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Yuka Yanagihara 柳原由佳 (p), Kotono Nishimura 西村琴乃 (sax), Ayuko Ikeda 池田安友子(percussion) at Candy Jazz Gion in Kyoto 4/17/24

Photo © by Christopher Pelham

Back to the Garden at Candy Live Jazz in Kyoto (April 17, 2024)

On my second night in Kyoto, I went to Candy Live Jazz in Gion to see the trio of Kotono Nishimura 西村琴乃 (alto and soprano sax), Yuka Yanagihara 柳原由佳 (piano), and Ayuko Ikeda 池田安友子(percussion). I was not familiar with any of them, but from the start, I found their set, inspired by the spring season, infectious, rhythmically adventurous, and uplifting. At times, most notably during Kotono’s number “Milky Way” from her album “Favorable Move,” I felt as if I’d been transported to a landscape untarnished by humans, where dawn is breaking over mountains in a river-fed valley of verdant splendor where you can hear birds singing and take a breath, like in a Thomas Cole painting, a place where you can look up on a clear, moonless night and be awestruck by the majesty of the Milky Way, so far away and yet seemingly so close.

Music

Let Me Have It All: Reconsidering Sly & the Family Stone’s Fresh

Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart died on June 9th, 2025. There have been a lot of narratives about his life and death, but less about his music, particularly his under-appreciated 1973 album, Fresh. True to its title, Fresh is lighter, more relaxed, and much more personal than any music Sly had written to date. It's also much funkier, as Sly had in turn embraced the deep grooves of the Bootsy Collins-era JBs of James Brown.

Shin'ichi Isohata 磯端伸 (guitar) & sara (piano, perc.) performing at the closing reception for Chie Matsui's exhibition 置き去られた鏡 The Forsaken Mirror at Gallery Nomart, Osaka, 4/20/24

Photo © by Christopher Pelham

Music Travel Art Japan

置き去られた鏡 The Forsaken Mirror by Chie Matsui 松井智惠 at Gallery Nomart, Osaka 4/20/24

On my last night in Osaka, I attended the closing night reception for the solo exhibition 置き去られた鏡 The Forsaken Mirror by celebrated artist Chie Matsui 松井智惠. The performance consisted of music by avant-garde musicians sara (piano, perc.) & Shin’ichi Isohata 磯端伸 (guitar) and a poem read in Japanese, Korean, and English by Chie, Yangjah, and Miho, respectively. At first, I didn’t know what to make of the performance or the abstract, brightly colored prints surrounding a centrally hung mirror. Eventually, in the space created by the disorientation and abstraction, I reflected on who these people were, who I was, and the various identities we experience throughout life, which proved enlivening.

Yukari Sekiya (p) at Studio T-Bone, Osaka

Photo © by Christopher Pelham

Music Travel Japan

Finding Freedom in Music & Motherhood — Yukari Sekiya 関谷友加里 at Studio T-Bone, Osaka (4/19/24)

While struggling to find contemporary jazz venues in Osaka, I stumbled upon Studio T-Bone, a venue supporting both live jazz and photography and decided to visit. Pianist Yukari Sekiya 関谷友加里 and percussionist Naoto Yamagishi 山㟁直人やまぎしなおと were improvising together. While I didn't manage to get to know them well on that occasion, I was delighted to spend time with the creative family members running the studio. A chance encounter months later unexpectedly brought Yukari back into my mind. When I reached out to her, she responded, and I've now learned what a deep and inspiring artist and person she is, opening the door to possible future collaborations. It was a powerful reminder that we can't always see right away why our intuition speaks to us. Sometimes, it may be setting something in motion far in the future or for a purpose quite different from what we imagine.

Music

A Love Supreme with Dae Bryant

Talking to Dae feels like rewiring my thoughts. When he described the connection between philosophy and music, I immediately related to his lived experience. That is exactly what I have been searching for in music—and how I practice both philosophy and life.

Music

When My Exile Sees Me

Through music, dance, and conscious exploration, Sita Chay’s “When My Exile Sees Me,” presented May 20, 2023 at Joe’s Pub, creates a loving and accepting space to invite healing and acceptance of all our inner exiled parts.

Music

Freedom to Flow with Todd Marston

No one ever actually told me how to live as a musician. There are many ways, and you have so much freedom to create your own way. And that’s not easy because the choices are endless. So, I started this series of interviews to ask my friends how they live as artists. This first interview was with Todd Marston, my long-time friend and a keyboard player, composer, and educator.