Watched an energizing performance last night by Satsuki Shimizu at Nega-Posi. Her Japanese folk and folk-inspired music on the shamisen and sanshin seems to plant music with deep traditional roots into a modern sensibility. I don’t know which songs were “traditional” and which were originals, but they all sounded new. Accompanying Shimizu were a quietly excellent harmonica player and “Double Percussion,” an energetic duo playing an assortment of earthy percussion including cajon box drums, whistles, rattles and a steel drum. Shimizu’s voice was clear and strong, and her performance was precise, playful and warm. The audience ranged from a group of students to a dignified-looking guy with short grey hair, a dark suit and slightly funky shoes.
I first knew Shimizu not as a musician, but as Mari’s friend “Satsuki,” who was generous enough to give us her spare refrigerator. Mari tells me Satsuki was her first “Kyoto-friend” years ago. Mari also says that before Satsuki started playing music, her passion was motocross racing.