One day, while practicing the prelude to Bach’s Cello Suite #1, Yasuaki Shimizu accidentally ran his tenor saxophone through a reverb machine. The sound so moved him that he embarked on an odyssey to record each of the six Cello Suites in a different acoustical environment. In this piece, Shimizu takes us into a warehouse, a stone quarry, a mine, a concert hall, a Baroque villa and a Gothic palazzo, showing us how the unique acoustics of each site drew out the emotional nuances of each suite in Bach’s masterwork.

Download
  • Human Cuckoo Clock. Improvisation by Yasuaki Shimizu. Live performance at the Tokyo Art Jungle Multimedia Festival, Tokyo International Forum, August 2002. Video. Listen

  • Hung Up. Written and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu. Far East Express. King Records – SKS 8012, 1979. LP. Listen

  • Shinzo No Tobira. Written by Yasuaki Shimizu. Performed by Mariah. Utakata no Hibi. Nippon Columbia ‎– YW-7411-2 BD, 1983. LP. Listen

  • 00:59 – Puzzle 34. Written and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu. IQ 179. Nippon Columbia ‎– YF-7027-B, 1981. LP. Listen

  • Tote Tote. Written by Yasuaki Shimizu. Performed by Yasuaki Shimizu & Saxophonettes. Latin. Eva Records/Wave ‎– WWCX2031, 1991. CD. Listen

  • Endénèh Bèlulegn. Ethiopian Traditional. Written by Yasuaki Shimizu. Performed by Yasuaki Shimizu & Saxophonettes. Pentatonica. Victor Entertainment ‎– VICL-62359, 2007. CD.

  • Shadow of China/Opening Theme. Written and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu. Shadow of China. Victor Entertainment ‎– VICL-29, 1990. CD.

  • Tachikawa. Written and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu. Music for Commercials. Crammed Discs ‎– MTM 12, 1987. LP. Listen

  • Blue Suits. Written and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu. Dementos. Victor Musical Industries ‎– VIH-28341, 1988. LP.

  • Gigue from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged by Yasuaki Shimizu. Performed by Yasuaki Shimizu & Saxophonettes. Cello Suites 1.2.3. Victor Entertainment – VICP–235, 1996. CD.

  • Gigue from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged and performed by Rob MacKillop. 2011. Video. Listen

  • Hz 3. Written and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu. Hz: Five Frequencies for Art Hallucination. 2002. Unreleased.

  • Hz 2.

  • Hz 4.

  • Hz 5.

  • Bridgestone 4. Written and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu. Music for Commercials. Crammed Discs ‎– MTM 12, 1987. LP.

  • Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged and performed by Yasuaki Shimizu, 2016. Unreleased.

  • Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged by Yasuaki Shimizu. Performed by Yasuaki Shimizu & Saxophonettes. Cello Suites 1.2.3. Victor Entertainment – VICP–235, 1996. CD.

  • Prelude from Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008.

  • Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008.

  • Prelude from Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009.

  • Bourrée II from Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009.

  • Courante from Cello Suite No. 4 in E–flat Major, BWV 1010. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged by Yasuaki Shimizu. Performed by Yasuaki Shimizu & Saxophonettes. Cello Suites 4.5.6. Victor Entertainment – VICP–60887, 1999. CD.

  • Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 4 in E–flat Major, BWV 1010.

  • Menuet II from Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011.

  • Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011.

  • Prelude from Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012.

  • Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012.

  • Human Cuckoo Clock. Improvisation by Yasuaki Shimizu. Live performance at the Tokyo Art Jungle Multimedia Festival, Tokyo International Forum, August 2002. Video.

  • Dolomiti Spring – Solo. Written by Yasuaki Shimizu. Performed by Yasuaki Shimizu & Saxophonettes. Pentatonica. Victor Entertainment ‎– VICL–62359, 2007. CD.

Credit

Issue Editor

Willem Bonig

Japan Production Team

Producer

Lisa Schiavon

Translator

Dan Grunebaum

Text Adaptation and Recording Assistance

Kate Klippensteen

US Production Team

Producer

Willem Boning

Senior Editors

Joseph Bedford and Curt Gambetta

Production Consultant

Griffin Ofiesh

Technical Assistant

Brendan Smith

Announcer

Trudy Watt

Interview

Yasuaki Shimizu