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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 19, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| September 22, 2004 |
The Music of Bamboo Cedar Oak |
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| Bamboo Cedar Oak - a small sample of their instruments displayed in the foreground |
In 2002 Nigel Shaw, Guillermo Martinez, and Hiroki Okano came together from different parts of the
world to form the musical trio Bamboo Cedar Oak. According to Nigel, "...the intent was always
to produce music that would evoke a unity of spirit and a global sound." The band has certainly
achieved this, playing dozens of instruments from around the world and blending them masterfully.
Beginning in New York the group joined Peace Boat until Guatemala, performing a series of concerts,
discussions, and instrument making workshops. |
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| Hiroki Okano, Japanese activist and composer |
All three of the men are active in social causes and see their music as an extension of bringing cultures
together. As individuals their work ranges from working with Survival International to gain land rights
to composing music for television programmes about the environment, history and art. As a peace activist
Hiroki Okano is one of the pioneers of Japanese ambient and tribal music and works actively with people
living in regions of conflict. After the 2002 air raids Hiroki flew to Afghanistan to hold a peace
concert with street children in Kabul. In his homeland of Japan he is now supporting local art education
through the establishment of the Aschiana Fund, while this summer he co-organized the World Peace
and Prayer Day, a multicultural event held on Mt. Fuji in Japan. |
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| Guillermo Martinez performing native dance |
One of the unique aspects of Bamboo Cedar Oak's music is the broad use of instruments, many of which
are made by the bands own Guillermo Martinez a master instrument maker from California and a native
Tarascan, from the highlands of Michoacan, Mexico. In his work with ethno-musicologists, Guillermo
is a highly regarded as a teacher of the traditional methods of the making sacred instruments. "During
colonization periods instruments were restricted, because native peoples couldn't be allowed to connect
with their spiritual strength. Many generations have lived and died without knowing about this," said
Guillermo. "Through instruments I can uncover international histories and cultures of people.
Also through the tools to make these instruments, very interesting historical details and stories
can be found. The tools can also show you about the history and society the instrument came from.
I try to resurrect these instruments and tools that would otherwise be lost." To teach others
about his craft Guillermo held several instrument making workshops. |
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| Nigel Shaw playing British flute |
Nigel Shaw, an acclaimed composer of ambient music from the United Kingdom believes the basic principle
of the group's music is to educate people about different cultures. Nigel has actively worked on peace
and human rights struggles including the Free Tibet Campaign and believes that music is a fantastic
medium to cross cultural boundaries without the use of language. "We all collect different instruments
from around the world," said Nigel, "which leads to the basic premise of peace issues -
if you have a deeper understanding of a people's culture, you have a much harder time going to war
with that group of people." Nigel believes it is time for a cultural shift to a global thinking,
as one nation, and away from using cultural differences for defensive measures. |
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| Peace Boat participants with newly made drums |
The performances of the trio were not only notable musically but informative. In between songs one
of the band members often explained the formation of the songs, the instruments' origins, and how
the collaboration came about. One example is the formation of the band's name "Bamboo Cedar Oak" -
which represents each member's heritage. "The drum, the rattle, and the flute are the three most
important sacred instruments used by tribal peoples all over the world. Here the three different woods
used to make these flutes each represent our three cultures and traditions. Together the flutes sing
a celebration of our ancient lands." By the end of their time onboard, along with celebrating their
music and talent with many Peace Boat participants, the band members were able to put new music together,
build new instrument combinations, and further develop the global sound they so gracefully create. |
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