Anne Norman – shakuhachi 尺八, fipple flute Sanshi – didgeridoo, bells Reo Matsumoto - voice percussion (beat box),chant, whirlies Breath plays music rooted in the moment: Intuitive music-making that builds evocative soundscapes and then bursts into rhythms that makes you want to get up and dance. Combining the haunting and meditative sounds of shakuhachi with the mesmeric and pulsing drone of the didge and the playful soundscapes of Reo’s mouth and breath. Breathとは–「息吹」。 それは生命、精神、魂。すべての根源。地球の鼓動。生命維持に必要不可欠な無意識の美。それぞれの息吹から生まれる独自のリズム、ヴォイス、メロディーをそれぞれの表現方法で操る異色音楽トリオである。 “Crème de la crème fusion” – Melbourne Didgeridoo Festival “The highlight of the festival … absolutely international class. BREATH is one of the most important groups on the Australian music scene. A remarkable combination of traditional Australian and Japanese instruments and post-modern beat boxing. Collectively they leave audiences gasping… Leila Gurruwiwi of the Galpu Clan … was utterly blown away by this innovative combination.” - Dean Frenkel, Melbourne Didgeridoo and Cultural Festival organiser. These three players bring an incredible combination of talent, sounds and colours: ANNE conjures melodies that sing through the shakuhachi, inspired by the time and place, and the sounds offered by her musical partners; SANSHI plays didjeridoo with a power and creative flare that combines rhythms of Arnhem land with street tribal; REO simply astounds with what he is able to create with his mouth. There is a synthesizer and drum-kit hiding in there somewhere! Anne Normanによる一度聴いた時から呪文を唱えられたかのように記憶から離れない美しく、また魂の深層にて瞑想を呼び起こすかのようなメロディー。Anneの音の波の横を、Sanshiによる更に深いトランス状態へと誘う脈打つドローンサウンドの波動。独特かつ燃えたぎるパワフルなグルーヴ、その更に上を、口、声、息を操り繰り出される音とビート。これがヒトから出ているという事実と、ヒトから出ているとは思えない感情の間を泳ぐReoの音。それらの全てが混ざり合い、直感と閃きの即興をたより音の風景と物語が作られる。 "This album is the sex of the earth, wind and sea. It rips you out of the shallows, and puts you right in the depths of nature." Adam Wojcinski ANNE talks about Ocean Breath, the debut album of the trio Breath: "In many ways this album is an ode to the beautiful coast of Western Australia, with track names and the CD artwork reflecting that beauty. I am from the east coast of Australia, but over the last decade I have explored many wonderful places in WA and been blown away by its unique flora and fauna and stunning rock formations and beautiful beaches... An incredible place to explore. This CD has music not only inspired by my experiences in WA, but more so, it is an exploration of the musical possibilities that have come about by my encounter with two very different musicians in Perth. One is Sanshi, a Japanese didgeridoo player who has made Fremantle his home with his wife Jodie and two beautiful children; and Reo, a young Japanese busker who travels the world listening and learning new ways of creating sounds with his mouth. A mouth percussionist, a human lyre-bird, a beatboxer of extraordinary talent. The music of Breath embodies an unexpected combination of sounds. I have long enjoyed the beauty of improvised duets between shakuhachi and didge, but beatbox adds a whole new dimension. How to describe this music? ... It ranges from meditative duos of didge and shak to up-beat numbers with Reo that make you want to dance. There are whimsical, playful pieces, and pieces that incorporate elements of Japanese Buddhist chant. I think you’ll love it. Our music takes the listener on a journey to many places and experiences, enhanced by the use of beautiful photography of the WA coast supplied by five magnificent photographers, all friends of the group, making it even more special." About the Artists: ANNE NORMAN is a shakuhachi performer, improviser and composer, working in a diverse range of music creation. An intuitive performer, Anne enjoys spontaneous improvisation with musicians, dancers, actors, poets, visual artists, installation artists and tea masters. Originally trained on flute, Anne took up shakuhachi in Kobe under Nakamura Shindo in 1986. In 1990 she received a two year grant to further her studies of shakuhachi performance at the Tokyo University of Fine Art and Music under Yamaguchi Goro, also studying a third lineage under Tajima Tadashi in Osaka. Anne is featured on many CDs and has performed in concerts and festivals in Australia, Europe, America and Japan. SANSHI (Yoshitaka Saegusa) is a Japanese contemporary didgeridoo player living in Fremantle, Western Australia. Sanshi started playing didgeridoo in 1997. His passion took him to Arnhem land, the home of didgeridoo, where he met the didgeridoo master Djalu Gurruwiwi and his family. Sanshi was adopted into their family and given an aboriginal name "Malarra" (meaning Manta Ray). Sanshi plays with a range of musicians and artists, from modern electro music to classical music, world instruments, dancers, live painting artists and live poetry readings. Sanshi’s didgeridoo performance techniques, variety of percussive rhythms and diverse range of sounds are ground breaking. REO MATSUMOTO (Breath Musician) is a member of several bands including: Breath, Matsumoto Zoku, Humanism, and BagBeats Connective. Reo grew up in Yokohama, Japan, and encountered Beat Box at the age of 17. Hugely inspired, Reo set his course to learn the art of Beat Box, imitating sounds from many kinds of music and sound effects based on every day activities, learning to duplicate the sounds around him through his mouth. After only two months, he performed on stage for the first time. Music has been his life ever since. Reo travels the world sharing his music. He has won several music awards for his beat box work in Japan and Europe, with his group Humanism winning first prize in the Team Battle Contest of the 2010 Japan Beat Box Championship in Tokyo. The same group was featured in performance showcases at World Beat Box Championships in 2009 and 2012 in London and Berlin.