Clammbon Guide Book: Interviews!

July 25, 2014

Today I got my copy of Clammbon Guide Book, thanks to my friend Josiah (who you’re going to be hearing more from pretty soon). It’s superbly detailed, the quality is impressive, the included extras are fun… it even smells good.

But I wanted to hurry up and translate the short little interviews with each band member that appear at the beginning. Let’s see if I can get through them all here in bed before I go to sleep.

Harada Ikuko

• When and how did you start playing?
• I start learning classical piano at age 4. I give up at 14. At 16, I’m blown away by jazz piano. I start again. I go to Tokyo and meet the other two members. I arrive at the present.
• Who are some musicians that influenced you?
• Thelonious Monk. A pianist I’ve admired and adored since my teens. I still listen to him. The silence when he’s not playing, where the sheet music shows a rest, that’s there i learned the secrets and the richness of music.
• Nina Simone. She and Monk were true punks. That unwavering groove. A marvelous performer.
• What are some influential albums that you recommend?
• Thelonious Monk: Solo Monk
• Nina Simone: Nina Simone & Piano
• What is it like to perform in Clammbon? What are you particular about? What is important? What is unique about it?
• First, for most of our songs (other than the ones we write during sessions), Mito provides the melody, keyboard riffs, voicing for the harmonies, and so on, the phrases that make up the core of the song. We practice it over and over, making it a part of our bodies. The three of us practice it over and over as an ensemble and make a groove out of it. And as we play it over and over live, we nurture it. And it nurtures us.
• What do you think as you touch your instrument now, and what do you want to do with it in the future?
• I really do love touching an instrument. That’ll never change. And yet, I still have a long way to go. I’ve been practicing classical pieces from time to time, and it’s fun, like working muscles you don’t usually get to use. I want to keep taking the time to gradually study, or pursue it, on my own. This phenomenon known as sound.
• What would you like to say to those who are holding this songbook?
• With all these little notey things [lit. tadpoles!?] all over the place, you might get discouraged (laughs), so we also put some fun stuff like concert photos in the design. This book is faithful to the studio recordings (including overdubs), so there are songs that have changed quite a lot in being arranged for live performance as a three-piece. So it really is a guide book. When you’re playing, it’s okay to play it differently, or come up with a new song. To make discoveries, and to scream. On our path. Off you go…

Mito

• When and how did you start playing?

• As a fourth grader, I was handed a bass and told to play in the back-up band at my parents' concert.

Who are some musicians that influenced you?

• Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher)

Scott LaFaro (Bill Evans Trio)

What are some influential albums that you recommend?

• Squarepusher: Ultravisitor
• Bill Evans Trio: Waltz for Debby

Tetsuya Komuro: Digitalian is eating breakfast

What is it like to perform in Clammbon? What are you particular about? What is important? What is unique about it?

It’s hard because I have a lot to do apart from the bass.

What do you think as you touch your instrument now, and what do you want to do with it in the future?

I want to go back to music school. I want to properly study things like wind and strings harmonics, and start over on learning orchestration.

What would you like to say to those who are holding this songbook?

• It’s not that hard♡

Itou Daisuke

• When and how did you start playing?
• Starting in fourth grade, taiko drums. Junior high, woodwinds. High school, woodwinds.
• Who are some musicians that influenced you?
• Max Roach
• Steve Gadd
• What are some influential albums that you recommend?
• Steely Dan: Aja. The performance of the young Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, and the others is amazing.
• Kinniku Shoujotai: Sister Strawberry. I listened to this pretty much every day in junior high.
• What is it like to perform in Clammbon? What are you particular about? What is important? What is unique about it?
• I just put my heart into making the best drum sound that I can.
• What do you think as you touch your instrument now, and what do you want to do with it in the future?
• No matter how much I try and try, I still have a long road ahead to get to the level I want to be at… so I’ll practice.
• What would you like to say to those who are holding this songbook?
• I’ll be happy if it serves as a reference for you. Have fun!