more from
Aki Rhythm Productions
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10.99 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Sculptures via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days

      $20 USD or more 

     

1.
Translucent 06:15
2.
Bronze I 02:47
3.
Petroglyph 03:17
4.
Cylinders 02:20
5.
Kintsugi 04:06
6.
Ma 03:54
7.
Density 02:50
8.
Bronze II 04:02
9.

about

“I want my sculptures to shake the air around them.
To stand just like they should be there in that space and at that time.
The form and visual impact of these sculptures is most important to me.”

- Jun Kaneko


Attempting to musically catalog the breadth of artist Jun Kaneko’s work might have been Sisyphean in scope. As composer Andy Akiho began writing, however, certain pieces and processes sifted out, ultimately making Sculptures a showcase of ideas that are uniquely Kaneko’s own. First, as art historian Glen R. Brown writes, “his interest to repeat the same idea in a different material to see how it looked.” Second, specific material choices that create inherent relationships between the piece and the viewer. Third, space itself, in all its meanings, or ma: where questions of inches – whether in relation to another sculpture, the viewer, the density of the work, a pattern, or a form – create ripples of consequence.

Sculptures is a collection of nine compositions, alternating between full-orchestra, percussion, digital, and in one case, the symphony brass section. Some of the compositions reference particular art works by Kaneko; others, whole swaths of the artist’s output. In addition to constant support from Ree and Jun Kaneko and access to Kaneko’s work in Omaha and Portland, Oregon, Glen R. Brown’s Jun Kaneko: The Space Between was integral to the composer’s process and these notes.

Sculptures begins with Translucent, referring to Kaneko’s transformation of previous ceramics and clay pieces to new iterations in glass. Akiho was inspired by Kaneko’s 1996 Between Light & Shadow and 1981’s Parallel Sound, both re-born in 2001 at the Bullseye Glass studio in Portland. Brown writes, “glass conjures a synthesis of being and nothingness; material and consciousness a tangibility and a pure energy that seems to linger in place with the pale gleam of water or the hard brilliance of a crystalline flame without ever surrendering itself to the confirmation of touch.”

Bronze I and Bronze II – set as the second and penultimate tracks – are performed on one of Kaneko’s 2015 Untitled cast bronze and stainless steel Heads. Kaneko created his Heads in pairs deliberately, with the experience of viewing them together equally as important as taking in each individual Head. Brown writes, “Distance is equally and simultaneously part of the whole: a change to any element, whether pictorial, material, or spatial, necessarily alters the balance that unites them all.” Unlike their ceramic, glazed predecessors, the bronze Heads are left in a raw-metal state, with finishes that change as the viewer moves around them. The 2015 pair features keys that Akiho and the Omaha Symphony percussion section play, letting the Head sing, groan, growl, and hum.

Petroglyph, for brass, refers to a trio of Kaneko’s earliest works – all Untitled, from 1963, done in oil paint and sand on canvas. The 3D texture created alludes to future uses of glazes and constructed shapes upon shapes, despite the works’ home on canvas.

Cylinders is an immediate intersection of the composer’s background meeting the artist’s work. Akiho, a steel-pannist and percussionist, found Kaneko’s Cylinders to each carry a different pitch, and composed for soloist accordingly.

Kintsugi, written for full orchestra, is the art of repair through the use of gold lacquer. Rather than hiding brokenness or mistakes, kintsugi brings those elements to the eye immediately, becoming a prominent feature. We see kintsugi most often in Kaneko’s Chunks, Constructions, and Dangos.
Ma is a Shinto concept that Kaneko integrates into all of his work. Shot in one of Kaneko’s warehouses, Ma features Akiho and strives to showcase the philosophy in both its tangible and intangible nature: the constant awareness of space between creation and viewer, how the piece interacts with everything around it, and even the idea of when, how, and why the viewer and piece are in the same space together.

Before Kaneko began creating his larger-than-life Dangos in Omaha in the 1980s, he constructed his Slabs. Density, composed for orchestra, references these solid, glazed ceramics that weigh thousands of pounds and feature imposing patterns that stretch away from the viewer, an added element of spatial weight. Akiho uses long, growing tones in the strings for this piece, with patterned elements breaking out in other sections.

Whereas Bronze I features the Head being played with bows, Bronze II is percussive, a variety of striking elements causing the Head to resonate in explosive ways.

Kaneko’s largest works are his Dangos, referenced in Akiho’s orchestral finale, in that space, at that time. Brown writes, “Each [Dango] is an island in space but also an element of an archipelago: unique and self-sufficient but reflecting implicit kinship with others that have come before and more that are yet to be.” Dangos are the product of Kaneko coming to Omaha in the mid-1980s, at the invitation of then Ree Schonlau, and realizing that he could construct large, closed sculptures that often towered over the creator but still provided stillness, intimacy, and calm. When struck, Akiho found that each carries a unique voice but return to silence almost immediately. He worked to capture his initial, overwhelmed reaction to the pieces, akin to walking amidst calm giants. Ultimately, in that space, at that time is about one’s experience and Kaneko’s artistic core: the ma created by being with these works, in their space, at the time given.

credits

released September 15, 2023

CREDITS

The Sculptures project was conceived by the Omaha Symphony Association, Ree & Jun Kaneko, Ankush Kumar Bahl, and Andy Akiho, and premiered on March 17 & 18, 2023 at the Holland Center in Omaha, NE. Compositions were commissioned in 2022 by the Omaha Symphony Association in consortium with the Oregon Symphony and Music Academy of the West, with generous funding provided by the Holland Foundation, Polina & Bob Schlott, and Martha & David Slosburg.

Collaborators on the Sculptures album, films, and live performances include Andy Akiho, Jun & Ree Kaneko, Kaneko Studios, Ankush Kumar Bahl, and the Omaha Symphony Association.


Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, & 9:
Performed by the Omaha Symphony
Recorded live on March 17 & 18, 2023 at the Holland Center
Engineered and edited by Jamey Lamar (Art Music Recording) and Bill Siegmund (Digital Island Studios)
Mixed by Sean Dixon and Andy Akiho

Tracks 2, 4 & 8:
Performed by Andy Akiho (sculptures)
Recorded on October 18 and 22, 2022 at Kaneko Studio
Engineered by Sean Dixon
Mixed and edited by Sean Dixon and Andy Akiho

Track 6:
Performed by Andy Akiho (sculptures) and Jun Kaneko (voice, sculptures)
Engineered and edited by Andy Akiho
Mixed by Sean Dixon and Andy Akiho


Released: September 15, 2023
Record label: Aki Rhythm Productions
Label director: Dan Elbert
Publisher: Aki Rhythm Press (ASCAP)

Mastered by Adam Ayan on August 10, 14, & 21, 2023
Produced by Andy Akiho and Sean Dixon

All compositions by Andy Akiho


THE OMAHA SYMPHONY

First Violins: Susanna Perry Gilmore, Concertmaster; Ahra Cho, Associate Concertmaster; Henry Jenkins, Second Associate Concertmaster; Christopher Hake, Assistant Concertmaster; Ricardo Amador; Phyllis Duncan; Tracy Dunn; Rebecca Kia-Mills; Scott Shoemaker; Melissa Pruss; Michael Keelan; Juliet Yoshida

Second Violins: Keith Plenert, Principal Second Violin; Frank Seligman, Associate Principal Second Violin; Kevin Tompkins, Assistant Principal Second Violin; Daniel Fletcher; Lucy Duke; Nadia Maudhoo; David Neely; Anthony Chau; Sarah Hook; Molly Moriarty; Lisa Nielsen; Sheng-Ho Wang

Violas: Thomas Kluge, Principal Viola; Tyler Sieh, Associate Principal Viola; Margo Romig-Motycka; Bozhidar Shopov; Alexa Brown; Sherrie Goeden; Jesse Griggs; Clark Potter

Cellos: Paul Ledwon, Principal Cello; Gregory Clinton, Associate Principal Cello; Timothy Strang; Mark Motycka; Holly Gullen-Stout; InYoung Park; Trevor Petersen; Charles Spurgeon

Basses: Nate Olson, Principal Bass; Bill Ritchie, Assistant Principal Bass James Giles; Dani Meier; Robert Scharmann; Michael Swartz; Jeremy Baguyos

Flutes: Maria Harding, Principal Flute; Lisa Meyerhofer, Assistant Principal Flute; Nicholas Fitton

Oboes: Alexandra Rock, Principal Oboe; Heather Baxter, Assistant Principal Oboe; Angela Christine Sallas

Clarinets: Carmelo Galante, Principal Clarinet; Rosario Galante, Assistant Principal Clarinet; Madison Freed

Bassoons: James Compton, Principal Bassoon; Nicholas Nelson, Assistant Principal Bassoon; Karen Sandeen

Horns: Brett Hodge, Principal Horn; Austin Ruff, Associate Principal Horn; Steven Schultz; Jordan Dinkins; Benjamin Bacni

Trumpets: Scott Quackenbush, Principal Trumpet; Federico Montes, Associate Principal Trumpet; Christopher Haas

Trombones: Patrick Pfister, Principal Trombone; Jason Stromquist; Jay Wise

Tuba: Craig Fuller, Principal Tuba

Timpani: Jack Rago, Principal Timpani

Percussion: Derek Dreier, Principal Percussion; Paul Matthews, Assistant Principal Percussion; Spencer Jones; Aaron Williams

Harp: Chloe Tula, Principal Harp

Keyboard: Christi Zuniga, Principal Keyboard


ARTWORK

All original artwork by Jun Kaneko

Album art direction and design by Andy Akiho

Cover art:
Kaneko’s Untitled, Head, 2019
Hand-glazed cast raku ceramics
69” x 20“ x 24”
Photographed by Andy Akiho

Translucent:
Kaneko’s Glass Sculpture, Untitled from Parallel Sound, 2001
Cast glass, 79” x 42” x 42”
Photographed by Russell Johnson

Bronze I:
Kaneko’s Untitled, Head, 2015
Cast bronze and stainless steel, 122.5” x 52” x 67”
Photographed by Andy Akiho and Pam Fanelli

Petroglyph:
Kaneko’s Untitled, Painting, 1963
Oil paint and sand on canvas, 60” x 47.75” x 1.25”
Photographed by EG Schempf

Cylinders:
Kaneko’s Untitled, Wall Cylinders, 2017
Hand-glazed cast raku ceramics, each 13.25” x 11” x 11”
Photographed by Andy Akiho

Kintsugi:
Kaneko’s Untitled, Dango, Seika Series, 2009
Hand-built and glazed ceramics + gold lacquer, 26” x 14” x 13”
Photographed by Colin Conces

Ma:
Kaneko’s Untitled, Head, 2018
Hand-built and glazed ceramics, 117” x 70.5” x 86.25”
Photographed by Colin Conces

Density:
Kaneko’s Untitled, Construction, 1985
Hand-built and glazed ceramics, 8” x 7” x 4”
Photographed by Dirk Bakker

Bronze II:
Kaneko's Passion, 2010
Cast bronze and stainless steel, L: 76“ x 29” x 33“ / R: 76” x 28“ x 35”
Photographed by Colin Conces

in that space, at that time:
Kaneko's Untitled, Dango, 1993
Hand-built and glazed ceramics, 75” x 34” x 24”
Photographed by Dirk Bakker


SPECIAL THANKS


Ree & Jun, Kay, Tanya, Kenji, Jon, Yoko, Masato, Aya, Kai, Umi, Ian, Mari, Ken, Toyoko & Hori, Dan, Chelsea, Serina, Kenn, Jeff, Kris & Minh


OMAHA SYMPHONY TEAM

Jennifer Boomgaarden Daoud, Kyra Hansen, Dani Meier, Erik Thorstensen, Yari Figueroa, Max Aden, Marshall Carby, Jimmy Lewis, Lindsay Corbin, Emily Duffin, John Coate, Jeff Baron, Sara Baguyos, Tracy Bass, Mark Haar, Alejandro Gómez Guillén, Esmeralda Moreno Villanueva, Jamie Pham, Derek Dreier, Rob O’Brien, Paul Matthews, Hannah Weaver, Clete Baker, Bruce Carpenter, Luke Scroggin, Jake Saner, Michael Arch, Erik Rudd, IATSE Local No. 42, Omaha Performing Arts, University of Nebraska Omaha Music Department, and Dog and Pony Productions


KANEKO TEAM

Trevor Lare, Susan Schonlau, Pam Fanelli, Maggie Sather, Michael Thomas Hurley, Garet Reynek, Jack Doloszycki, Russell Williams, & Colleen Riordan

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Andy Akiho New York, New York

contact / help

Contact Andy Akiho

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Sculptures, you may also like: