I really like the method you chose to describe this work, Brian. Great review!

Thanks, Walt. I wanted to include an image of a Newman painting I was particularly thinking of, but I couldn't figure out how to insert it. If you're interested, here's a link:

http://www.artisan-frames.com/images/newman_mitternachtblau_lrg.jpg

Al came through for me...! Hence the image.

I believe the title is actually "Bar Sachiko"

http://www.japanimprov.com/imjlabel/517/index.html

I found the headphonic possibilities fairly limited on this one compared to her earlier ones or to Ikeda. On his Matrix (for rooms) I heard things going on in all sorts of areas of my room--from the ceiling to the corners--just by adjusting the position of my head. I didn't get the tone at the 55 minute mark. Worth listening to again.

But just to counteract all of the ongoing painting analogies, I'll pick the fictions of Maurice Blanchot as a parallel, particularly "The One Who Was Standing Apart from Me" or Beckett's "Act Sans Paroles." In Blanchot's case, I like the flat narrative which encloses a number of pregnant ellipses, which end up moving into the foreground. There's a linearity but the richness is always in the space not in the line itself. Seems to me that Sachiko is working in the same way. Minimal, steady sine waves that elide other sound because of all the space they inhabit outside their linearity.

"At the 55-minute mark, these two tones are suddenly replaced by a gently higher one with something of a whistling, flute-like quality to it."

According to the IMJ site I noted above, there are only two sine waves on this recording, not three.

Bill, maybe there are only two sine waves employed, but _something_ changes at both the 30 and 55-minute marks.

Bill
thanks for clearing up the title - I was breaking out in a cold sweat after posting a review of "Bar Sachiko" by Wayne Spencer on PT on May 1st (go visit!). Any idea what the title means? Is it an imperative (haha) or the name of a Tokyo eai nitespot (remembering SM's formative years as a DJ)?

There have to be at least two sine waves in all Sachiko's music, because the human ear can't hear a single pure sine wave. What we hear is the interaction between two different waves. So on this album it's probably the same two sine waves throughout, and at the change points she just changes a setting on her sampler.

RE: this disc... I haven't found it particularly compelling the 2 times I've listened so far. I'll have to give it another shot, but if you ask me this is a pretty limited work from Sachiko. She's demonstrated many times the kind of beauty and elegance and stunning sound that can be elicited from her minimal set-up, and in comparison to something like "Derive" or "Tears," this just seems like a novelty.

I should mention that this album wasn't sent to me for review (I bought it from Jon) so I didn't have any promotional material that may or may not have accompanied it. I actually prefer this situation so I can simply deal with the disc as is, not being influenced by label or artist intent. So, when this happy circumstance is in effect, I intentionally don't research it on the web for other reviews, descriptions etc. All this by way of explaining why I assumed it was simply titled "Bar" because, with my lack of understanding Japanese characters, that's all I was able to read!! Besides, "Bar Sachiko" screws up my Newman allusion a little bit, dammit. ;-)

Point taken about the tabula rasa approach Brian, but I always try (try) to cross check with associated websites, especially ones as well informed as IMJ's. As far as the bar goes, I don't think your analogy suffers at all. Fucking gorgeous painting, that, too.

about sine waves, though i am not physic expert, but i own an analog synth. basically i think sine waves doesnt necessarily means a high frequency tone. if you use sine waves at very low frequency you obtain a really nice bass wave, really dense.

also i think it is possible to just hear one sine wave at once. what is true i think is that human can not hear very very very low frequency or very very very high frequency.

also somehow if you use square wave at very very high pitch you get somehow the same effect than with a sine wave, if you are a bit used you feel a grain difference somehow, same with triangle waves...

physics...

alexandre

"Any idea what the title means? Is it an imperative (haha) or the name of a Tokyo eai nitespot (remembering SM's formative years as a DJ)?"

Don't know, Dan. And stupidly didn't think to ask her when she visited here recently. i think maybe Brian's take is right in terms of the bar.

"There have to be at least two sine waves in all Sachiko's music, because the human ear can't hear a single pure sine wave."

What about "Don't Do" on Sine Wave Solo?

"but if you ask me this is a pretty limited work from Sachiko. She's demonstrated many times the kind of beauty and elegance and stunning sound that can be elicited from her minimal set-up, and in comparison to something like "Derive" or "Tears," this just seems like a novelty."

I saw her play a 25 minute solo here much like a more truncated version of this CD and found it quite beautiful live. Quite gorgeous. And then I thanked her for it afterward and she said that it was one of her "routine" performances that she does again and again.

I "reviewed" it myself recently, and threw the "review" up on my blog:

http://deterritorialized-music.blogspot.com/

I've posted this link probably eight times, but it's great fun. Caveat: don't mix w/fern.

http://www.mindspring.com/~scottr/zmusic/

"There have to be at least two sine waves in all Sachiko's music, because the human ear can't hear a single pure sine wave. What we hear is the interaction between two different waves."

Ed, you are way mistaken.

After reading more, looks like I was mistaken. My memory of physics is hazier than I thought, I guess....

the japanese characters hiragana on the cover means sa - tchi - ko

i remember, about the title, that she made a few concerts called 'bar sachiko' at off site. i understand 'bar' as a 'bar' to get drinks.

maybe it is 'bar' music...

alexandre

did a little reporting on this yesterday for you guys. Alexandre is right; Bar Sachiko simply means a bar as in a place where you go to drink, except there are no drinks at Bar Sachiko, just sine waves. it´s the name of her series of solo shows in Tokyo, of which there have been maybe six or seven and which this is fairly typical, she says. the longest was 90 minutes, although even that pales to the four hour quartet set she and Rowe/Otomo/Toshi played here in Berlin last night, with none of them budging from their seats for a second, really beautiful.

hello

dear jon,

did audience move at all during the four hours?
i wonder if i could myself find enough 'patience' to attend such a performance, but maybe you go into some kinda of state, trans or something while time goes.

is it how you felt it as well?

but you cant really release this one on a single cd though! i'm
just joking...

alexandre

"but you cant really release this one on a single cd though! i'm just joking..."

...sure he can. he'll time-strech it by factor 4. it's all gonna sound like some weird mego thing afterwards ;)

yes, most of the audience including myself walked around a bit, we set it up in the round, plus there was a balcony.

I personally tend to prefer really long-form pieces (like some later Feldman) at home but there were many things about this set that was very interesting to me, and the audience loved it, maybe two minutes of raucous applause after.

Hi. I'm a new guy here. Sorry for bothering, but I've got a question. Has anyone heard Yumiko Tanaka' s "Tayutauta". Whta do you think about this cd ?

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2031

Hi Jon,
where would I find your thoughts/ comments on the recent amplify fest in Germany?

I haven't posted too much about it yet, but I had a bit of running commentary here:

http://ihatemusic.bagatellen.com/viewtopic.php?t=666&start=20

and there's an AMPLIFY thread on that site also, a bit more there.

and some more here:

http://www.jazzcornertalk.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=3384&page=4&pp=30

I wonder how long sachiko will still play sinewaves - i fear the originaly of her solo work has come to an end with this record - i really can't imagine how one can enjoy it (i believe that Brian enjoys it though). The next step would be a complete record with one sinewave during 79 minutes (or even some boxed cd-set with one different sinewave on each cd). In my opinion this is really a 'reductionist' approach in a litterary sense, where less is not actually more, but is closer to emptiness. Comparison comes to mind with Malevich's 'White On White' painting, only that i doubt that this record will have such an impact (or any impact at all) on music as his painting had on the painters who came after him. And unfortunaly this is the only positive thing i could imagine for this record.

Sachiko M, catchy name (airs of a Bagatellen pseudonyme?), no musical training? (Wire recently called her a diletante, and it wasn't meant as a compliment), better(?) half of well-known musician,...sounds like eai's Linda McCartney?

arguably the most ignorant comment ever made on bags, and that's saying something.

What is ignorant about the comments, jon?

Ignorant is thinking this piece of garbage was worth releasing.

Sachiko doesn't need me to defend her, but I guess I will anyway. I don't get much out of her solo work, but I don't like Toshi's solo work either, and I never hear him ripped like I do Sachiko, I don't know if it's a sexist thing or not. the musical training comment is a red herring, as plenty of the top musicians in this area have little or no musical training, and the Linda McCartney comment is the ignorant, borderline sexist, cheap shot I was referring to.

Sachiko's collaborative work over the past 3-4 years speaks for itself, there are only a handful of musicians I think are as consistently strong collaborative improvisers, which I can safely say after watching her play twelve times in two weeks this past May. Cosmos is as strong a group as there is in this music (possibly coming to NYC in October), and her duos with Otomo and Toshi aren't far behind.

Jon you are undoubtedly right in intuiting sexism. I also agree with you about Cosmos, though not about Toshi. I heard her solo in Seoul and didn't love it, but playing with her was a different animal: dangerous, maddening, challenging, frustrating, sinister, gauzy. I didn't like it, but after it felt like good medicine. Or a high(pitched) colonic.

I'm not sure about the sexism issue. On the contrary, i have the feeling that women in 'experimental' music get more appreciated and are often more subject to a certain hype (disearved or not), at least by listeners. Maybe it's different from a musician's point of view.
Also wanted to point out that besides my previous rip-off of her current cd, i do agree about sachiko's greatness in her collaborative work, not to forget her understaded performances in otomo yoshihide's jazz quintet which i also enjoy a lot.

“arguably the most ignorant comment ever made on bags, and that’s saying something.”

Okay, having recently copped to a state of blissful ignorance on another thread, I’ll bite. What *something* is this EXACTLY saying? Perhaps a “Jon’s Top Ten Most Ignorant Comments Made on Bags Soil” post is in order?

I'm wondering if I have anything to say about this.
hummmmm.

yes, we can note she added the contact mike at some point.

also last time in paris with filament she used some headphones to play (as speakers).

I have been interrested in the way she structures, places her actions and somehow 'compose' her performances, alone or with others.

Though I have somehow come to a kind of difficulty with listening to these high pitched clear sounds too much.

Derek -- no, no; you only get 3 guesses.

Back to the two sine waves/one sine wave audibility issue.

I think what Ed Howard is referring to is resultant frequencies arising from two very high pitches. Any two pitches close together may produce "beats" - an audible effect when their waveforms don't quite match up. If you have two very high pitches, very close together, those beats can run quick enough that they get to a frequency audible to human hearing (anything over about 50hz) - which sounds like a third sound, although it's not actually being produced by either of the sound sources. If they're changing slightly, you'll get that third pitch changing as well or dropping out. Did this with saxophones once, made my ears vibrate.

Not sure I've heard this in anything involving Sachiko M, and although I don't know what makes the head-moving effect (don't like the word headphonic), it isn't the same effect.

Nat, your comments about parallel sound waves are nicely stated. It's almost like a mirage.

Not to pick a nit, but human hearing generally ranges closer to 20 Hz, considerably lower than 50, if you add in the physical effects. Humans can't hear any higher than 20-22 kHz, though.

To answer your question about the head-moving voodoo, it's a simple recipe:

1 pt natural doppler
1 pt receiver (ear) orientation to reflecting surfaces

the "beating" effect is used to great effect by Alvin Lucier on some piece or other, and Amy Denio has done some beauty with it using accordion and voice. It's pretty fun to do with two trumpets, too; sometimes when I'm alone at home I'll RRKirk my trumpet and cornet for the effect to entertain myself.

Al's explanation of the head-moving effect (I also don't like headphonics or "third ear" mumbo) sounds believable.

The Lucier is "Crossings" and "Still and Moving Lines of Silence in Families of Hyperbolas". He gets lots of milage out of the facts that Al just mentioned.

fwiw, Lucier utilizes the beat phenomenon on many, many of his pieces, pairing off sine waves with diverse instruments from marimbas to human voices to wind and brass. Generally, he asks his performer to imitate the sine patern as closely as possible, understanding that a perfect copy will never occur, resulting in interference patterns that ears hear as beats.

"psychologically bracing" (Olewnick)

???

"aesthetically beautiful"

what other way???

"Sachiko doesn't need me to defend her, but I guess I will anyway. I don't get much out of her solo work, but I don't like Toshi's solo work either, and I never hear him ripped like I do Sachiko, I don't know if it's a sexist thing or not. the musical training comment is a red herring, as plenty of the top musicians in this area have little or no musical training, and the Linda McCartney comment is the ignorant, borderline sexist, cheap shot I was referring to."

Mr. Abbey's naturally thinking of erstwhile as major league. So if he's recorded Japanese females, but no American woman, does that mean he's an anti-American misogynist rather than someone who's making a decision based on 'quality'? Am I to infer that he prefers Japanese women for Sexist/racist reasons? He has been the only one outside of the Japanese clique to highlight/record Sachiko M in any set-up other than solo (since he seems to view soloing as some kind of wanking, we'll forget about that) during the last 2 years. Ringing endorsement of the part of the eai community? Nakamura, on the other hand? Well, there's Butcher coming out with a duet recording in September, Rowe's been recording with Nakamura, more on the way. Nakamura seems to be a popular guy of sorts. Now Rowe hasn't been recording with Sachiko M since that unfortunate rehearsal recording on Grob (rec. way back in May 01). Ringing endorsement for this artist? (I'll be holding my breath though, since Mr. Abbey's been threatening us to release some of that Berlin stuff w/Sachiko. There goes another erstwhile I'd have to pass on.)
OK, so you don't like the Linda McCartney analogy, how's this then(gender issues excluded)? Bush junior (Sachiko) vs. Bush senior (Otomo). Somebody who wouldn't be where they are, if it wasn't for somebody else?

"He has been the only one outside of the Japanese clique to highlight/record Sachiko M in any set-up other than solo (since he seems to view soloing as some kind of wanking, we'll forget about that) during the last 2 years. Ringing endorsement of the part of the eai community? Nakamura, on the other hand? Well, there's Butcher coming out with a duet recording in September, Rowe's been recording with Nakamura, more on the way. Nakamura seems to be a popular guy of sorts. "

this is an odd paragraph, to say the least. first of all, since the Rowe/Nakamura duo was my idea to begin with and both records will also be on Erstwhile, the difference you're citing here is half of a soon-to-be self-released CD by John Butcher. Sean Meehan self-released a duo disc with Sachiko last year, does that even things out for you?

anyway, I don't think any of that signifies anything, but I do know that Sachiko won the Ars Electronica award last year (along with Ami Yoshida/Utah Kawasaki), and that the last year I was at the Musique Action festival in Nancy, there was a photo of her on the official t-shirt despite her not even being in the festival that year.

"Now Rowe hasn't been recording with Sachiko M since that unfortunate rehearsal recording on Grob (rec. way back in May 01). Ringing endorsement for this artist? "

again, what are you talking about? he hasn't recorded with Otomo since that live recording was released either. so what? Sachiko is one of Keith's favorite improv musicians, in the top handful.

"how's this then(gender issues excluded)? Bush junior (Sachiko) vs. Bush senior (Otomo). Somebody who wouldn't be where they are, if it wasn't for somebody else?"

Otomo did give Sachiko her start in the experimental music world, but that was a long time ago, and it seems almost irrelevant in light of what she's done since Ground Zero broke up. I think her ideas have been at least as influential on Otomo as his have on her, but maybe that's part of your problem.

does Sachiko's music really make you this angry?

"He has been the only one outside of the Japanese clique to highlight/record Sachiko M in any set-up other than solo (since he seems to view soloing as some kind of wanking, we'll forget about that) during the last 2 years. Ringing endorsement of the part of the eai community? Nakamura, on the other hand? Well, there's Butcher coming out with a duet recording in September, Rowe's been recording with Nakamura, more on the way. Nakamura seems to be a popular guy of sorts. "

this is an odd paragraph, to say the least. first of all, since the Rowe/Nakamura duo was my idea to begin with and both records will also be on Erstwhile, the difference you're citing here is half of a soon-to-be self-released CD by John Butcher. Sean Meehan self-released a duo disc with Sachiko last year, does that even things out for you?

anyway, I don't think any of that signifies anything, but I do know that Sachiko won the Ars Electronica award last year (along with Ami Yoshida/Utah Kawasaki), and that the last year I was at the Musique Action festival in Nancy, there was a photo of her on the official t-shirt despite her not even being in the festival that year.

"Now Rowe hasn't been recording with Sachiko M since that unfortunate rehearsal recording on Grob (rec. way back in May 01). Ringing endorsement for this artist? "

again, what are you talking about? he hasn't recorded with Otomo since that live recording was released either. so what? Sachiko is one of Keith's favorite improv musicians, in the top handful.

"how's this then(gender issues excluded)? Bush junior (Sachiko) vs. Bush senior (Otomo). Somebody who wouldn't be where they are, if it wasn't for somebody else?"

Otomo did give Sachiko her start in the experimental music world, but that was a long time ago, and it seems almost irrelevant in light of what she's done since Ground Zero broke up. I think her ideas have been at least as influential on Otomo as his have on her, but maybe that's part of your problem.

does Sachiko's music really make you this angry?

I don't know why that posted twice, hopefully someone can delete one of them along with this.

Jon, you're better placed to answer these (IMO stupid) Sachiko M comments than me, but I think bringing up the Prix Ars Electronica award is as much a red herring as "no musical training?".

Toop and Humon's juror's statement says in not so many words that they're awarding the prize against the general principles it's based on, which it appears they disagree with. There's plenty of good things about Sachiko's collaborative playing that don't require sanction by ARSE.

yeah, maybe that wasn't the best example to use, it was the first thing to come to mind.

anyway, such a strange argument, if you don't like Sachiko, that's cool, but don't try to claim that she's not well-respected within "the eai community", because that's simply not true.

I am wondering what is really "eai community"?
what, a community?
hummmmm!

Well, went to a Bar Sachiko two days ago at Off Site and enjoyed it a lot. There was a lot more activity in the performance I saw than was described in this review (haven't heard the record so can't compare directly). Although I was at the back, and could only see one of Sachiko's hands, so some of it might have been head-movement effects. I think I'm pretty good at telling the difference between head-movement results and actual changes in the sound though, and if I am, then there was quite a lot of dynamic and pitch variation (new tones coming in, don't think there was actually pitch variation in individual tones). Also several interjections of low frequency tones in short stuttering bursts and a few at high frequencies as well - noticeably at the beginning of one or two of the held tones.

So although there certainly wasn't a frenzy of activity, there was enough to hold my attention, and more than has been anecdotally been the case in recent performances/recordings. The whole thing was very considered, and I say this as someone who's got very little interest in solo improvisation either as a player or listener.

If anyone needs accusations of dilettante levelled at them, it was Haco, who played with Astro Twin (Ami Yoshida and Utah Kawasaki) the next day. Ami and Utah were great - I was about a foot away from Utah and four feet from Ami, so it was good to see them in that situation - I'd been at least 40 feet away on previous occasions, and it appears I'd missed out on a vast amount of detail.

Couldn't understand why they'd decided to play with Haco though - I thought it was a double bill before the performance, but it was trio and although the second set was pretty successful, her pencil organ playing didn't fit in at all - she used a different device as well as pencil organ in the second set, and played quite a lot less - but in the first set, and to an extent in the second, both sonically or her approach to playing seemed very disconnected.

Was also shocked to find myself in a room more than half full of Gaijin (Shoko's made me look 'round Roppongi once, but not for long) - and plenty of people who'd apparently gone to see a rare Tokyo performance for Haco, rather than a (I suppose) fairly frequent one for Astro Twin.

I say this without ever having heard Haco outside this performance, maybe it's particularly unusual terrain for her, but Martin's statement that unknown musicians playing with older more established ones is necessarily dilettantism was turned on it's head, especially considering that the non-musical relationship in the instance is between Utah and Ami.

From what I've heard of Haco on disc, she seems to want to both dabble in the eai/onkyo side of things and maintain something of a pop sensibility. Sometimes this can work brilliantly (Hoahio's "Less Than Lovers, More Than Friends") but more often I find myself wanting to like it much more than I actually end up liking it.

Thanks for the report, Nat--very jealous.

Cf. review of Sachiko M - Bar Sachiko

http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/reviews/000516.html

"I'm wondering if I have anything to say about this.
hummmmm.

yes, we can note she added the contact mike at some point.

also last time in paris with filament she used some headphones to play (as speakers).

I have been interrested in the way she structures, places her actions and somehow 'compose' her performances, alone or with others.

Though I have somehow come to a kind of difficulty with listening to these high pitched clear sounds too much."
Posted by: Alexandre at August 12, 2004 06:31 AM

"does Sachiko's music really make you this angry?"
Posted by: jon abbey at August 13, 2004 10:00 PM
in response to martin b.

"...if you don't like Sachiko, that's cool, but don't try to claim that she's not well-respected within "the eai community", because that's simply not true."
Posted by: jon abbey at August 14, 2004 08:17 AM

"I am wondering what is really "eai community"?
what, a community?
hummmmm!"
Posted by: alexandre at August 15, 2004 02:55 PM

coupe le chat, il reste la queue (Michaux)

encore encore

Cf. review of Sachiko M - Bar Sachiko

http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/reviews/000516.html

"I'm wondering if I have anything to say about this.
hummmmm.

yes, we can note she added the contact mike at some point.

also last time in paris with filament she used some headphones to play (as speakers).

I have been interrested in the way she structures, places her actions and somehow 'compose' her performances, alone or with others.

Though I have somehow come to a kind of difficulty with listening to these high pitched clear sounds too much."
Posted by: Alexandre at August 12, 2004 06:31 AM

"does Sachiko's music really make you this angry?"
Posted by: jon abbey at August 13, 2004 10:00 PM
in response to martin b.

"...if you don't like Sachiko, that's cool, but don't try to claim that she's not well-respected within "the eai community", because that's simply not true."
Posted by: jon abbey at August 14, 2004 08:17 AM

"I am wondering what is really "eai community"?
what, a community?
hummmmm!"
Posted by: alexandre at August 15, 2004 02:55 PM

coupe le chat, il reste la queue (Michaux)

encore encore

Qui es tu ?

n

great review... : )

"At first, you wait for a change in the blue but eventually, you simply look at the blue, look more deeply than you thought you could and begin to see worlds in it."
> definitely. and if i hadn't liked the "blue"/pure sine wave sound used in the piece, i probably wouldn't have appreciated it at all... (i must say i thought i was crazy when i actually found myself liking this, but i think i liked this album not from a "musical" point of view but from a "aesthetical" one and for the sound itself.)

somehow the silence after the piece might be considered as part of the piece; i really "missed" the sound after it was gone, and then silence felt emptier than ever... it made me also doubt about myself somehow, if i did hear very slight variations in the continuous tones, or just imagined them.