortunately, I didn't improve much at bass guitar, and my enthusiasm was short-lived. However, I decided to take solfège and piano lessons at the same school, where I first met Ms. Akemi Hayashi. As a piano student, I think I was quite clumsy, even at the level of Beyer, but I was invited to perform jazz and original songs with Mr. Tadashi Kongo. I performed at jazz clubs in the Kannai area, and as a culmination of my efforts, I performed with him in a concert at the Yokohama Museum of Art, which included readings. For me, who knew almost nothing but classical music, improvising while listening to chords was a shock that felt like I was speaking a different language. However, even though I didn't understand any theory, the ear I had developed through the Suzuki Method may have helped me. I was fortunate to have opportunities to perform early on, not only at pre-arranged recitals, but also in jazz cafes and halls.
Musicians create music together with their audience, and I deeply regret that events like live jazz performances in clubs, where personal interaction is possible, and salon concerts that include food and drinks, have all been canceled or scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Humans are creatures of habit, and habits create culture. In order for such habits, culture, and art to continue in the future, I want to continue my efforts as a musician (while taking precautions against infection).
Shanti Dragon 3 primarily operates in the Yokohama area, but their theme is "song" that transcends genres. I believe that songs exist in every culture around the world, and that songs grow within a culture, becoming something we hum without even realizing it. The flow through which those songs were born and nurtured connects to the new songs that are born in each performance setting. I believe that what is embedded in a song—the nuances of singing that cannot be explained by sheet music alone, the subtle timing, the scenes that come to mind when singing—is passed down by the performers and the audience. The "variation" form, which is frequently used in jazz, is often used in Shanti Dragon's performances. Through improvisation, they unravel and bring together songs, reflect on their thoughts, and the instruments intertwine, before returning to the original simple song. The audience claps their hands, talks about things that came to mind through the music, and everyone influences each other, connecting the music to the next stage.
In my future musical activities, I hope to continue listening to "songs" across genres, cherishing that inspiration, and delivering something that resonates with the hearts of those who listen. As the place where I grew up from elementary school to high school, Yokohama's history has influenced me in both tangible and intangible ways. There are moments when I suddenly remember the past while strolling through the ever-changing cityscape. I hope to continue performing in a way that evokes such feelings. I want to cherish both the things that change and the things that remain.
【profile】
Shanti Dragon Trio
Shanti means "inner peace" in Sanskrit. The dragon is not the dragon as it is perceived in the West, but rather a dragon in Asia that symbolizes powerful and auspicious forces, and is a god of water.
Shanti Dragon was originally a duo consisting of pianist Akemi Hayashi and saxophonist Tadashi Kongo, but when cellist Christopher Satoshi Gibson, who was also Hayashi's piano and solfège student, joins them, they are referred to as Shanti Dragon 3.
This trio began with a concert at the Yokohama Museum of Art Hall as part of Yokohama Art Live 2003, and the recording of the CD "Yume Futaya" (Two Nights of Dreams), featuring all of Akemi Hayashi's compositions, in the same year. They have also actively engaged in volunteer performances at facilities for people with disabilities.
Christopher Satoshi Gibson left Japan to attend university in the United States, temporarily suspending the trio's activities. However, after returning to Japan and becoming active in various scenes, he rejoined Shanti Dragon in 2019, and the group resumed activities as Shanti Dragon 3.
Pianist, composer, and arranger. Born and raised in Yokohama.
From a young age, she began playing piano and electronic organ, studying piano under her relatives, Minoru Matsutani and Midori Matsutani. Under their guidance, she was exposed to a wide range of music, from classical to contemporary, popular, pop, and jazz, and began performing while still a student at music college.
After graduating from a music university, she worked as a music instructor at Yokohama Contemporary Music Academy and other music schools, and as a solfège instructor for the Yokohama Municipal High School Wind Ensemble, before establishing Maple Piano School (Isogo Ward, Yokohama City). Utilizing her career as a piano instructor and performer, she dedicates herself to teaching students of all ages, from young children to adults.
They perform in various venues and live houses in Yokohama and Tokyo, including concerts sponsored by the city of Yokohama, concerts at Yamate Western-style houses (British House, Berrick Hall, Bluff No. 18), the Sankei-en "Moon Viewing Concert," and the Yokohama Jazz Promenade. They frequently perform original compositions, and have released over 100 original songs, including those on their CDs. They have released 5 CDs to date.
They also actively participate in volunteer musical performances.
Born in Michigan, USA. Began playing the cello at age 4. Participated in summer programs at Tanglewood, Indiana University, and Interlochen while in high school. After graduating from Yokohama International School, she enrolled at Yale University in 2005, double-majoring in philosophy and political science.
While still a student, she passed an audition with cellist Aldo Parisot and studied cello with Ole Akahoshi of the Yale School of Music, who was Pierre Fournier's youngest student and also served as Janos Starker's assistant for many years. She also studied chamber music with Wendy Sharp at the same school. In 2009, she won a prize at the FOM Competition at the same university. In the winter of 2012, when she won a prize at the International Association of Musicians Newcomer Audition, she received praise from one of the judges, violinist Narimichi Kawabata, who said her playing "allows the listener to enter the world of the music."
In 2017, under the auspices of the NPO Emotion in Motion, she held the "BACH Solo" unaccompanied cello recital series at Minato Mirai Small Hall, Tiara Koto, Tokorozawa Muse, and Suntory Hall "Blue Rose." She has collaborated with violinist Ikuko Kawai on TV Tokyo's "100 Years of Music" program recordings and concerts, and has performed at venues such as BLUE NOTE TOKYO (2020), Cerulean Tower Noh Theater (2019), and Mitsukoshi Theater (2018). She is active mainly in Tokyo, Kamakura, and Nagano.
He began playing the saxophone at the age of 12, studying under Hisatoshi Muta (President of the Japan Band Directors Association, former conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Band) and Makoto Suda (Professor at Musashino Academia Musicae). He then joined Yanagisawa Musical Instruments Co., Ltd., one of the world's three major saxophone manufacturers.
After working in instrument manufacturing, research, instruction, and management, he became independent. In 1995, he established Congo Saxophone Studio, offering saxophone repair, lessons, and performance services. In 1997, his CD "OUR TRIBAL MUSIC" won the Best New Artist Award from Jazz Life magazine. He was appointed by the Yokohama City Board of Education and served as a lecturer at Yokohama Municipal Minato Commercial High School for four years. In addition to concerts and recordings at venues such as the Yokohama Museum of Art Hall, Minato Mirai Hall, Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall, Sankeien Garden, and Yamate Western-style Houses, he actively engages in volunteer performance activities at Yokohama City University Hospital and facilities for people with disabilities and welfare facilities in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Kyushu, and Hokuriku.
To date, she has collaborated with top Japanese musicians, visiting musicians from the UK, Italy, Switzerland, and France, as well as calligrapher Suisen Nakatani, dancer Kazuo Ohno, actor Stiart Burnham-Atkin, narrator Akira Kodama, holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property designation Bokusei Mochizuki, and many others. She has also collaborated with many people across genres. She also instructs a community saxophone ensemble that mainly performs Bach chorales.
Several CDs and DVDs have been released to date.
