The Taj-Mahal Travellers
The Taj-Mahal Travellers (also given variously as Taj Mahal Travelers, Taj Mahal Travellers, etc.) were a Japanese experimental music ensemble founded in 1969 by former Group Ongaku leader and Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi. The rest of the group were several years younger than Kosugi, and were all inspired by the spirit of the day. They chose mainly to perform their music out of doors, often on beaches and hilltops, creating spontaneously improvised drones (compare with Dronology), often using standard musical instruments, albeit in unconventional ways
The Taj-Mahal Travellers (also given variously as Taj Mahal Travelers, Taj Mahal Travellers, etc.) were a Japanese experimental music ensemble founded in 1969 by former Group Ongaku leader and Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi. The rest of the group were several years younger than Kosugi, and were all inspired by the spirit of the day. They chose mainly to perform their music out of doors, often on beaches and hilltops, creating spontaneously improvised drones (compare with Dronology), often using standard musical instruments, albeit in unconventional ways
Live In Stockholm 1971
An amazing performance by Taj Mahal Travellers recorded during July 1971 in the geodesic dome at the "Utopia & Visions 1871-1981" exhibition at Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden - this CD includes tracks recorded the term. It is deeply percieved the concept of their performance, and it is obviously different from their past 2 discs which were released by major label. You will hear early years of the group's great impromptu. " From Julian Cope's Japrocksampler: "This album is a discorporated, cer…
Distant Voices
Aguirre Records present a reissue of Distant Voices, Steve Lacy's rare Japanese collaboration album, originally released in 1976. Renowned for remarkable solo concerts that confirmed his mastery of the soprano horn and that carried its instrumental language into previously unexplored regions, Lacy also loved to collaborate with musicians who could inspire him to stretch the boundaries of his own artistry. During the summer of 1975 Lacy toured Japan, and on June 24th he entered a Nippon Columbia …
1 - August 1974
**Sold out at the label. Limited edition of 1000 copies, one time pressing, don't miss this one** Aguirre Records present a reissue of Taj Mahal Travellers' 1 - August 1974, originally released in 1975. A monumental work by the Japanese experimental music ensemble. In April 1972 a group of Japanese musicians set off from Rotterdam in a Volkswagen van. As they crossed Europe and then made their way through Asia they made music in a wide range of locations. They also paid close attention to the ch…
Roots Of Electronic Sound
Here’s possibly... ah hell it IS the best looking Creel Pone yet - thanks to an extended spec and much nicer print-stock - a reproduction of a 1979 Victor label reissue of a 1975 LP on the legendary Alm label featuring a series of short tape music experiments, recorded between 1963 and 1966 by Matsuo Ono, with assistance from none other than Takehisa Kosugi. The artwork and libretto on the lp are full of references to “Atom” - better known to westerners as “Astro Boy” - a mid-60s japanese car…
Enban Live at the Strange Fruit
Avant-primitive improv from the duo of Takehisa Kosugi (Violin, Recorder, Voice) and Takashi Kazamaki (Percussion, Harmonica). Recorded in 1983, Kosugi shows yet another side of himself, trading his drone for a more free-hillbilly style, which meshes perfectly with Kazamaki's masterful tumbling and clattering. A ritualistic, shamanic vibe: the music has natural flow, nothing seems forced, percussions are all over, underlining the shamanic explorations for the soulful violin (or bamboo flutes) pl…
Apollo And Marsyas: Het Apollohuis 1980-1997 An Anthology Of New
A special bundle edition for this double CD-set with accompanying 4 books that provide an outline of the programme series as het Apollohuis from the fall of 1980 to the mid 90s. Four catalogues and the two discs with thirty-eight excerpts are arranged in chronological order and give a truthful and appealing view of the width, the depth and the diversity of the concert programme of Het Apollohuis. The CDs feature Derek Bailey / Ernst Reijseger, Tom Johnson, David Gibson, Group 180, Rolf Juliu…
Improvisation Sep. 1975
Originally released on the Iskra label in 1975, Improvisation Sep. 1975 is a mind-bending slice of drone improv from two of Japan's post-war heavyweights; former John Cage student, Juilliard graduate, and Yoko Ono's former husband, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Takehisa Kosugi, considered by many to be the father of what some called "Japanese Krautrock," and Stockhausen percussionist Michael Ranta. Heavy layers of reverbed ring modulators, threaded vocals, melodicas, pianos, violins, gongs and Japanese biwa…
August 1974
Gatefold 2LP version. Originally issued as a double LP with each of the 4 tracks being roughly the same length as the side of a record, August 1974 presents the Taj Mahal Travellers at their most sophisticated. Although their stunning cosmic music was always improvised, the band, formed in 1969 by "six meta-music creators and one electronic engineer" played regularly throughout Japan and eventually found their way to Europe where they met up with avant-garde musicians such as Don Cherry. 1…
Electronic Noise Improvisation 1999
After spending the first half of the 1970s globetrotting with Asia's premiere avant-garde band--Takehisa Kosugi's Taj Mahal Travellers (where Seiji Nagai played trumpet and keyboards)--Nagai continued to study and play music, particularly Indian music (drones) and electronic/computer generated music. In 1999 he finally released Electronic Noise Improvisation, with the help of Koichi Watanabe, Koji Kawai and Minoru Yonemoto. Here, as in the days of TMT, Nagai concentrates on creating dense …
Live In Tokyo, August, 19th 1974, Part Two
Part two. This double album (divided into two LPs), recorded live at the Nippon Columbia Studio in Tokyo in 1974, was the group's final effort before disbanding. Here Kosugi and the Travellers blend Eastern and Western instrumentation, vocal chants and electronics to create free-form psych-laden drones. This historic album is an essential and influential piece of Japanese avant rock." Part One LP, clear vinyl in clear plastic sleeve with black lettering. Limited…
Live In Tokyo, August, 19th 1974, Part One
This double album (divided into two LPs), recorded live at the Nippon Columbia Studio in Tokyo in 1974, was the group's final effort before disbanding. Here Kosugi and the Travellers blend Eastern and Western instrumentation, vocal chants and electronics to create free-form psych-laden drones. This historic album is an essential and influential piece of Japanese avant rock." Part One LP, clear vinyl in clear plastic sleeve with black lettering. Limited edition …
Live At Sohgetsu Hall In Tokyo, 15th July 1972
After returning from a year-long tour of Europe and Asia, the group returned home to Tokyo for this concert. Originally released on CBS Japan in 1972, the concert remained out of print for decades and has never before been reissued on vinyl. The line up features Takehisa Kosugi on electronic violin, vocals and radio oscillators, Ryo Koike on electronic contrabass, suntool, sheet iron, and harmonica, Yukio Tsuchiya on vibraphone, Michihiro Kimura on electronic guitar & percussion, Seiji N…
Studio Improvisations, Tokyo, 16th And 17th September, 1974
Originally released on CBS Japan in 1975, this solo album by the godfather of Japanese avant-garde music was called one of the top ten 'Japrock' albums of all time in Julian Cope's Japrock Sampler." Red vinyl LP in clear plastic sleeve with black lettering. Limited edition 500 copies.
Live at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm - 9 July 1971
Day two of this historic and rare live performance at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden." Grey vinyl in clear plastic sleeve with blue lettering (limited edition 500 copies)
Live at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm - 1 July 1971
Recorded on 1 July 1971 in the geodesic dome at the 'Utopia & Visions 1871-1981' exhibition at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Takehisa Kosugi's Taj Mahal Travellers were a Japanese experimental improv group active in the 1970s. The group, heavily influenced by Fluxus, used electronic effects to create their own unique improvised drones." White vinyl in clear plastic sleeve with red lettering (limited edition 500 copies)
Angels Have Passed
Trio improv; Yoshizawa playing 5 string bass, Kosugi on violin, and Miyake on piano. A post-Cecil thirdstream air about it that's real avant-classical. Fluxus member Kosugi was also a member of '70s legends Taj Mahal Travellers.
Live Stockholm July, 1971
"Led by infamous Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi, Tokyo's Taj Mahal Travellers were one of the prime examples of a band more heard-of than actually heard. Their vinyl legacy (the 1972 LP July 15, 1972 released on CBS/Sony Japan; the 1974 2LP August 1974 released on Columbia Japan and recently reissued by P-Vine as a 2CD; one side of the mythical Oz Days Live 2LP compilation released on Oz in 1973 and recently bootlegged as a single LP) could dig a hole in your wallet deeper than the Grand Canyon. …
Improvisation sept 75
Originally released on the Iskra label in 1975, Improvisation Sep. 1975 is a mind-bending slice of drone improv from two of Japan's post-war heavyweights; former John Cage student, Juilliard graduate, and Yoko Ono's former husband, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Takehisa Kosugi, considered by many to be the father of what some called "Japanese Krautrock," and Stockhausen percussionist Michael Ranta. Heavy layers of reverbed ring modulators, threaded vocals, melodicas, pianos, violins, gongs and Japanese biwa…
On tour
Taj Mahal Travellers formed by many sorce of member that group act was always and truthfully improvised. Staged many concerts and festivals in european countries from 1971, after this tour, some of main member went a big travel to taj mahal with a station wagon. This DVD is focused on their nearly a year travel with many valuable images. taj mahal Travellers : Michihiro Kimura, Ryo Koike, Takehisa Kosugi, Yukio Tsuchiya, Seiji Nagai, Tokio Hasegawa. This film is legendary documentary of the road…
Catch-Wave 97
First release of this 1997 performance featuring Takehisa Kosugi performing an updated version of his seminal “catch-wave” for solo violin & electronics (the original recording of which has become something of a perennial around here) ...comes as a double-wide jewel case (love these - haven’t seen one in eons !!!) containing a fat 32-page booklet of ocean-photos (not dis-similar to the closing frames of the Taj Mahal Traveller’s “on tour” film actually) & a booklet with new liners (in japanese &…