Michiyo Yagi＆Hamid Drake(drums, percussion, voice) @Jazzfestival Saalfelden 8/20/2023
Michiyo Yagi＋Eivind Aarset(electric guitar), Tony Back(drums), Jan Bang(sampling, live remix) @Cologne Jazzweek 8/14/2023
Dōjō(Michiyo Yagi＆Tamaya Honda)＋Ingebrikt Håker Flaten(contrabass, bass guitar) @Jazzfestival Saalfelden 8/18/2023
Koto player Michiyo Yagi has followed her own path for most of her illustrious career. Yagi’s multifarious activities attracted the attention of Mario Steitl – Artistic Director of “Jazzfestival Saalfelden,” hosted by the city of Saalfelden in Austria – who invited her to the 2023 edition of his festival in the capacity of “Artist in Residence.” He then recommended Yagi to Janning Trumann, Managing Director of “Cologne Jazzweek” sponsored by the city of Köln, Germany. Mr. Trumann invited Yagi to perform several concerts at his festival as a “Featured Artist.”
Yagi plays the electric 21-string koto and the electric 17-string koto, both unique instruments that she helped develop. Her music also incorporates electronics as well as her own vocals. In this tour Yagi performed with some of the European music scene’s most prominent artists. She also brought drummer Tamaya Honda from Japan — he and Yagi perform together as Dōjō, an improvising duo that is open to welcoming additional musicians. The six concerts featured improvisations as well as original compositions penned by Yagi. By pursuing new artistic challenges during this tour Yagi was able to raise her playing to a new, higher level while winning over European audiences. The results of this tour will likely lead to many other performance opportunities, not only in Europe but around the world.
Tour details were as follows:
August 14 @ Cologne Jazzweek
Concert venue: Loft
Part 1: “Michiyo Yagi + Jan Bang (sampling, live remix) duo”
Part 2: “Michiyo Yagi + Eivind Aarset (electric guitar) + Tony Buck (drums) trio”
August 16 @ Cologne Jazzweek
Concert venue: Stadtgarten/Jaki
“Dōjō [Michiyo Yagi & Tamaya Honda (drums)] + Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (contrabass, bass guitar) trio”
August 17 @ Jazzfestival Saalfelden
Concert venue: Kunsthaus Nexus
“Dōjō + Eivind Aarset trio”
August 18 @ Jazzfestival Saalfelden
Concert venue: Otto Gruber Halle
“Dōjō + Ingebrigt Håker Flaten trio”
August 20th @ Jazzfestival Saalfelden
Concert venue: Main Stage [Congress Center]
“Michiyo Yagi + Hamid Drake (drums, percussion, voice) duo”
MICHIYO YAGI
（13-17-＆21-string kotos, electronics, voice）
Michiyo yagi apprenticed with the late Tadao Sawai and Kazue Sawai, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. During her subsequent tenure as Visiting Professor of Music at Wesleyan University in Connecticut she premiered numerous compositions for koto and came under the influence of maverick American composers such as John Cage, Christian Wolff, Conlon Nancarrow, and John Zorn.
Yagi has since been active as a performer and composer, collaborating with many of the world’s foremost improvisers, working as a session musicians for J-pop artists, leading her own groups, and releasing numerous recordings incorporating traditional Japanese music, avent-garde jazz, and progressive rock.
Koto player, Composer
Michiyo Yagi
yagiquery@yahoo.co.jp
Loft, Cologne, Germany、Jaki, Cologne, Germany、Kunsthaus Nexus, Saalfelden, Austria、Otto Gruber Halle, Saalfelden, Austria、Congress Center, Saalfelden, Austria
