Opening the door of the appointed interview room , we heard a melody of shakuhachi, Mr. Bruce Huebner playing together with jazz piano, a sound that gave the feeling of early spring in the air . When we interrupted him, he was in the midst of a session with (Mr) Jonathan Katz, a member of ‘Candela’, a world jazz music group.

The Pursuit of shakuhachi is linked with the tracing of the roots of music

　Bruce Huebner, Shakuhachi player, is at the moment extremely busy performing with both domestic as well as musicians from overseas. Since his childhood, under the influence of his father who was fond of jazz music, he learned how to play the flute and the jazz saxophone.
　“I was taken to live shows of many jazz bands . Recalling those days、 I got familiarized with music in a natural manner , and I suppose I have got my musical roots from that atmosphere.” He came to know about shakuhachi merely by accident. It was at a museum in Los Angeles where a concert of sankyoku, with a three-membered traditional Japanese music ensemble of Shamisen, Koto and Shakuhachi was held. He was overwhelmed by the performance of the players who were wearing Japanese hakama trousers. In spite of very poor knowledge of Japan, needless to say shakuhachi, “The impact I got there was too powerful to diminish…” he said smilingly , “It is still with me very vividly.”

　“But why Shakuhachi?” Despite the fact that he had until that time been learning western instruments like flute or saxophone…. “It came to my mind that I might be able to come across music that I feel most comfortable with if I pursue an instrument such as shakuhachi, which has a tradition of hundreds of years. I also thought it would give good influence to other instruments and musicians. It may even offer a possibility of drastically changing a style of a musician. shakuhachi to me was a tool for that. I loved the tune, of course.”

Whenever meeting up with people I know from way back , I think, “Music is such a wonderful thing .”

　It was not so long time later that he had an opportunity of visiting Japan and playing shakuhachi. Being one of the 80 members in the brass band of the university, he visited Japan traveling across the sea to stay here for about two weeks. His decision was made that time on arriving to learn shakuhachi seriously. His stay lasted that time over three and half years. He attended a language school, went to shakuhachi lessons, and taught English at night to earn his living.
　He once returned to U.S.A. and enrolled himself to the Santa Barbara campus of University of California to study Japanese religions and history, and study the Orient. All those preparations seem focused on his next visit to Japan.
“The roots of shakuhachi are associated with the religion, Buddhism. It is an ambition of a shakuhachi player, or rather as a musician, to dig out the instrument, which I determined to excel at. My desire was not only to master the playing skills, but to learn the significance in how it existed.” Having completed his studies, he came back to Japan and began learning at the Department of Traditional Japanese Music, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, from the late Goro Yamaguchi, who was in his later years awarded a title of Living National Treasure.
“When driving in Los Angeles, I was listening to shakuhachi melody played by him from the car radio. It gives me goose pimples even now by just thinking about it. Right at this moment, his recorded music is flying in a probe ‘Voyager’ somewhere in the space. Soon someone could come to us claiming he is so interested in shakuhachi.…, it could be an alien, though,” said he with laughter.
　After graduation from that university, he was appointed as an assistant professor at Fukushima College. During the six years in Fukushima, he taught students shakuhachi and international understandings, besides conducting vigorous musical activities of his own. “I was in Fukushima the other day and playing at the graduation ceremony of the college. I met good old friends among professors and staff, and felt again ‘What a wonderful thing music is!’ Music bond people together.”

Modern or classic,
Not only these two aspects constitute ‘Japan’

　The year 2000 was a great turning point for Bruce, who decided to leave Tohoku province, now his second hometown, and moved his base to Tokyo to live in the music world. He then co-founded the Jazz World Music Group ‘Candela’ with his long-time partner (Mr.) Jonathan Katz, a player of piano and French horn. The musicians in pursuit of music in each field, in this group aim at creating new music with its roots in jazz. “Though it was not my intention to make shakuhachi the center of the group, it gradually became part of it in a natural manner as we performed repeatedly. ‘A foreigner plays jazz with shakuhachi.’ Curiosity might be a reason for it,” he grinned.
　He struggled along in trial and error with wonderful jazzmen to search for the possibility of shakuhachi. The first album “Mogami” came out this way, and he embarrassingly quoted, “That’s really a nice album.” Most of the music pieces recorded in this CD album are from inspiration he got from natural sceneries, music and experiences, and it is a crystallization of his living in Japan.
　In spring, 2008, Bruce together with Curtis Patterson, a Koto (a Japanese string instrument) player and Susan Osborn, a guest vocalist, is currently performing at series of stages traveling from south to north following cherry blossoms, calling it ‘Sakura Zensen (Cherry Blossom Front) Tour.’
“One day I was practicing in a garden with Curtis, and found people starting to gather into a big crowd, they were so excited, maybe because the pair of us appeared so peculiar to them. Pushed by the enthusiasm, I declared suddenly, saying ‘We will run a tour with the cherry blossom’s front next year!’ It has come true really in the next year. Every time I collaborate with Curtis, I feel that Koto and shakuhachi always go in magnificent harmony…. They both have history of hundreds of years.”
　Yes, shakuhachi has history. It has silence. It has a pause. In the hustle and bustle in today’s society, it is Bruce’s belief that the power of music does not only offer healing, but gets bent stuff straightened. He told us he desired to preserve live tune carefully in order to bring this power to the optimum. We saw his confidence and pride in his remarks, “You come to our live stage and you’ll see .”
　He commented to our last question what Japan was to Bruce.
“Talking about Japan, I feel it has a modern image represented by electronics, neon signs or the media, and, on the other hand, a classic image of kimono or shakuhachi. I want more people to know, however, it’s not everything of Japan. Japan as a nation, and, the culture of Japan, are plentiful of charm, hard to put briefly in a word.”