Robert Carl (b. 1954) has long been interested in Japanese music
and culture, and in the spring of 2007 he received a grant from the
Asian Cultural Council to travel to Japan to interview Japanese
composers between the ages of thirty and sixtyhis contemporaries, whom
he describes as the post-Takemitsu generation. The complex interplay
of history, culture, and memory has long occupied Carls thoughts, and
forms the basis of his musical exploration of Japan.
His latest CD release, "FROM JAPAN" from New World Records, includes A CLEAN SWEEP, for shakuhachi and fixed audio media; BULLET CYCLE for 2 players and electronics; BROWN VELVET for bassoon and electronics; and a second version of A CLEAN SWEEP, for two shakuhachi and fixed media.
Performers on the recording include Elizabeth Brown and Robert Carl, shakuhachi; Ryan Hare, bassoon;
Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn, laptop; Katie Kennedy, cello; Bill Solomon,
vibraphone; and Sayun Chang, percussion.