artist: VARIOUS ARTISTS
title: Yasujiro Ozu - Hitokomakura
catalog number: and/26
release year: 2007
format: CD x 2
status: available
title: Yasujiro Ozu - Hitokomakura
catalog number: and/26
release year: 2007
format: CD x 2
status: available
This is the second of a series of label projects pertaining to film directors. The first
one was for Andrei Tarkovsky, the third one is currently in progress and pertains to
Michelangelo Antonioni's "Tetralogy" (L'Avventura/La Notte/L'Eclisse/Deserto
Rosso).
This second release turns its focus upon Yasujiro Ozu's use of "pillow shots" (i.e.
short poetic pauses that appear between the acting segments of his films). The
term "pillow shot" was not coined by Ozu himself, but several years after his
passing in the early 1960s by a Japanese journalist who was trying to draw a
comparison of the intermediate scenes to "pillow words" found in traditional
Japanese poetry. This is a double CD release with both CDs featuring audio plus a
cross-platform compatible PDF booklet containing pillow shots (courtesy of
Criterion Collection) and liner notes.
Each artist featured on this release was asked to choose one or more "pillow shots"
to use as inspiration for their pieces. A large assortment of pillow shots was
provided for the artists to choose from. The artists also watched the films from
which the pillow shots came from in order to get a sense of how their chosen
pillow shots were employed by Ozu.
The sound work featured represents a wide range of artistic approaches, but as
always with these projects, the artists were chosen specifically, based on their
previous work and on how it might contribute to the collective whole of each
project.
Featured artists:
ALEJANDRA & AERON
AONO JIKKEN ENSEMBLE
ASUNA
MARC BEHRENS
KEITH BERRY
LAWRENCE ENGLISH
HERIBERT FRIEDL
BERNHARD GUNTER
HACO
JOHN HUDAK
JASON KAHN
HITOSHI KOJO
KOURA
DALE LLOYD
YOSHIO MACHIDA
ROEL MEELKOP
KIYOSHI MIZUTANI
DEAN MOORE (with Michael Shannon)
STEVE RODEN
SAWAKO
MICHAEL SHANNON
STEINBRÜCHEL
TAKU SUGIMOTO
SUKORA
TOSHIYA TSUNODA
Text by Doug Cummings (Masters Of Cinema and Filmjourney.org)
and Dale Lloyd (and/OAR).
one was for Andrei Tarkovsky, the third one is currently in progress and pertains to
Michelangelo Antonioni's "Tetralogy" (L'Avventura/La Notte/L'Eclisse/Deserto
Rosso).
This second release turns its focus upon Yasujiro Ozu's use of "pillow shots" (i.e.
short poetic pauses that appear between the acting segments of his films). The
term "pillow shot" was not coined by Ozu himself, but several years after his
passing in the early 1960s by a Japanese journalist who was trying to draw a
comparison of the intermediate scenes to "pillow words" found in traditional
Japanese poetry. This is a double CD release with both CDs featuring audio plus a
cross-platform compatible PDF booklet containing pillow shots (courtesy of
Criterion Collection) and liner notes.
Each artist featured on this release was asked to choose one or more "pillow shots"
to use as inspiration for their pieces. A large assortment of pillow shots was
provided for the artists to choose from. The artists also watched the films from
which the pillow shots came from in order to get a sense of how their chosen
pillow shots were employed by Ozu.
The sound work featured represents a wide range of artistic approaches, but as
always with these projects, the artists were chosen specifically, based on their
previous work and on how it might contribute to the collective whole of each
project.
Featured artists:
ALEJANDRA & AERON
AONO JIKKEN ENSEMBLE
ASUNA
MARC BEHRENS
KEITH BERRY
LAWRENCE ENGLISH
HERIBERT FRIEDL
BERNHARD GUNTER
HACO
JOHN HUDAK
JASON KAHN
HITOSHI KOJO
KOURA
DALE LLOYD
YOSHIO MACHIDA
ROEL MEELKOP
KIYOSHI MIZUTANI
DEAN MOORE (with Michael Shannon)
STEVE RODEN
SAWAKO
MICHAEL SHANNON
STEINBRÜCHEL
TAKU SUGIMOTO
SUKORA
TOSHIYA TSUNODA
Text by Doug Cummings (Masters Of Cinema and Filmjourney.org)
and Dale Lloyd (and/OAR).
BODYSPACE.NET (FEBRUARY 2008)
É surpreendente dar conta de que por vezes basta activar um conceito inteligente
para alumiar uma perspectiva até aí desconsiderada ou pouco questionada. A
partir de uma selecção que privilegiou a consistência e validade da matéria, a
and/OAR, selo prestigiado de Seattle, conseguiu, através de uma dupla
compilação, provocar uma reavaliação da relação a manter com o cinema do
mestre japonês Yasujiro Ozu - conhecido também como o poeta do quotidiano,
tal era a sua tendência para retratar a rotina da classe média japonesa do seu
tempo, frisando aspectos globais como a circularidade e o carácter transitório da
vida, e recusando, sempre que possível, colocar em prática acessórios ocidentais
como a moral fácil e artifícios melodramáticos.
Ao longo dos cinquenta e quatro filmes que compõem o seu muito apreciado (e
imitado) cânone, Yasujiro Ozu manteve-se fiel aos mesmos temas e estrutura
narrativa utilizada. Sobre a última, sabe-se que progredia através de diálogos e
outras vulgares ocorrências familiares, e que - respeitando a resistência do
público - abria espaço a momentos reflectivos através da inserção pontual de
pillow shots (conhecidos também como espaços intermediários). A
funcionalidade dos pillow shots assentava principalmente na necessidade de
assinalar a passagem do tempo de um modo neutro e desvinculado de um só
personagem – por regra, consistia simplesmente num plano único de uma
paisagem campestre ou industrial, um estendal de roupa sujeita à vontade do
vento, o registo circunstancial da circulação de comboios ou barcos.
A and/OAR reconheceu perspicazmente o valor dos pillow shots como pontos de
referência passíveis de interpretação livre por parte de diversos artistas sonoros -
levando isso a que distribuísse por algumas dezenas desses estetas um generoso
número de pillow shots, encorajando a que a imagem atribuída fosse considerada
como parte do filme a que pertence. O resultado materializou-se na compilação
Hitokomakura, que, além dos exercícios reunidos, contém, em cada um dos seus
discos, um ficheiro PDF que corresponde cada pillow shot a seu dono e, assim,
permite uma mais completa contextualização de tudo o que por aqui desfila.
A partir dos múltiplos matrimónios instigados por Dale Lloyd (patrão da and/OAR e
participante directo em Hitokomakura), descobre-se então o germinar de outros
enquadramentos lógicos que poderiam, porventura, passar despercebidos até
aqui. Serve isso para esclarecer que Ozu dedicava meticuloso cuidado às suas
composições visuais tal como às sonoras - sendo habitual escutar aos seus filmes
passagens que somam ou isolam o cantar de pássaros, o ruído de transportes e o
burburinho constante de uma localidade habitada (gomos de uma mesma roda
dos sons comuns). Hitokomakura esmera-se por demais em prestar elegia a essa
noção de que Ozu era, além do celebrado poeta do quotidiano, também um
estudioso do som e do seu enquadramento na vida de cada dia. É evidente que
isso cativa estudiosos das propriedades do som como Taku Sugimoto, Toshiya
Tsunoda ou Marc Behrens – esses que, entre outros, se servem do mote para, à
sua maneira, elaborarem um diário metódico directamente inspirado pelo tal
pillow shot. A partir de field recordings e instrumentos acústicos, obtêm-se postais
naturalistas que nem sequer deixam de parte a harmonia zen-budista
parcialmente presente no cinema de Ozu (essa perspectiva é nitidamente
constatável nas participações de Yoshio Machida e do Aono Jikken Ensemble).
Contudo, cada levantamento verificado é inevitavelmente hipotético. Hipotético
porque, na vida tal como no cinema de Ozu (o corpo e o seu espelho), tudo se
encontra submisso a uma relativização a que não há escape possível.
Hitokomakura acaba por ser um objecto de um valor imenso, pelas tais pistas que
deixa soltas em relação à composição sonora, enquanto subestimada extensão
do génio de Ozu. Além disso, repare-se que funciona em pleno mesmo quando à
revelia desse paralelo – assim dita o seu desdobramento em paisagens
perfumadas e divisões (templos) propícias ao apuramento de uma estabilidade
espiritual superior. Fica-se pelo excelente mas... (Miguel Arsénio)
É surpreendente dar conta de que por vezes basta activar um conceito inteligente
para alumiar uma perspectiva até aí desconsiderada ou pouco questionada. A
partir de uma selecção que privilegiou a consistência e validade da matéria, a
and/OAR, selo prestigiado de Seattle, conseguiu, através de uma dupla
compilação, provocar uma reavaliação da relação a manter com o cinema do
mestre japonês Yasujiro Ozu - conhecido também como o poeta do quotidiano,
tal era a sua tendência para retratar a rotina da classe média japonesa do seu
tempo, frisando aspectos globais como a circularidade e o carácter transitório da
vida, e recusando, sempre que possível, colocar em prática acessórios ocidentais
como a moral fácil e artifícios melodramáticos.
Ao longo dos cinquenta e quatro filmes que compõem o seu muito apreciado (e
imitado) cânone, Yasujiro Ozu manteve-se fiel aos mesmos temas e estrutura
narrativa utilizada. Sobre a última, sabe-se que progredia através de diálogos e
outras vulgares ocorrências familiares, e que - respeitando a resistência do
público - abria espaço a momentos reflectivos através da inserção pontual de
pillow shots (conhecidos também como espaços intermediários). A
funcionalidade dos pillow shots assentava principalmente na necessidade de
assinalar a passagem do tempo de um modo neutro e desvinculado de um só
personagem – por regra, consistia simplesmente num plano único de uma
paisagem campestre ou industrial, um estendal de roupa sujeita à vontade do
vento, o registo circunstancial da circulação de comboios ou barcos.
A and/OAR reconheceu perspicazmente o valor dos pillow shots como pontos de
referência passíveis de interpretação livre por parte de diversos artistas sonoros -
levando isso a que distribuísse por algumas dezenas desses estetas um generoso
número de pillow shots, encorajando a que a imagem atribuída fosse considerada
como parte do filme a que pertence. O resultado materializou-se na compilação
Hitokomakura, que, além dos exercícios reunidos, contém, em cada um dos seus
discos, um ficheiro PDF que corresponde cada pillow shot a seu dono e, assim,
permite uma mais completa contextualização de tudo o que por aqui desfila.
A partir dos múltiplos matrimónios instigados por Dale Lloyd (patrão da and/OAR e
participante directo em Hitokomakura), descobre-se então o germinar de outros
enquadramentos lógicos que poderiam, porventura, passar despercebidos até
aqui. Serve isso para esclarecer que Ozu dedicava meticuloso cuidado às suas
composições visuais tal como às sonoras - sendo habitual escutar aos seus filmes
passagens que somam ou isolam o cantar de pássaros, o ruído de transportes e o
burburinho constante de uma localidade habitada (gomos de uma mesma roda
dos sons comuns). Hitokomakura esmera-se por demais em prestar elegia a essa
noção de que Ozu era, além do celebrado poeta do quotidiano, também um
estudioso do som e do seu enquadramento na vida de cada dia. É evidente que
isso cativa estudiosos das propriedades do som como Taku Sugimoto, Toshiya
Tsunoda ou Marc Behrens – esses que, entre outros, se servem do mote para, à
sua maneira, elaborarem um diário metódico directamente inspirado pelo tal
pillow shot. A partir de field recordings e instrumentos acústicos, obtêm-se postais
naturalistas que nem sequer deixam de parte a harmonia zen-budista
parcialmente presente no cinema de Ozu (essa perspectiva é nitidamente
constatável nas participações de Yoshio Machida e do Aono Jikken Ensemble).
Contudo, cada levantamento verificado é inevitavelmente hipotético. Hipotético
porque, na vida tal como no cinema de Ozu (o corpo e o seu espelho), tudo se
encontra submisso a uma relativização a que não há escape possível.
Hitokomakura acaba por ser um objecto de um valor imenso, pelas tais pistas que
deixa soltas em relação à composição sonora, enquanto subestimada extensão
do génio de Ozu. Além disso, repare-se que funciona em pleno mesmo quando à
revelia desse paralelo – assim dita o seu desdobramento em paisagens
perfumadas e divisões (templos) propícias ao apuramento de uma estabilidade
espiritual superior. Fica-se pelo excelente mas... (Miguel Arsénio)
WHITE_LINE (JULY 2007)
From a very simple premise, that of inviting experimental musicians and sound
workers to interpret the film work of a renowned Japanese director, comes a
startling and invigorating panoply of sounds and visions in the form of the
and/OAR double CD release,“Hitokomakura”.
Interlocking at the threshold of perception, “pillow shots” are a device that film
directors utilise to cut away between “action” or narrative, a discrete segue that
mainstream directors and audiences alike invariably attach little significance to,
in preference of the more meaty intricacies of production, plot, narrative, action
and acting . Yasujiro Ozu, famed in the main for his intimate portraits of the
everyday, a series of seemingly mundane occurrences finely wrought in hyperreal
detail, and a gentle, enveloping pace,(his work seemingly composed entirely of
overlapping pillow shots in themselves) has become the focus of attention for
label curator, and cinephile Dale Lloyd.
Hitokomakura is without doubt, Lloyd’s labour of love, and like the recently
released Extract booklet by NVO, shares a similar, towering roster of some 25 artists,
of varying pedigree. To focus attention on any one artist from such a wealth of
talent would be to relegate others of equal stature, so I will save any kind of
musical analysis or critique for those braver and better than I.
One unique selling point of this scintillating double CD pack is that it is enhanced
by the addition of a series of Windows and Mac compatible pdf files, that house
some of Ozu’s images, and gives the artists an opportunity to describe their
approach. Very often, source material is gleaned from the most obtuse and
elliptical angles, and each artist defines their approach concisely, elevating this
release way above it’s contemporaries for sheer entertainment value alone.
Needless to say, most of the soundworks on display here are subtle workings and
reworkings of pillow shots, or in some cases take the pillow shots, or other
fundamental elements of Ozu’s ouevre as the point of departure, a catalyst for
musical inspiration that in most instances touches on beautifully nuanced,
meditative works of Zen-like ambience.
No longer a fledgling label, and/OAR has gained ground and reputation on a
series of releases with an almost obsessive focus on field recording, and it’s
associated personnel, and on Hitokomakura, Lloyd simultaneously reconfigures the
definition of what field recording actually is, and in turn presents us with a
simulacra, a second hand field recording at a distance, but nevertheless, a
singularly beautiful collection of sounds ,images and texts..this is the kind of stuff
that I live for…exceptional. (Baz N)
From a very simple premise, that of inviting experimental musicians and sound
workers to interpret the film work of a renowned Japanese director, comes a
startling and invigorating panoply of sounds and visions in the form of the
and/OAR double CD release,“Hitokomakura”.
Interlocking at the threshold of perception, “pillow shots” are a device that film
directors utilise to cut away between “action” or narrative, a discrete segue that
mainstream directors and audiences alike invariably attach little significance to,
in preference of the more meaty intricacies of production, plot, narrative, action
and acting . Yasujiro Ozu, famed in the main for his intimate portraits of the
everyday, a series of seemingly mundane occurrences finely wrought in hyperreal
detail, and a gentle, enveloping pace,(his work seemingly composed entirely of
overlapping pillow shots in themselves) has become the focus of attention for
label curator, and cinephile Dale Lloyd.
Hitokomakura is without doubt, Lloyd’s labour of love, and like the recently
released Extract booklet by NVO, shares a similar, towering roster of some 25 artists,
of varying pedigree. To focus attention on any one artist from such a wealth of
talent would be to relegate others of equal stature, so I will save any kind of
musical analysis or critique for those braver and better than I.
One unique selling point of this scintillating double CD pack is that it is enhanced
by the addition of a series of Windows and Mac compatible pdf files, that house
some of Ozu’s images, and gives the artists an opportunity to describe their
approach. Very often, source material is gleaned from the most obtuse and
elliptical angles, and each artist defines their approach concisely, elevating this
release way above it’s contemporaries for sheer entertainment value alone.
Needless to say, most of the soundworks on display here are subtle workings and
reworkings of pillow shots, or in some cases take the pillow shots, or other
fundamental elements of Ozu’s ouevre as the point of departure, a catalyst for
musical inspiration that in most instances touches on beautifully nuanced,
meditative works of Zen-like ambience.
No longer a fledgling label, and/OAR has gained ground and reputation on a
series of releases with an almost obsessive focus on field recording, and it’s
associated personnel, and on Hitokomakura, Lloyd simultaneously reconfigures the
definition of what field recording actually is, and in turn presents us with a
simulacra, a second hand field recording at a distance, but nevertheless, a
singularly beautiful collection of sounds ,images and texts..this is the kind of stuff
that I live for…exceptional. (Baz N)
SMALLFISH (JULY 2007)
When an album of this calibre drops onto the Smallfish doorstep it's really a rare
treat. Based around the idea of legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu's
'Pillow Shots' ('still life or neutral images in films that serve as visual and
emotional resting points') the artist were invited to choose a Pillow Shot by Ozu
(and you can see these in the accompanying PDF documents on the discs) and
then compose a track to accompany it having watched the entire film that the
shot came from to give it some overall context. The range of styles is, frankly,
marvellous and features some real heavyweights from the world of contemporary
electronic music, electro-acoustic sound and field recordings. Steve Roden,
Steinbruchel, Sawako, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Alejandra & Aeron, Lawrence English,
Roel Meelkop, label owner Dale Lloyd, Heribert Friedl, John Hudak, Keith Berry
and plenty more all feature and from that list alone you should be able to get a
sense of how expansive this double CD is. From micro-fine minimalism, through to
deeply beautiful sculptured sound and on into cleverly adapted field recordings
that seem to capture the essence of the frames perfectly. A brilliant work of
musical art (literally and otherwise) that really deserves your attention as work of
this calibre is something to savour. Remarkable. (Mike Oliver)
When an album of this calibre drops onto the Smallfish doorstep it's really a rare
treat. Based around the idea of legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu's
'Pillow Shots' ('still life or neutral images in films that serve as visual and
emotional resting points') the artist were invited to choose a Pillow Shot by Ozu
(and you can see these in the accompanying PDF documents on the discs) and
then compose a track to accompany it having watched the entire film that the
shot came from to give it some overall context. The range of styles is, frankly,
marvellous and features some real heavyweights from the world of contemporary
electronic music, electro-acoustic sound and field recordings. Steve Roden,
Steinbruchel, Sawako, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Alejandra & Aeron, Lawrence English,
Roel Meelkop, label owner Dale Lloyd, Heribert Friedl, John Hudak, Keith Berry
and plenty more all feature and from that list alone you should be able to get a
sense of how expansive this double CD is. From micro-fine minimalism, through to
deeply beautiful sculptured sound and on into cleverly adapted field recordings
that seem to capture the essence of the frames perfectly. A brilliant work of
musical art (literally and otherwise) that really deserves your attention as work of
this calibre is something to savour. Remarkable. (Mike Oliver)
IGLOO (SEPTEMBER 2007)
These thirty-one imaginary soundtracks combined in a deluxe two-pack are based
on the films of Yasujiro Ozu. A very diverse international compilation that includes
work by John Hudak, Roel Meelkop, Steinbruchel, Steve Roden, Taku Sugimoto,
Marc Behrens and many others. They've each created their own visual/visceral
sound experience for the listener to explore with conceptually dramatic
sequencing throughout. In a combination of field recordings, samples and
electronic experimentation, most of what is contained herein is a wash of drone
and ambience – especially noted in the beautiful three-minute piece "Ukigusa" by
Alejandra & Aeron.
Doors creak in syncopation, a stream flows quick and softly, with a light roar from
the mysterious outdoors. On Behrens' "Samma No Aji" there's a dramatic shift
between understanding the listening experience as sine waves or the nature of
crickets. The tone is sharp and postured like stalking prey, while incidental
chirping distracts the potential of the situation. The work is dramatically dense and
ordered, and not necessarily through common sense, but the shared experience,
the happenstance of aural cinema perhaps. As you listen, read deeply into the
well-written liner notes from Masters of Cinema's Doug Cummings, who truly gives
a quick, yet rounded historical interpretation of Ozu's film work and how it can
possibly endure through recordings such as this. The shaking feedback in Asuna's
short "From Scene 99 To The End - Kohayagawa-Ke No Aki" alludes to the
never-ending buzz of the fixed machine age. It changes the continuum of energy
here, but is much needed grounding.
Kiyoshi Mizutani presents two pieces titled two tables (1 and 2) where field
recordings of domestic scene, watching television in the kitchen are layered with
exotic birds and the hiss of a light rain. Part 1 sounds like the bass roar of a
waterfall combined with the delicate gathering of well water, or bathing. There
are voices and knocking (industrial or 'peckers?). Rustling through woods can be
heard over a fine din of more rapturous rain, along with vehicles whizzing by and
a few cawing birds. It's all quite noir, really. "Tooi Soba" is Sawako's unusual
free-form ambient noise contribution. Sauntering in slippers, perhaps prepping
breakfast with the clink of teacups, it's definitely morning. There's a frustrated bit of
pacing, and a few sparse words as familiar birds call. This is the morning after
(what though)? Dale Lloyd contributes one of the few truly melodic pieces here
called "Return To Me Who Sleeps" which closes the set. Strumming on strings,
with the echo of a gong-like instrument, there's a distinctly Japanese quality to the
timing of his playing as it fades softly. (TJ Norris)
These thirty-one imaginary soundtracks combined in a deluxe two-pack are based
on the films of Yasujiro Ozu. A very diverse international compilation that includes
work by John Hudak, Roel Meelkop, Steinbruchel, Steve Roden, Taku Sugimoto,
Marc Behrens and many others. They've each created their own visual/visceral
sound experience for the listener to explore with conceptually dramatic
sequencing throughout. In a combination of field recordings, samples and
electronic experimentation, most of what is contained herein is a wash of drone
and ambience – especially noted in the beautiful three-minute piece "Ukigusa" by
Alejandra & Aeron.
Doors creak in syncopation, a stream flows quick and softly, with a light roar from
the mysterious outdoors. On Behrens' "Samma No Aji" there's a dramatic shift
between understanding the listening experience as sine waves or the nature of
crickets. The tone is sharp and postured like stalking prey, while incidental
chirping distracts the potential of the situation. The work is dramatically dense and
ordered, and not necessarily through common sense, but the shared experience,
the happenstance of aural cinema perhaps. As you listen, read deeply into the
well-written liner notes from Masters of Cinema's Doug Cummings, who truly gives
a quick, yet rounded historical interpretation of Ozu's film work and how it can
possibly endure through recordings such as this. The shaking feedback in Asuna's
short "From Scene 99 To The End - Kohayagawa-Ke No Aki" alludes to the
never-ending buzz of the fixed machine age. It changes the continuum of energy
here, but is much needed grounding.
Kiyoshi Mizutani presents two pieces titled two tables (1 and 2) where field
recordings of domestic scene, watching television in the kitchen are layered with
exotic birds and the hiss of a light rain. Part 1 sounds like the bass roar of a
waterfall combined with the delicate gathering of well water, or bathing. There
are voices and knocking (industrial or 'peckers?). Rustling through woods can be
heard over a fine din of more rapturous rain, along with vehicles whizzing by and
a few cawing birds. It's all quite noir, really. "Tooi Soba" is Sawako's unusual
free-form ambient noise contribution. Sauntering in slippers, perhaps prepping
breakfast with the clink of teacups, it's definitely morning. There's a frustrated bit of
pacing, and a few sparse words as familiar birds call. This is the morning after
(what though)? Dale Lloyd contributes one of the few truly melodic pieces here
called "Return To Me Who Sleeps" which closes the set. Strumming on strings,
with the echo of a gong-like instrument, there's a distinctly Japanese quality to the
timing of his playing as it fades softly. (TJ Norris)
AQUARIUS RECORDS (AUGUST 2007)
Yasijiro Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker (1903-1963) who had emphasized restraint
throughout the 54 films of his career, offering emotionally rich, if purposefully
understated narratives about the simple pleasures and pains of everyday life. This
compilation is a tribute to Ozu's tableaux; and given that Ozu quietly punctuated
his tales with shots of clouds, arrangements of bottles, industrial landscapes, and
other environments, the tribute features a handful of suitably quiet sound artists
who often use field recordings or environmental space within their work. Steve
Roden is the perfect artist for such a tribute; and fittingly, he opens this
compilation. His circular softness for chimed guitar and tapped drum patterns is a
wonderful departure in which Roden pushes his sound design closer to the
post-rock elegance of Bark Psychosis. Roden's piece is one of the better tracks on
this compilation, with other highlights including Keith Berry's mournful grayscapes
of drone and slow-motion crackle, Toshiya Tsunoda's impeccable recording of
aerated hiss, a series of lilting lullaby chimes from John Hudak, There's plenty of
raw phonography from the likes of Hitoshi Kojo (aka Spiracle), Kiyoshi Mizutani,
Michael Shannon, and Ralph Steinbruchel. Taku Sugimoto's piece has to be
noted for its sheer blankness except for six piano notes that emphatically emerge
after 3 and a half minutes of silence. This happens to be the second tribute to
filmmakers from and/OAR, following the now out-of-print compilation homage to
Tarkovsky Another Kind Of Language.
Yasijiro Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker (1903-1963) who had emphasized restraint
throughout the 54 films of his career, offering emotionally rich, if purposefully
understated narratives about the simple pleasures and pains of everyday life. This
compilation is a tribute to Ozu's tableaux; and given that Ozu quietly punctuated
his tales with shots of clouds, arrangements of bottles, industrial landscapes, and
other environments, the tribute features a handful of suitably quiet sound artists
who often use field recordings or environmental space within their work. Steve
Roden is the perfect artist for such a tribute; and fittingly, he opens this
compilation. His circular softness for chimed guitar and tapped drum patterns is a
wonderful departure in which Roden pushes his sound design closer to the
post-rock elegance of Bark Psychosis. Roden's piece is one of the better tracks on
this compilation, with other highlights including Keith Berry's mournful grayscapes
of drone and slow-motion crackle, Toshiya Tsunoda's impeccable recording of
aerated hiss, a series of lilting lullaby chimes from John Hudak, There's plenty of
raw phonography from the likes of Hitoshi Kojo (aka Spiracle), Kiyoshi Mizutani,
Michael Shannon, and Ralph Steinbruchel. Taku Sugimoto's piece has to be
noted for its sheer blankness except for six piano notes that emphatically emerge
after 3 and a half minutes of silence. This happens to be the second tribute to
filmmakers from and/OAR, following the now out-of-print compilation homage to
Tarkovsky Another Kind Of Language.
THE WIRE (SEPTEMBER 2007)
Japanese film maker Yasujiro Ozu became famous in the post-war period for his
depictions of family life amid the tensions of modernity, and his influential use of
'pillow shots' - images of empty domestic space inserted between the main scenes.
The latter inspired this wonderfully conceived and executed tribute to Ozu's art.
Each artist was invited to select one of these shots, electronic images of which
accompany the package, and compose a track to compliment it. Despite the
range of idioms on display, from delicate electroacoustic tapestries (Bernhard
Gunter) and meditative drones (Keith Berry) to bucolic field recordings (Kiyoshi
Mizutani) and frequent uses of silence (almost all), each perfectly serves their
respective image. Highlights include Steve Roden's beautiful pairing of chiming
guitar and hushed percussive patterns; label owner Dale Lloyd's gently shifting
gamelan shapes; and Taku Sugimoto's "Tengu In Linguistics", where he drops six
strident piano notes into a reductive vacuum, reflecting another of Ozu's themes,
the eschewal of action in favour of the contemplation of the surrounding space.
(Spencer Grady)
Japanese film maker Yasujiro Ozu became famous in the post-war period for his
depictions of family life amid the tensions of modernity, and his influential use of
'pillow shots' - images of empty domestic space inserted between the main scenes.
The latter inspired this wonderfully conceived and executed tribute to Ozu's art.
Each artist was invited to select one of these shots, electronic images of which
accompany the package, and compose a track to compliment it. Despite the
range of idioms on display, from delicate electroacoustic tapestries (Bernhard
Gunter) and meditative drones (Keith Berry) to bucolic field recordings (Kiyoshi
Mizutani) and frequent uses of silence (almost all), each perfectly serves their
respective image. Highlights include Steve Roden's beautiful pairing of chiming
guitar and hushed percussive patterns; label owner Dale Lloyd's gently shifting
gamelan shapes; and Taku Sugimoto's "Tengu In Linguistics", where he drops six
strident piano notes into a reductive vacuum, reflecting another of Ozu's themes,
the eschewal of action in favour of the contemplation of the surrounding space.
(Spencer Grady)
FUTHERNOISE.ORG (OCTOBER 2007)
The and/OAR label, which mainly focuses on “environmental recordings,” has
beaten the odds and delivered a highly engaging concept record in the form of a
double CD, various-artist tribute to the late Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu.
Steve Roden, Alejandra & Aeron, Bernard Gunter, Marc Behrens, and John Hudak
are a just a few of the notable artists that contributed works.
At first glance, Hitokomakura could have been a disaster; seemingly random
contributions from big-name artists, 31 tracks long, a slightly over reaching
selection of genres - and for us audio snobs - the apparent lack of a mastering
engineer. To be fair, it would be next to impossible to sequence this type of
compilation to give it a natural flow. However, this tribute succeeds because of its
ability to draw implicit parallels between Ozu's film making technique and the
aesthetic choices the compilation’s contributing artists employ to create
meditations on environmental space.
The handsome CD packaging includes a well-written introduction by Doug
Cummings that provides context to Ozu’s contributions to film. We learn the
filmmaker employed “pillow shots” to provide emotional resting points or dramatic
pauses in the narrative. Think of these cinematic moments as “still lifes” where the
content is devoid of any meaning, but inserted to set pacing. I will admit to never
having seen an Ozu film, but after reading the introduction, I went straight to my
Netflix queue to fix that problem.
According to Dale Lloyd, and/OAR label boss, audio contributor, and executive
producer of Hitokomakura, “…all the artists featured on this release were invited to
choose one or more pillow shots from an assortment of Ozu films; then watch the
film (or films) and create new pieces based on their impressions.”
Various Ozu screenshots, Lloyd’s liner notes, and other helpful reading material
are included as part of the overall product in a PDF contained within the CD's.
I recommend that if you find a particular photograph or scene compelling, skip to
that track first then jump to the next interesting scene or track using the PDF
document as a reference. Remember, all the pieces are derivative or inspired by
some meditative scene or pillow shot. This may help explain why I feel the CDs
are not cohesively sequenced when listened to straight through without any visual
context.
Hitokomakura contains artists working within a wide range of genres, including
microsound, onkyo, minimal electronic, phonography, and acoustic ecology. In
many ways their contributions feel like excerpts from larger pieces, melodic
ambient segue ways, or even interesting noisy room tone recordings. Ozu’s “pillow
shots” as expertly translated by sound artists provide Yoga for the ears, and present
a case for more subtle, peaceful banality in our audio diet. (Derek Morton)
The and/OAR label, which mainly focuses on “environmental recordings,” has
beaten the odds and delivered a highly engaging concept record in the form of a
double CD, various-artist tribute to the late Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu.
Steve Roden, Alejandra & Aeron, Bernard Gunter, Marc Behrens, and John Hudak
are a just a few of the notable artists that contributed works.
At first glance, Hitokomakura could have been a disaster; seemingly random
contributions from big-name artists, 31 tracks long, a slightly over reaching
selection of genres - and for us audio snobs - the apparent lack of a mastering
engineer. To be fair, it would be next to impossible to sequence this type of
compilation to give it a natural flow. However, this tribute succeeds because of its
ability to draw implicit parallels between Ozu's film making technique and the
aesthetic choices the compilation’s contributing artists employ to create
meditations on environmental space.
The handsome CD packaging includes a well-written introduction by Doug
Cummings that provides context to Ozu’s contributions to film. We learn the
filmmaker employed “pillow shots” to provide emotional resting points or dramatic
pauses in the narrative. Think of these cinematic moments as “still lifes” where the
content is devoid of any meaning, but inserted to set pacing. I will admit to never
having seen an Ozu film, but after reading the introduction, I went straight to my
Netflix queue to fix that problem.
According to Dale Lloyd, and/OAR label boss, audio contributor, and executive
producer of Hitokomakura, “…all the artists featured on this release were invited to
choose one or more pillow shots from an assortment of Ozu films; then watch the
film (or films) and create new pieces based on their impressions.”
Various Ozu screenshots, Lloyd’s liner notes, and other helpful reading material
are included as part of the overall product in a PDF contained within the CD's.
I recommend that if you find a particular photograph or scene compelling, skip to
that track first then jump to the next interesting scene or track using the PDF
document as a reference. Remember, all the pieces are derivative or inspired by
some meditative scene or pillow shot. This may help explain why I feel the CDs
are not cohesively sequenced when listened to straight through without any visual
context.
Hitokomakura contains artists working within a wide range of genres, including
microsound, onkyo, minimal electronic, phonography, and acoustic ecology. In
many ways their contributions feel like excerpts from larger pieces, melodic
ambient segue ways, or even interesting noisy room tone recordings. Ozu’s “pillow
shots” as expertly translated by sound artists provide Yoga for the ears, and present
a case for more subtle, peaceful banality in our audio diet. (Derek Morton)
TOUCHING EXTREMES (OCTOBER 2007)
We owe a lot to labels like and/OAR. Not only because they present
us with some of the most extraordinary environment-based aural experiences,
something that Dale Lloyd's imprint releases with impressive constancy, but also
for their contribution to what we used to call "culture", either in terms of "learning
to penetrate both the essence of sound and the absence of it" (which, on a second
thought, means much more than culture) or "encouraging new artistic interests"
through cross-references to different fields of contemporary creativity.
Enter Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963), a highly respected figure in
the opinion of movie connoisseurs, his art being mostly constructed upon "insights
into family relations, everyday struggles and simple pleasures", as per Doug
Cummings' liners. Characteristics that, in today's self-indulgent world, assume a
fundamental meaning since our very life - the life outside the circles of "powers"
and "establishments", the good old "regular existence" that once was a given if
one just stayed on a course, and today is threatened unless you bend to not
exactly explained "rules" - can keep going on exclusively by nourishing the core
of normality, an extraneous annoyance for the non-silent majority ("money, sex,
fame" is nowadays' single refrain). When one takes the whole under a microscope,
comparing the activity of listening "in" silence and "to" silence to the inner
balance that we should always maintain, and which seems to stimulate abnormal
behavioural responses in a largely repressed human neighbourhood, then it's
possible to acknowledge the importance of such an edition.
A double CD comprising 31 tracks - their compositional methods analyzed in the
PDF booklet available as a file in both discs - whose beauty is reinforced by a
series of factors that include the depth of the location recordings constituting the
foundation of the large part of this music, the sensitive use of instruments and
electronics complementing them, the pregnant hush that leaves spaces for the
mind to add its own variations and colours and, last but not least, the earnestness
of the participants (among the many, Marc Behrens, Keith Berry, Lawrence
English, Heribert Friedl, Bernhard Gunter, Haco, John Hudak, Jason Kahn, Dale
Lloyd, Roel Meelkop, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Steve Roden, Sawako, Steinbruchel, Taku
Sugimoto, Toshiya Tsunoda). There are outstanding moments of contemplative
self-collection (a personal highlight is the Berry / Mizutani / Michael Shannon
consecutiveness on the second disc) and several sections where we struggle to
distinguish between record and reality (until, in my case, I was brought back to the
latter by the firing guns of the nearby hunters during Gunter's wonderful flute
meditation, reminding that the battle against men's stupidity is definitely a lost
cause). All things considered, Ozu is probably smiling somewhere, as this is a
gorgeous piece of sound art that succeeds in every account, the perfect tribute to
painful sensibility. (Massimo Ricci)
We owe a lot to labels like and/OAR. Not only because they present
us with some of the most extraordinary environment-based aural experiences,
something that Dale Lloyd's imprint releases with impressive constancy, but also
for their contribution to what we used to call "culture", either in terms of "learning
to penetrate both the essence of sound and the absence of it" (which, on a second
thought, means much more than culture) or "encouraging new artistic interests"
through cross-references to different fields of contemporary creativity.
Enter Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963), a highly respected figure in
the opinion of movie connoisseurs, his art being mostly constructed upon "insights
into family relations, everyday struggles and simple pleasures", as per Doug
Cummings' liners. Characteristics that, in today's self-indulgent world, assume a
fundamental meaning since our very life - the life outside the circles of "powers"
and "establishments", the good old "regular existence" that once was a given if
one just stayed on a course, and today is threatened unless you bend to not
exactly explained "rules" - can keep going on exclusively by nourishing the core
of normality, an extraneous annoyance for the non-silent majority ("money, sex,
fame" is nowadays' single refrain). When one takes the whole under a microscope,
comparing the activity of listening "in" silence and "to" silence to the inner
balance that we should always maintain, and which seems to stimulate abnormal
behavioural responses in a largely repressed human neighbourhood, then it's
possible to acknowledge the importance of such an edition.
A double CD comprising 31 tracks - their compositional methods analyzed in the
PDF booklet available as a file in both discs - whose beauty is reinforced by a
series of factors that include the depth of the location recordings constituting the
foundation of the large part of this music, the sensitive use of instruments and
electronics complementing them, the pregnant hush that leaves spaces for the
mind to add its own variations and colours and, last but not least, the earnestness
of the participants (among the many, Marc Behrens, Keith Berry, Lawrence
English, Heribert Friedl, Bernhard Gunter, Haco, John Hudak, Jason Kahn, Dale
Lloyd, Roel Meelkop, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Steve Roden, Sawako, Steinbruchel, Taku
Sugimoto, Toshiya Tsunoda). There are outstanding moments of contemplative
self-collection (a personal highlight is the Berry / Mizutani / Michael Shannon
consecutiveness on the second disc) and several sections where we struggle to
distinguish between record and reality (until, in my case, I was brought back to the
latter by the firing guns of the nearby hunters during Gunter's wonderful flute
meditation, reminding that the battle against men's stupidity is definitely a lost
cause). All things considered, Ozu is probably smiling somewhere, as this is a
gorgeous piece of sound art that succeeds in every account, the perfect tribute to
painful sensibility. (Massimo Ricci)
CYCLIC DEFROST (JANUARY 2008)
Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu has never so much tried to express his own
thoughts as he has endeavored to help clarify those of others. Hitokomakura, a
double CD comprising thirty-one tracks, may be taken as reciprocation, as a
counter-gift or sacrifice on the part of the artists involved. Steve Roden, Keith
Berry, Bernhard Gunter, Taku Sugimoto, and Toshiya Tsunoda, amongst a welter
of others, each select a 'pillow shot' by Ozu, view the remainder of the film, and
then fashion a work which portrays and carefully brings into clarity the particular
investments underlying the sublime scene in question. The work thus stands as a a
tribute and a festive challenge. That each artist took pains to respect the structure
of each shot is evident enough, but in reflecting on the scenes in such an
undistorted manner, characteristics of a personal sort seep through its pores and
challenge the listener to reflect upon the ever-changing relation of this filmmaker
to present-day society. A concern with sound and sonic relationships abounds.
While flirting with silence, Bernhard Gunter keeps the music mobile, leading the
listener through a succession of warm, often delicate, acoustic states. On a
similar wave-length, Taku Sugimoto has full, harmonically rich piano notes ease
ever-so gently into one another, until the piece comes to partake in a rumination
on still, seemingly neutral spaces, a common theme in Ozu's works. Asides from
compositions of an electro-acoustic bent, the album canvasses a good many other
forms, from minimalism to sound art, and it does so with remarkable naturalness
and lack of contrivance, stressing the communicative aspects linking all of these
poles. One is left with a simplicity of construction and presentation which has an
elegant way of being open to interpretation. (Max Schaefer)
Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu has never so much tried to express his own
thoughts as he has endeavored to help clarify those of others. Hitokomakura, a
double CD comprising thirty-one tracks, may be taken as reciprocation, as a
counter-gift or sacrifice on the part of the artists involved. Steve Roden, Keith
Berry, Bernhard Gunter, Taku Sugimoto, and Toshiya Tsunoda, amongst a welter
of others, each select a 'pillow shot' by Ozu, view the remainder of the film, and
then fashion a work which portrays and carefully brings into clarity the particular
investments underlying the sublime scene in question. The work thus stands as a a
tribute and a festive challenge. That each artist took pains to respect the structure
of each shot is evident enough, but in reflecting on the scenes in such an
undistorted manner, characteristics of a personal sort seep through its pores and
challenge the listener to reflect upon the ever-changing relation of this filmmaker
to present-day society. A concern with sound and sonic relationships abounds.
While flirting with silence, Bernhard Gunter keeps the music mobile, leading the
listener through a succession of warm, often delicate, acoustic states. On a
similar wave-length, Taku Sugimoto has full, harmonically rich piano notes ease
ever-so gently into one another, until the piece comes to partake in a rumination
on still, seemingly neutral spaces, a common theme in Ozu's works. Asides from
compositions of an electro-acoustic bent, the album canvasses a good many other
forms, from minimalism to sound art, and it does so with remarkable naturalness
and lack of contrivance, stressing the communicative aspects linking all of these
poles. One is left with a simplicity of construction and presentation which has an
elegant way of being open to interpretation. (Max Schaefer)
BAGATELLEN (AUGUST 2008)
The second of and/OAR’s tributes to film directors, Yasujiro Ozu – Hitokomakura, is
an extensive work, which is to say nothing of its uniqueness. Twenty-five musicians
and ensembles put to tape their interpretations of select still scenes from various
Ozu films, in an instance of art responding to art. I get enough from simply
listening to the comparatively short pieces across two CDs, but another experience
is delivered in taking Hitokomakura as a whole. Ozu is known for his posthumously-
coined “pillow shots” – those visual segues between scenes with the camera
seated before a snapshot of the world as it might relate to humanity. Humanity is
indeed the defining characteristic of Ozu’s oeuvre, and the music here channels
the emotion and mystery well enough. Using still captures of chosen pillow shots,
the assignment was to then make music inspired by what is seen. The musicians
were also instructed to view the film from which the shots were gathered, in the
interest of interpreting the poetic still frames as parts of the greater whole, and, I
gather, to allow more perspective from which the music could be made.
As music is a living art, it is always a crunched representation of experience, no?
The project’s most literal offering is the Aono Jikken Ensemble’s “Kodama
(echoes)”. It’s a four-minute piece that adheres to the concept but goes a bit
further by summarizing a complete passage of the subject (The End of Summer,
1961), and not just the shot itself. Live snippets of voice and acoustic instruments
are laced over field recordings. In this case, a pillow shot of crows atop
gravestones is the inspiration. The ensemble’s accompanying notes to the music
explain that the piece reflects upon the life of family father Manbei, yet no
summary may be required when studying the frame alone. The ensemble’s field
recording of crows is hardly abstract, but through the additional gorgeously
capture sounds – confined to four-plus minutes – there is the unmistakable sense
of development, as in a miniature story. Other offerings included are from Roel
Meelkop, Steinbrüchel, Haco, Steve Roden, Jason Kahn, Hitoshi Kojo, and Marc
Behrens, to name a few. The discs also contain a PDF-file, which include
graphics (compliments of Criterion) of respective pillow shots for each track, and,
in some cases, the musicians’ personal notes on inspiration/instrumentation. A sure
keeper that deserves to be heard and studied, and a lovely homage to Ozu.
(Al Jones)
The second of and/OAR’s tributes to film directors, Yasujiro Ozu – Hitokomakura, is
an extensive work, which is to say nothing of its uniqueness. Twenty-five musicians
and ensembles put to tape their interpretations of select still scenes from various
Ozu films, in an instance of art responding to art. I get enough from simply
listening to the comparatively short pieces across two CDs, but another experience
is delivered in taking Hitokomakura as a whole. Ozu is known for his posthumously-
coined “pillow shots” – those visual segues between scenes with the camera
seated before a snapshot of the world as it might relate to humanity. Humanity is
indeed the defining characteristic of Ozu’s oeuvre, and the music here channels
the emotion and mystery well enough. Using still captures of chosen pillow shots,
the assignment was to then make music inspired by what is seen. The musicians
were also instructed to view the film from which the shots were gathered, in the
interest of interpreting the poetic still frames as parts of the greater whole, and, I
gather, to allow more perspective from which the music could be made.
As music is a living art, it is always a crunched representation of experience, no?
The project’s most literal offering is the Aono Jikken Ensemble’s “Kodama
(echoes)”. It’s a four-minute piece that adheres to the concept but goes a bit
further by summarizing a complete passage of the subject (The End of Summer,
1961), and not just the shot itself. Live snippets of voice and acoustic instruments
are laced over field recordings. In this case, a pillow shot of crows atop
gravestones is the inspiration. The ensemble’s accompanying notes to the music
explain that the piece reflects upon the life of family father Manbei, yet no
summary may be required when studying the frame alone. The ensemble’s field
recording of crows is hardly abstract, but through the additional gorgeously
capture sounds – confined to four-plus minutes – there is the unmistakable sense
of development, as in a miniature story. Other offerings included are from Roel
Meelkop, Steinbrüchel, Haco, Steve Roden, Jason Kahn, Hitoshi Kojo, and Marc
Behrens, to name a few. The discs also contain a PDF-file, which include
graphics (compliments of Criterion) of respective pillow shots for each track, and,
in some cases, the musicians’ personal notes on inspiration/instrumentation. A sure
keeper that deserves to be heard and studied, and a lovely homage to Ozu.
(Al Jones)
