Projects

Koten Honkyoku from Alcvin Takegawa Ramos

The reason I play shakuhachi is to embody the honkyoku, original pieces for shakuhachi flute. It is the core sound and expresses my soul and the sound of the bamboo to its fullest. To share my love of shakuhachi with a wider audience, I have recorded my first two volumes of honkyoku

These first volumes of honkyoku were recorded in Montreal in 2006.

This second volume will be released early in 2008.

New Honkyoku from Alcvin

Satomi Saeki and Alcvin Takegawa Ramos

Satomi Saeki Edwards (koto) and Alcvin Takegawa Ramos (shakuhachi flute) play traditional and modern pieces for shakuhachi and koto. Satomi and Alcvin have charmed audiences all over British Columbia with their exceptional playing of the classical Japanese ensemble (sankyoku) repetoir connecting deeply with audiences through the spirit of music and art appreciation. The CD is available from iTunes and Amazon directly and is available at most major records stores.

Download CD from iTunes

DHARMAkAsA (Law of the the Sound Current)

Dharmakasa was formed in 2001 from a chance meeting at a musical night at a yoga school in Vancouver, BC, Canada. From then on, Andrew and Alcvin have embarked on a musical journey that has included various tours of BC and the Gulf Islands as well as a number of Japanese cultural and musical festivals. They have put on their own "sacred ethnic music nights" at yoga schools and other venues. They have also collaborated with dancers including butoh master, Yukio Waguri. On the way they have mesmerized audiences with their haunting soundscape that draws from musical traditions based on Eastern and Middle Eastern spiritualities including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism. They've been featured numerous times on TV, radio, and newspaper. Click here to read recent article in the Georgia Strait.

Dharmakasa is available as either a duet or a quartet. As a quartet, they are joined by bass player extraordinaire, Cameron Hood and drummer, Shambunata. These members of Dharmakasa add a driving. powerful, rhythmic element that adds fuel to the intensity of the music.

Dharmakasa has just been several grants from the Canada Council for the Arts for the production and promotion of a full length CD of their groundbreaking music. Stay tuned for it's release in 2008!

DHARMAkAsA

Alcvin Ramos and Andrew Kim

photo by Mark Mushet

Dharmakasa's First Album

DENSABI (electric deterioration)

Alcvin Takegawa Ramos (shakuhachi, shino-bue, hichiriki, ishi-bue, e-guitar), Bernie Arai (computers, processors), and Chris Gestrin (keyboards, computers) collaborate to create incredibly lush and evocative, spontaneous electro-acoustic (acousto-electric?) soundscapes and improvised absolute music. Their music is a unique and fascinating exploration into the the aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi (beauty of deterioration and impermanence) and a great contribution to the genre of electronic ambient music. Their new CD will be out in March of 2008!

DENSABI

(electric deterioration)

SHINDAKE (heart/mind of bamboo)

Shindake is the name my Zen master gave to me which means "heart/mind of bamboo". In madarin it is "Shinxou". Fitting for me as I am a shakuhachi player. It is also the ambient electro-acoustic music project that I am undertaking that utilizes mainly the sounds of the shakuhachi in various morphed sonic textures and rhythms utilizing electronic and digital sound processors. In addition to the shakuhachi I also use other traditional Japanese musical instruments such as hichiriki, biwa, take/shino bue, koto, shamisen, and taiko as well as the Korean tanso. I'm still working out how I'm going to perform this project live!

"Shindake"

THIN AIR ORQUESTRA (TAO)

The Thin Air Orquestra plays an innovative and inspired mix of traditional eastern music with contemporary improvisation. The centerpiece of the group's sound is the Shakuhachi flute, an ancient, versatile and incredibly evocative instrument from Japan. Both Joseph Pepe Danza and Alcvin Takegawa Ramos have studied this unique tradition both in Japan and abroad for over 15 years. By adding the use of other instruments such as Didjereedoo, Zheng, Gongs, and assorted percussion from around the world (including Marimba), the group has found a distinctive and engaging style that takes sacred and eastern traditional music into new horizons.

THIN AIR ORQUESTRA

Pepe Danza and Alcvin Ramos

JOBUTSU (Peaceful Death)

A Tokyo-based multi-media performance art collective founded by biwa master, Kakushin Nishihara. The members include: Kakushin Nishihara (biwa), Alcvin Takegawa Ramos (shakuhachi), MJU:O (electronics), Makiko Ogino (contemporary dance), Kenichi Iijima (sampling), and GINEMA (haiku poetry reader).

JOBUTSU seeks to merge traditional biwa and shakuhachi music with contemporary performing arts of Japan.

Listen to some tracks from our Dec. 2004 show in Tokyo here.

JOBUTSU

Alcvin Ramos and Kakushin Nishihara

Some of the other groups I play in:

Uzume Taiko Ensemble

Rhizome Productions (10-Nights Dream w/Colleen Lanki)