Here's a rough version of the email-interview I did with guitarist Yoshihisa Shimizu from Kenso in 2005. The final interview was published in the Dutch progressive rock-magazine iO Pages.
First of all congratulations with the 30th anniversary of Kenso’s existence. What would you define as the most important thing that kept the band so professional and entertaining through the years?
It is most important that I have set my standard high and I7ve been fortunate to have a wonderful band of musicians to collaborate, who continually clear the bar. Indeed nothing comes on top of my deep love for creating and performing music.
Kenso’s music has often been described as “the Japanese Happy The Man” or “a jazz-rocking Genesis”. How would you describe it?
I don’t think I’ve heard people say that in Japan. Nonetheless I admit that I’ve taken influence from Genesis during their Nursery Cryme to The Wind and the Wuthering era, but as for Happy the Man, although reviewers overseas have often mentioned them in comparison to KENSO, when I took a listen to one of their albums a few years ago I found nothing resembling KENSO. I believe it is up the audience how to describe our music, but in the meantime I find it extremely difficult to represent in words what my own music is like.
What do you consider your most important influences and how does that effect the way you and the other band-members compose?
If the question is what I took influence from, I must say that I have taken influence from all music that I heard since my birth up to my current age of 47.
Your latest release, the DVD AYR was an impressive but also very humorous documentary, in which your new drummer Keisuke Komori was introduced. Why did Masayuki Muraishi leave the band and how is the progress of Komori within Kenso?
In order for me to fully articulate the events behind the member change, I’ll have to spend a book’s worth of words. Meanwhile each of the members of KENSO take the change in his own interpretation, so I have to say I cannot arbitarily define it. Forthcoming studio album with Keisuke Komori will evidentlly reveal his position in the band, so that will be something for everybody to look forward to.
In AYR we saw Kenso was working on a new album, the first one since 2002’s Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptis. What can you tell us about this new CD, on which the incredible Keiko Kawashima seems to get another role with her impressive flamenco-vocals? And when can we expect the release of the CD?
We are in the process of producing the new album. Release date will be sometime next year. Ms Kawashima has become more integral to the band through deeper mutual understanding.
What has happened to the contract with the French label MUSEA, that published the comeback-album, the live-CD In The West in 1999 and the studio-recording Esoptron? The label made it possible to purchase Kenso-CD’s outside much easier than before.
We still hold the contract, but besides those from Musea, there are other titles available through other overseas labels, such as Yume no Oka through SPALAX and Fabulis Mirabilibus de Bombycosi Scriptis through BTF.
The last releases of Kenso are published by your own Pathograph-label. What made you decide to do it on your own and how does the label performs until now?
Official original studio albums have been released through King Records and it will continue to be so in the future. “Pathograph” is a label that I created for the release of In the West, which has allowed me flexibility in album releases. For instance, video productions that require large amount of fund such as Ha-Re-Ki and AYR wouldn’t have been possible with major labels. My own label can do that, given three conditions are met: my motivation; my wife’s mood; and the balance of my bank account.
Why did you re-release Kenso II and are there plans to re-release other albums from Kenso’s discography, especially now Music For Unknown Five Musicians has been illegally released by a bootleg-label?
KENSO SECOND is what I treasure very much, besides being the representative works from the early days of KENSO, and the expectation from the fans was high for a reissue. The copyright of In Concert-Music for Five Unknown Musicians is owned by King Records and it is beyond my control. However, as I have come to notice the pirate activity for the title, I have requested official investigation from King Records.
Some years ago you also released your oldest work with Kenso on the CD 76/77. What made you decide to release this stuff, especially because it may be a risk to publish something that is of a lower quality (mainly on a sonic level) than people expect from the band?
I am aware that the album is musically underdeveloped. The reason of its release nonetheless is that, in simple words, I wanted to acknowledge the enthusiasm of the band and myself back then. In fact Esoptron from 1999 has a song that developed from a certain riff of a song on 76/77.
76/77 was a release to commemorate the 25th anniversary of KENSO for hard core KENSO fans. The story behind its release is fully described on the Japanese liner notes, which was left in Japanese only since I didn’t expect the album to be made available to overseas audience.
Esoptron was a whole different album than all other Kenso-releases. Instead of symphonic jazz-rock it contained music that was inspired by another genre you used to love: the progressive hard-rock from Led Zeppelin, Cream etcetera. What made you taking this daring step, especially because Esoptron was the first studio-album in eight years after Yume No Oka (considered as Kenso’s best effort by many), so expectations amongst the fans were high?
My daughter was born in 1992, the year after the release of Yume no Oka. I set my priority to spending time with her during the following few years, with no musical activity. I didn’t even think about coming back in the rock music front. However my desire for performing music mounted so high that I had to restart the band activity. However, by that time the band members had been involved in busy tasks of their respective jobs, and I too found it difficult to spend enough time to compose for a full album, it ended up taking 8 years to the release. In this manner, it was all circumstantial that the production took so long. As to the expectation of the fans, I really do not take it into account when composing. I only work straight to express what comes out of my inner desire. If it is ambitious or not is not for me to judge, but on my part I’m always exploring new grounds.
For your remark on Esoptron being inspired by non-prog bands such as Led Zeppelin and Creme, I can only say that in fact KENSO started as a cover band of Led Zeppelin. Those bands have become my fundamentals, not to be treated as external influences. I had been in love with bands like LZ and Creme before I found out about progressive rock. They were the ones that drove me as a teenager to play rock music.
What plans do you have with the documentary-video Hitokusei-Shinsho, which you released in 2000? Do you consider a DVD-release, since it gives a 2 and half hour history of the band, which may excite the fans very much?
I have no plan for that now. I can only think about the forthcoming live show in Japan and the apprearance at NEARfest, and the new studio album now. I may think about the DVD reissue when I’m sixty-four.
Listening to all those live-albums Kenso released through the years it struck me that a lot of the songs that appear frequently on those CD’s have different kinds of arrangements every time. What’s the story behind this way of working?
For one thing there’s influence from progressive bands such as Gentle Giant. Also some from Jazz acts like Weather Report and Pat Metheny Group. As each of the members of the band is a superb musician, they all add new charm to my songs each time we play them, often beyond my imagination. That must be the main factor for the ever varying arrangements.
During concerts you often describe the background of your instrumental songs. The explanation of The Ancient In My Brain on AYR for instance was very informative and interesting. Why don’t you include those descriptions in the CD-booklets (in English), especially because it would make the music so much more understandable?
Detail explanation can give adverse effect on listeners when they should be freely appreciating the songs in their own interpretation. In the meantime there are many songs that words cannot describe. I’d like to let listeners explore their inner-self through the sounds with just the song titles.
What plans do you have to perform outside Japan, besides the honourable invitation to play on NEARfest 2005, and is a tour through Europe a possibility?
It will be only possible if we can manage to have band member’s schedules meet altogether, which is the hardest part, and enough fund to recover cost.
On two live-albums you’ve included Prelude In Sofia, a cover from the Dutch band Flairck. What kind of relationship do you have with their music?
I must have been one of the early listeners of Flairck’s first album when it became available in Japan. I was most impressed by the album, and naturally found myself playing the song at live shows.
What can you finally tell us about the activities of yourself and the band-members outside Kenso?
Shimizu: Dental practice and raising my daughter
Oguchi: Keyboard trio Es
Mitsuda: Building his career as composer and arranger, as well as a solo performer (acoustic piano and vocal, etc)
Saegusa: Just returned home after completing studies at Berklee Institute of Music in January
Komori: Various recording sessions and arrangement
Kawashima: Just returned home from one year study in Spain
Thanks again.
I am excited that KENSO’s appearance at NEARfest provides a rare opportunity for overseas fans to directly experience our music, through which I wholeheartedly strive to convey the essence of Japanese culture. I am also producing a special live album commemorating the NEARfest appearance for sale at the venue. I am sincerely looking forward to meeting you all there.
First of all congratulations with the 30th anniversary of Kenso’s existence. What would you define as the most important thing that kept the band so professional and entertaining through the years?
It is most important that I have set my standard high and I7ve been fortunate to have a wonderful band of musicians to collaborate, who continually clear the bar. Indeed nothing comes on top of my deep love for creating and performing music.
Kenso’s music has often been described as “the Japanese Happy The Man” or “a jazz-rocking Genesis”. How would you describe it?
I don’t think I’ve heard people say that in Japan. Nonetheless I admit that I’ve taken influence from Genesis during their Nursery Cryme to The Wind and the Wuthering era, but as for Happy the Man, although reviewers overseas have often mentioned them in comparison to KENSO, when I took a listen to one of their albums a few years ago I found nothing resembling KENSO. I believe it is up the audience how to describe our music, but in the meantime I find it extremely difficult to represent in words what my own music is like.
What do you consider your most important influences and how does that effect the way you and the other band-members compose?
If the question is what I took influence from, I must say that I have taken influence from all music that I heard since my birth up to my current age of 47.
Your latest release, the DVD AYR was an impressive but also very humorous documentary, in which your new drummer Keisuke Komori was introduced. Why did Masayuki Muraishi leave the band and how is the progress of Komori within Kenso?
In order for me to fully articulate the events behind the member change, I’ll have to spend a book’s worth of words. Meanwhile each of the members of KENSO take the change in his own interpretation, so I have to say I cannot arbitarily define it. Forthcoming studio album with Keisuke Komori will evidentlly reveal his position in the band, so that will be something for everybody to look forward to.
In AYR we saw Kenso was working on a new album, the first one since 2002’s Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptis. What can you tell us about this new CD, on which the incredible Keiko Kawashima seems to get another role with her impressive flamenco-vocals? And when can we expect the release of the CD?
We are in the process of producing the new album. Release date will be sometime next year. Ms Kawashima has become more integral to the band through deeper mutual understanding.
What has happened to the contract with the French label MUSEA, that published the comeback-album, the live-CD In The West in 1999 and the studio-recording Esoptron? The label made it possible to purchase Kenso-CD’s outside much easier than before.
We still hold the contract, but besides those from Musea, there are other titles available through other overseas labels, such as Yume no Oka through SPALAX and Fabulis Mirabilibus de Bombycosi Scriptis through BTF.
The last releases of Kenso are published by your own Pathograph-label. What made you decide to do it on your own and how does the label performs until now?
Official original studio albums have been released through King Records and it will continue to be so in the future. “Pathograph” is a label that I created for the release of In the West, which has allowed me flexibility in album releases. For instance, video productions that require large amount of fund such as Ha-Re-Ki and AYR wouldn’t have been possible with major labels. My own label can do that, given three conditions are met: my motivation; my wife’s mood; and the balance of my bank account.
Why did you re-release Kenso II and are there plans to re-release other albums from Kenso’s discography, especially now Music For Unknown Five Musicians has been illegally released by a bootleg-label?
KENSO SECOND is what I treasure very much, besides being the representative works from the early days of KENSO, and the expectation from the fans was high for a reissue. The copyright of In Concert-Music for Five Unknown Musicians is owned by King Records and it is beyond my control. However, as I have come to notice the pirate activity for the title, I have requested official investigation from King Records.
Some years ago you also released your oldest work with Kenso on the CD 76/77. What made you decide to release this stuff, especially because it may be a risk to publish something that is of a lower quality (mainly on a sonic level) than people expect from the band?
I am aware that the album is musically underdeveloped. The reason of its release nonetheless is that, in simple words, I wanted to acknowledge the enthusiasm of the band and myself back then. In fact Esoptron from 1999 has a song that developed from a certain riff of a song on 76/77.
76/77 was a release to commemorate the 25th anniversary of KENSO for hard core KENSO fans. The story behind its release is fully described on the Japanese liner notes, which was left in Japanese only since I didn’t expect the album to be made available to overseas audience.
Esoptron was a whole different album than all other Kenso-releases. Instead of symphonic jazz-rock it contained music that was inspired by another genre you used to love: the progressive hard-rock from Led Zeppelin, Cream etcetera. What made you taking this daring step, especially because Esoptron was the first studio-album in eight years after Yume No Oka (considered as Kenso’s best effort by many), so expectations amongst the fans were high?
My daughter was born in 1992, the year after the release of Yume no Oka. I set my priority to spending time with her during the following few years, with no musical activity. I didn’t even think about coming back in the rock music front. However my desire for performing music mounted so high that I had to restart the band activity. However, by that time the band members had been involved in busy tasks of their respective jobs, and I too found it difficult to spend enough time to compose for a full album, it ended up taking 8 years to the release. In this manner, it was all circumstantial that the production took so long. As to the expectation of the fans, I really do not take it into account when composing. I only work straight to express what comes out of my inner desire. If it is ambitious or not is not for me to judge, but on my part I’m always exploring new grounds.
For your remark on Esoptron being inspired by non-prog bands such as Led Zeppelin and Creme, I can only say that in fact KENSO started as a cover band of Led Zeppelin. Those bands have become my fundamentals, not to be treated as external influences. I had been in love with bands like LZ and Creme before I found out about progressive rock. They were the ones that drove me as a teenager to play rock music.
What plans do you have with the documentary-video Hitokusei-Shinsho, which you released in 2000? Do you consider a DVD-release, since it gives a 2 and half hour history of the band, which may excite the fans very much?
I have no plan for that now. I can only think about the forthcoming live show in Japan and the apprearance at NEARfest, and the new studio album now. I may think about the DVD reissue when I’m sixty-four.
Listening to all those live-albums Kenso released through the years it struck me that a lot of the songs that appear frequently on those CD’s have different kinds of arrangements every time. What’s the story behind this way of working?
For one thing there’s influence from progressive bands such as Gentle Giant. Also some from Jazz acts like Weather Report and Pat Metheny Group. As each of the members of the band is a superb musician, they all add new charm to my songs each time we play them, often beyond my imagination. That must be the main factor for the ever varying arrangements.
During concerts you often describe the background of your instrumental songs. The explanation of The Ancient In My Brain on AYR for instance was very informative and interesting. Why don’t you include those descriptions in the CD-booklets (in English), especially because it would make the music so much more understandable?
Detail explanation can give adverse effect on listeners when they should be freely appreciating the songs in their own interpretation. In the meantime there are many songs that words cannot describe. I’d like to let listeners explore their inner-self through the sounds with just the song titles.
What plans do you have to perform outside Japan, besides the honourable invitation to play on NEARfest 2005, and is a tour through Europe a possibility?
It will be only possible if we can manage to have band member’s schedules meet altogether, which is the hardest part, and enough fund to recover cost.
On two live-albums you’ve included Prelude In Sofia, a cover from the Dutch band Flairck. What kind of relationship do you have with their music?
I must have been one of the early listeners of Flairck’s first album when it became available in Japan. I was most impressed by the album, and naturally found myself playing the song at live shows.
What can you finally tell us about the activities of yourself and the band-members outside Kenso?
Shimizu: Dental practice and raising my daughter
Oguchi: Keyboard trio Es
Mitsuda: Building his career as composer and arranger, as well as a solo performer (acoustic piano and vocal, etc)
Saegusa: Just returned home after completing studies at Berklee Institute of Music in January
Komori: Various recording sessions and arrangement
Kawashima: Just returned home from one year study in Spain
Thanks again.
I am excited that KENSO’s appearance at NEARfest provides a rare opportunity for overseas fans to directly experience our music, through which I wholeheartedly strive to convey the essence of Japanese culture. I am also producing a special live album commemorating the NEARfest appearance for sale at the venue. I am sincerely looking forward to meeting you all there.