Kazuo Imai

Kazuo Imai (born in 1955) studied with Masayuki Takayanagi and Takehisa Kosugi, and has been performing improvised music since the 1970s. While his principal instrument is the guitar, he also makes extensive use of viola da gamba, electronics, everyday items and natural objects, freely performing music born of myriad sounds. This album is comprised of five pieces from Imai’s live performance on the final day of a solo exhibition by graphic artist Tentou Mishima (who died in 2012), held at the gallery Nanzuka Agenda in Shibuya, Tokyo, in August of 2010. In the first track, which is over 40 minutes long, Imai uses an acoustic guitar, Fiedel Gamba, piano wire, branches and small objects, changing instruments and expressive techniques several times in the course of the performance. With its superb structure and dynamism, this epic work makes a powerful impression. In tracks 2 to 5 (each about 4 minutes long), Imai used (composed) Mishima’s drawings like scores and performed them on acoustic guitar. Imai's outstanding artistry and skill are fully demonstrated in these amazing performances.