SOUNDTRACK: KAWABATA MAKOTO [河端一]-INUI 1 (2000).
Kawabata Makoto [河端一] is the guitarist and mastermind behind Acid Mothers Temple. The band is hugely prolific. But he still had time to record solo albums. Often times without any guitar.
This was Kawabata’s first solo LP, now available on bandcamp
from way back in 2000 (about 100 releases ago, in Kawabata terms). Originally released by the mighty SIWA label in a tiny, hand printed edition of 300, this has long been the most sought-after Kawabata item, pretty much impossible to track down without a wallet full of ebay slush funds. The music, as on all of Kawabata’s INUI series releases, is intensely personal and introspective, with long tracks built up of soft-focus layers of mid-fi violin, sarangi, oud, sitar, bouzouki, etc.
And that’s what this is.
The credits indicate that he plays violin, sarangi, oud, sitar, bouzouki, lyra, shou, nei, and sings.
There are three tracks.
“Shin” (11:09) is a quiet drone of him playing any or all of the instruments mentioned. I like the middle eastern drone style paired with a kind of lead bowing improv. The piece ends with a fifteen second moaning voice. The voice is French film maker and musician Audrey Ginestet.
Tai (9:45) is combination of drones and plucked notes. He sings a melody along with a bowed solo, making this song very calming.
Son (21:45) is nearly twenty minutes of unchanging drones. It can really make you feel transcendent. After about 16 minutes his voice comes in, echoing and distant.
This album is not for everyone, but it can certainly put you in a different head space.
[READ: August 15, 2019] “Water Child”
Nadine is a nurse. She has moved to Brooklyn from Haiti and is living by herself.
The story opens wit her receiving a letter from her parents. It is positive and warm and asks her to call them. Nadine wants to call but does not. For days and weeks. But she reads the note several times a day, marveling at the lightness of the airmail paper.
Nadine ate lunch by herself. A fellow nurse, Josette’s lunch began when Nadine’s ended and they crossed paths every day. But their conversations were brief and functional.
Nadine and Josette work in the Ear Nose and Throat department. Often, patents who get laryngectomies are shocked to discover that they cannot speak afterward–even though they are told many times that that would happen.
On this day, Josette tells Nadine that Ms Hinds is back from the I.C.U. and is freaking out.
So what does this have to do with a water baby?
When she gets home, there is a message from Eric: “her former beau, suitor, lover, the near father of her nearly born child.”
He has called once a month since their breakup. She doesn’t return his perfunctory calls.
Every time he leaves a message, she takes out the answering machine tape and puts it in the shrine. The shrine contained the drawing of a baby and the roses that Eric had given her when they left the clinic after “the procedure.” She had heard that in Japan there are shrines to unborn babies which had water poured over stone altars. She included a cup of water and pebbles in her shrine.
At lunch the next day Josette said the nurses were having a party because Mrs Hinds was leaving. Nadine declined the invitation.
But Mrs Hinds did not go easily. In fact, she began throwing things around the room and needed to be restrained. The male nurses were called in to help. Nadine grabbed one of Mrs Hind’s arms.
The struggle went on for a time until Nadine had seen enough and told everyone to let her go. Everyone agreed reluctantly. Ms Hinds curled into a fetal position, so Nadine gave her a pad.
Mrs Hinds wrote that she was a teacher. How could they send her home like this? Nadine said, Because it is time for you to go home. Mrs Hinds seemed grateful for her.
Nadine arrived home exhausted and decided to call Eric. She wasn’t sure if she would say anything, so when his wife answered she remained silent. Eric’s wife said a hello a few times and Nadine could hear his children in the background.
She longed to say “Its time she knew.”
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