Album Notes

shamisen (shm-sn) also samisen (sm-) n. A Japanese musical instrument resembling a lute, having a very long neck and three strings played with a plectrum.


The 14-year-old winner of the 1988 All-Japan Tsugaru-Shamisen Competition, began his studies of the instrument at the age of six. For several more years, the young artist continued to develop his talents and for two consecutive years in 1995 and 1996 was awarded the prestigious top prize in the Tsuguru-Shamisen National Competition held in Hirosaki, Japan. Receiving high acclaim in Hogaku (traditional Japanese music) inspired Agatsuma to continue exploring the unique qualities of the Tsugaru-Shamisen, and in turn, his own musical specialty.


Agatsuma's playing and technique pulls off complex runs with ridiculous ease, able to shift in feel from funky to meditative with great ease. Allmusic.com


Thanks to Agatsuma, the Shamisen craze that has been sweeping Japan's youth for several years is on its way to becoming a global phenomenon. Fusing the soul and softly plaintive twang of traditional Tsugaru-shamisen with an informed mastery of contemporary Western musical idioms, Agatsuma's US debut release in 2003, Beams, was a landmark in the East-meets-West appeal of the art form that the New York Post called "unusually exotic, yet familiar at the same time."


Agatsuma's latest work, Eternal Songs, is a fusion of new age, neo-classical, and ethereal world music. With Japanese instrumentation such as the Wadiako drums, Shinobue flute and of course the Tsugaru-Shamisen, Agatsuma has added colors of orchestral styling that make this album a perfect next step in hismusical progression.


"I am careful ...to not make the shamisen sound too much like the guitar but maintain its unique phrases and accents ...I try not to leave the basics behind."


Currently, Agatsuma is participating almost 100 concerts and sessions both domestic and international in a year, and he keeps seeking traditions and innovations of Tsugaru Shamisen. Agatsuma has performed with many overseas artists such as Marcus Miller (Bass), Larry Coryell (G.), Nana Vasconcelos (Perc.), and Sarena Jones (Vo.) He is receiving great reputations by his fresh and unique fusion with Western music, while he keeps the characteristics of the Japanese traditional instrument alive.