fluid piano
From Kyo-san’s instagram
Last year we were absolutely delighted to hear that Kyo Ichinose was going to play in Singapore. Long before we worked together since “A Little Fable” i had known his music from as early as 2004, but this would be the first time seeing him live (having missed his ‘Earthrise 2064’ concert last December by a couple of days).
At the Esplanade Recital Studio. Kyo-san, in a top-to-toe 茶色 outfit, walked onstage and bowed, and then that was where the magic began. Forty minutes of fluid piano with overlapping time signatures and dramatic octave transitions… had me at the edge of my seat, eyes and ears fixated on the performer’s hands. After a round of thunderous applause, Kyo-san stood up sheepishly, asking if he could play one last song. It would be “I Am Here” from his Protoplasm album. I was only too happy. “Of course!” i cried.
Fast forward to the next day. For lunch we indulged in double servings of Briyani, Tandoori Chicken and Fish Head Curry aplenty, toast and Curry Puffs for teabreak, and dinner was a feast of Satay, fried rice and noodles, stir-fried Kailan, barbecued stingray with abundant Sambal… till Kyo-san could have no more.
“The appetite is willing but the stomach is not”,
he said, throwing in the towel.
At the Kitchen. Label headquarters. Ricks, Fuzz and Kyo-san.
Singlish lessons with Fuzz-sensei. (A souvenir from Cat Socrates).
From Ricks’s instagram.
Something like a memorial photo. Thank you as always for your beautiful string arrangement for “Landscape With A Fairy” and “homeward waltz”. Looking forward to another collaboration.
See you in Tokyo later this year!