Pianist/improviser/composer. Tokyo-based.
Born in Kobe city, Japan on 27 Nov 1963. Started to learn piano (classical style) at the age of 4. Began to improvise ca.1987. After graduating from Kyoto Univ. (philosophy major), Kawai got master degree on musicology (western early music) at Tokyo National Univ. of Fine Arts and Music in 1991.
Since late 80s, he has been active to have concerts -- solo improvisations, ensemble improvisations, his own compositions for solo/ensemble. And has also played new music (J.Cage etc), joined several groups (progressive and other), had sound performances, and collaborated with many dancers/poets/artists.
Latest solo live performance can be heard below (ca.13 min)
Solo at fine field art festival, Utsunomiya 1 June 2008
DISCOGRAPHY:
Takuji KAWAI / Jewelry (2000, Color Records, out of stock) : compositions for piano solo, viola & piano duet, keyboard-harmonica & piano duet
KAWAI, IKEGAMI & SHIMIZU / Trio Improvisations at Artland 24 Sep 2001 vols.1&2 (2001, Aoneko Label) : improvisations. Recommended disc by CD Journal Jan 2002
Takuji KAWAI / Piano Plateaux (2002, Kaeru Record, out of stock, temporarily reissued by Color Records 2007) : 50-minute piano solo improvisation
TAI-GU (2007, Color Records) : 50-minute composition for flute, clarinet & keyboard-harmonica
REVIEWS of CD Piano Plateaux:
- Solo album by Takuji Kawai, a pianist who pursues 'free' improvisation in a true sense that it isn't bound to any form or context. It reminds me of various musics, but it doesn't resemble any of them. It doesn't even cling to 'not resembling anything'. An elegant and radical sound-play. (Atsushi Sasaki (music critic), SWITCH, May 2002)
- While at times appear classical, or jazzy, or new-music-like phrases, it seems to be not on purpose but only a result from the pianist's natural musicality. Very delicate tones, making the most of space ('ma'). ... Full of varieties, so listeners will never lose their attention. (Kazuhiko Yukikawa (music critic), Music Magazine, August 2002)
- Fifty-minute solo improvisation on piano. There appears no stylish melody, no smart refrain. Only sounds full of edge are heard, sometimes piling up enormously, sometimes standing still sparsely. From contrasts between them emerges strong emotion. It reminds somewhat of 60's avant-garde serious music. (Kazuo Nakano (music critic), CD Journal, 2002)
Musicians with whom Kawai has ever played with are:
- Tadahiko YOKOGAWA(violin), Aya HOASHI(violin), Iku HATA(viola), Ig HENNEMAN(viola), Kaori MINAMIYAMA(viola), Mori-shige(cello), Hugues VINCENT(cello), Masami IRUMAGAWA(cello), Hideo IKEGAMI(contrabass), Jason ROEBKE(contrabass), Hiroyuki EIZUKA(contrabass), Katsunobu SEGAWA(contrabass), Joji SAWADA(contrabass), Jun KAWASAKI(contrabass), Masaaki KIKUCHI(contrabass), Michio KARIMATA(flute/sax/voice), Tomoko CHIGIRA(flute), Toshiya NAKAMIZO(oboe), Wataru OHKUMA(clarinet), Masataka KAGAWA(clarinet), Noriyuki IMANISHI(clarinet), Naoki HANASHIMA(bass clarinet), Yoichiro KITA(trumpet), Jérôme FOUQUET(trumpet), Nobuhiro NAKANE(trombone), Neko KANEKO(trombone), Michito ARINAGA(tuba), Ken'ichi MATSUMOTO (sax), Ab BAARS(sax), Marco ENEIDI(sax), Yoshiaki FUJIKAWA(sax), Teruaki TANIKAWA(sax), Kazutoki UMEZU(sax), Junji MORI (sax), Yow FUNAHASHI(sax), Tsukasa YAGIHASHI(sax), Yasuhiro USUI(guitar), Hiroshi SHIMIZU(guitar), Asahiko TAKAHARA(guitar), Keiji HAINO(guitar/voice/drums), Hideaki KONDO(guitar), Kazuo IMAI(guitar), Yukie SATO(guitar), Sabu TOYOZUMI(drums), Sunny MURRAY(drums), Jun HARADA(drums), Takumi FUJIMURA(drums), Toshi MAKIHARA(percussion), Takashi KAZAMAKI(percussion), Satoko FUJII(piano), Shuichi CHINO(piano), Pak CHANG-SOO(piano), Yoko ARAI(piano), Koichi YAMAGUCHI(piano), Yoko MIURA(piano), Ruri FUKUI (piano), Izumi OSE(piano/vocal), Jun SUZUKI (piano), Tetsu SHIBA(keyboard-harmonica), William TOKUHISA(voice), Yuki SAGA(voice), Maki HACHIYA(voice), Hideya FUJIE(voice), Keiko HIGUCHI(voice), IRUKASUMI(vocal/dance), Suzu-eri(vocal), Naomi SAOTOME(vocal), FUMIE(vocal), Hiroyuki USUI (yidaki(didgeridoo)), Jumpei MAKUUCHI(jews harp), Kimiyo OGAWA(bandneon), Shigeru SUZUKI (effecters/bass), William HSU(laptop), Jinchi TEN(koto), Fumie HIHARA(koto), Brett LARNER(koto), Noribumi UCHIDA(shamisen) among others.
Dancers and artists of other genres with whom Kawai has ever collaborated with are:
- Kuniaki KONNO(choreography/dance), Naoki MATSUMOTO (choreography/dance), Shuntoku TAKAGI(choreography), NBA Ballet Company(ballet), Niké MINOTAU(dance), Takuya ISHIDE(butoh-dance), Noboru KAMITA(dance), Maaya SHIMIZU(dance), Dance group ZASH(contemporary dance), JOU(dance), Yuko NEGORO(dance), Hiroyo KITAO(dance), Naru KADOWA(dance), Rumiko BESSHO(dance), Junko NOMURA(tap dance), Ayako KATO(dance), Masako NOGUCHI(dance), Chiko KATSUBE(dance), Katie DUCK(dance/performance), Teruyuki TANAKA(performance art), Fumiko TAKAHASHI(performance art), Chieko MISAKA(Kanon NARUMIYA)(performance), Izumi MURATA(performance), Midori OHSHIMA(performance), Fusayo HASHIMOTO(performance), Jun MAKIME(dance/visual image), MAYUCHI(visual image), "Voyage dans la lune"(silent movie), Mitsuhito WADA(installation), Keiko IKADAMARU(poetry reading), Jet'aime KITAMURA(poetry reading), Hiroshi MATSUSAKA(tanka-poetry reading), Mikiho YAMADA(tanka-poetry reading) among others.
Selected compositions after 1998 are:
2007
- TAI-GU (flute, clarinet and keyboard harmonica) 50'
- Ritual (4 toy pianos, singing bowls, flute, keyboard-harmonica) 30'
2006
- Fire on the Plain (piano suite with reading) (inspired by the novel by Shohei OOKA) 40'
2005
- Organza (pipe organ solo) commissioned by Hiroaki OOÃ 30'
- Yesterday and Today (poem: Sumie YAMADA)(vocal, piano) commissioned by the poet 15'
2004
- Blade 1, 2 (piano and electronic sound) each 30'
- Untitled (3 pianos overdubbed) 10'
- Music for 6-hand piano (piano 6-hand)
- HAN-KA-SEI (chamber orchestra)commissioned by Caisse Résonante 10'
- Piece 1 (brass quintet) 4'
- Stone Forges (cl, vn, va, vc) 10'
2003
- kt 1-5 (piano) 20'
2002
- Sanctuary (piano) 10' commissioned piece for dance
2001
- Music for BALLOON (music for dance) 20'
2000
- LAVA (piano) 18'
- In-summer (piano&keyboard-harmonica) 7'
- Pepe le Moko (shamisen, piano) 16'
- Fu-ji-ba (koto, piano) 18'
1999
- Getsu-ya-mai (Moonlit dance) (koto)commissioned by Fumie HIHARA 20'
- Weird Hills (violin, piano) 12'
- Naranja (viola) 8'
- Spinning the Night (piano 4-hands)(music for dance) 40'
1998
- Micomicon (Don Quichote's Dreams and Follies)(keyboard-harmonica, piano) 13'
- Children's Scenes (piano, perc) 15'
- Family (viola, piano) 9'
- Au fond de la forêt (viola, piano) 5'
And also many piano pieces (Torso, Mirror, Ruby, Elegy, Flowers, Ode to Pluto, etc) and many songs (Azalea Seguidilla, Weeping I Laugh, Prayer, King Lear, Moon Song etc)
