Introduction

All tunes were composed between 1995 and 1997.
I formed a band to play these songs at various gigs during a two-and-a-half year period.
Members of the band were great musicians and the audiences seemed be happy with our performances.
I decided to record the shows.

The original recordings for “Take Zero” took place around Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. in 1997.
Newbury Sound, Boston, MA (1997-01-27)
Sound Techniques, Boston, MA (1997-01-28)
Blue Jay Recording Studio, Carlisle, MA (1997-05-13).
All the music was recorded onto 4 tapes.

I asked several record companies if they would be interested in this project.
However, none showed any interest.
I mixed them into stereo for my personal fun and things didn’t go any further.

The time to return to Japan was quickly approaching.
I made up my mind to bring back all the tapes for reasons I don’t remember.
Each of these tapes was so heavy.
You wouldn’t be able to stand while holding all of them.
I took only 2 tapes with me as baggage on the airplane.
Where did the other 2 tapes go?
I asked a guy to bring them with him upon his return.
He kindly accepted my request and succeeded in carrying them back to Japan.

That guy was Ryuta Kamahara, who would become the producer of “Take Zero” 13 years later.

After I settled down in Japan, I sometimes listened to the mixdown when I needed some encouragement to be a better musician.
At such times, I would feel a resurgence, which washed away any negativity.
Eventually I started noticing that these 8 tunes could coalesce into an album.
I became haunted by the idea.
I asked Ryuta if he would be the co-producer for my imaginary album.
He said, “Yes!” without any hesitation.
In 2010 things started to move forward.

The first order of business was getting the digital audio data from these 4 analog tapes.
Avaco Creative Studio, Tokyo, Japan (2011-06-02〜2011-06-10).

We re-recorded various sections of the music, added guitar and Take’s Orchestra to some tunes.
This process was occurring simultaneously with producing “Take Two”.
Take Anything Studio, Kawasaki, Japan (2011-10-01〜2014-08-01).

“Take Two” was released on September 1, 2014.
Mixing for this album soon followed.
Take Anything Studio, Kawasaki, Japan (2014-11-01〜2015-04-17).
Finally, we reached to the Mastering.
Saidera Mastering, Tokyo, Japan (2015-04-27).

I am delighted to present“Take Zero” to you after all these years.
I am proud of these eight pieces.
They have stood the test of time and now await their return to audiences.

I hope you enjoy them.

Songs

1.Great Guys

I sincerely respect all the musicians who played with me on “Take Zero”.
They are superb!
I really appreciate them for showing their incredible talents for this CD.

2.C.B.G.B.

“A Courageous Bosnian Girl in Bosnia”.
I used to enjoy seeing European movies in New York.
There were a number of theaters where we could see them in Manhattan.
Why a European movie rather than an American movie?
Simply, I am better at reading English than hearing it.
I found it difficult to follow the storyline in an American movie because it had no subtitles.
One day I watched an Italian film, its title I can’t remember.
In the movie an Italian journalist went to Bosnia to report on the war.
He finds himself in bad circumstances and tried to escape Bosnia back to Italy along with many Bosnian citizens.
A girl who was about 6 years old and appeared very briefly in one scene captivated me.
The impact seemed to reach somewhere deep inside me.
I was unable to find a way to escape the girl.
So I made a song dedicated to this imaginary girl and to ask her to let me go.

3.So Far So Long

These days, creating something is recognized as making something new.
I am not comfortable with this concept, even though I have composed numerous songs.
A sculptor of Buddhist images in medieval Japan would try to find a figure, which already existed in the wood.
A composer in medieval Europe believed in a harmony in the universe, which is caused by the vibrations of the Sun, Moon and planets.
They believed that they must express it in music because human beings could not hear these vibrations by ear.
I am that sculptor and composer when making music.
Searching for existing beauty seems easy.
Unfortunately, reality shows us otherwise.
A master’s skill and vast experiences are necessary to dig Buddha’s figure from the wood.
When I finished composing this tune, I had the impression that I could “dig” the perfect Buddha image without any damages for the first time in my life.
The journey was long and arduous up to this point.
This tune was the catalyst, which sparked my resolve to undertake this project.

4.A Ballad

I’m using the word “ballad” in a contemporary manner, although it has numerous meanings throughout Western history.

5.Parallel World

The phrase has a lot of meanings.
Here I use it as a mechanism by which synchronicity happens.
Initially this title was temporary.
The voicing in the harmony rose in parallel motion.
After we played the tune in various situations, we were completely comfortable with the name, including its profound meaning.

6.All the Flowers

The tune sounds very strange to me.
I was searching for music that was vulnerable yet stable, mellow but uneasy.
This is the result after much suffering.
While composing, a vision of an unusual assortment of flowers, Earth-grown varietals along with otherworldly alien flora, continually appeared in my mind.

7.Logan Airport Terminal B

Logan Airport is an international airport located in the Boston, MA area.
It is also a memorable place for me because it was my first arrival location in the United States.
I would go there to watch people and airplanes, often wondering their respective intentions and destinations.
Many “Hello” and Goodbye” were spoken here.
There was a nice and cozy Irish bar in Terminal B.
I loved to sit there and watch outside the windows and have a couple of glasses of ale.
This song is dedicated to all those situations rather than just the airport.
After I completed composing this tune, I went to Terminal B to celebrate my efforts.
With ale in hand, I peered deep into the growing night.

8.New Born

I guess people must go through “an experience of rebirth” a couple of times in their life.
It could be agonizing one time; joyful the next, or it might be an intertwining of both.

Conclusion

In 1997 I set sail onto the rough sea, the sea called “Music”.
“Music” has a double meaning to me - Profession and Mission.
Profession by which I maintain my life and Mission by which I commit myself to make good music to share joy with everyone on this planet.

I began my journey on a tiny boat at that time.
I sailed out to sea even though I lacked readiness and confidence.
Somehow, I knew that a lighthouse would guide me whenever I got lost.
“The lighthouse is in my soul,” I used to say to myself.

These compositions continue to remind me of the journey I began in Boston many years ago.
The stories of the tiny boat, the adventures and that lighthouse shall forever endure.

“Take Zero” is the rechristening of that boat and the celebration of being “New Born” as a musician.

Photos