山口 とも（やまぐち とも）
日本廃品打楽器協会会長
打楽器奏者 写真家
祖父、山口保治は「かわいい魚屋さん」「ないしょないしょ」など
数々の童謡を創った作曲家。父、山口浩一（新日本フィルハーモニー/
ティンパニー名誉首席奏者）の長男として東京に生まれる。
つのだ☆ひろのアシスタントとして音楽の世界に入る。1980年
「つのだ☆ひろとJAP'S GAP'S」でデビュー。解散後、フリーの
パーカッショニストとして中山美穂・今井美樹・平井堅・石井竜也・
サーカスなど、数々のアーティストのツアーやレコーディングに参加。
95年の音楽劇「銀河鉄道の夜」をきっかけに廃品から様々な
オリジナル楽器を作るようになる。「音楽=音を楽しむこと」をモットーに
近年では、様々な年齢層の人が楽しめることを目指し、廃品打楽器を使った
独自のパフォーマンスを展開する。また、「廃品をリサイクルして楽器を作る=
楽しみながら地球環境を考える」ヒントをも示唆することにつながり
エコロジー的見地から見ても、その可能性は幅広い。
一度見たら忘れられない希有なキャラクターが世間から評価を受け、
’03年4月からNHK教育テレビで放送された「ドレミノテレビ」では、
ううあとともに進行役をつとめ、「ともとも」の愛称で親しまれて人気を博した。
その他テレビ出演も多数。
ガラクタに命を吹き込む打楽器奏者。
ドレミノテレビは2004年度
GOOD DESIGN AWRD
コミュニケーションデザイン部門で
大賞を受賞しました。
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ここ数年、僕は街で拾ってきた ゴミ に手を加えて
オリジナル の楽器をつくっている。
きっかけは９５年に参加した
音楽劇 『銀河鉄道の夜』 （原作 宮沢賢治）。
宇宙的な音を要求され、
概製の楽器ではどうしても思った通りの音が出せず、
それならば 自分で楽器を作って見よう と思った。
９８年に日本で行われたパーカッションフェスティバルで
Ｎ．Ｙ．のパーカッショングループ 『パルス』 と共演し、
彼らに招かれて９９年の２月に渡米した。
フェスティバルで僕がやったのは、
両足に一斗缶を履き、両手にデッキブラシを持ち、手と足で床を打ち鳴らし、
歩きながらリズムを出すといったパフォーマンスだった。
Ｎ．Ｙ．ではクイーンズカレッジの
マスタークラスの生徒たちの前でパフォーマンスをしてきた。
生徒たちは僕の作った楽器を興味深く見てくれて、
僕はとても嬉しかった。
僕は ”音楽＝音を楽しむこと” と思っている。
決して音を楽しむことを忘れてはいけない、
自分自身が音楽を楽しんでいなければ、
それを聴きにきてくれた人を楽しませたり、
気持ちよくさせることができないと思う。
僕は子供から老人まで楽しめる
言葉のいらない音楽 を目指している。
頭で難しく考える音楽よりも、
単純に目や耳で楽しめる音楽のほうが僕は好きだ。
音楽を楽しむということは 世界共通 だと思う。
ゴミから生まれる僕の 音の世界 を
是非世界中の子供達や大人達に楽しんでもらいたい。
山口 とも
------------------------------------------
Tomo
Yamaguchi
Percussionist/Photographer
Tomo Yamaguchi was born in Tokyo as
the first son to Leading Timpanist
for the New Japan Philharmonic,
Koichi Yamaguchi. Tomo's grandfather
Yasuharu Yamaguchi was a composer
who wrote Japan's well-known
children's songs "The Cute Fish Market"
("Kawaii Sakanaya-san")
and "Secret, Secret" ("Naisho, Naisho").
Tomo entered the music world as
an assistant to Hiroshi Tsunoda,
debuting in 1980 in "Hiro and Japs & Gaps."
After the breakup of this band,
Tomo started to work as a freelance percussionist,
joining tours and recordings for many artists
such as Miho Nakayama, Miki Imai,
Kirinji, and Ken Hirai.
In 1995, inspired by the musical drama
"The Night of the Ginga Railroad,
窶・Tomo started to create original musical instruments
made from discarded objects.
He began performances with Sizzle Ohtaka,
rocker Robbie Nakayama,
and free-jazzist Sachi Hayakawa,
which further broadened his artistic activities.
At the end of 2000, Tomo joined
Jun Miyake and Phillip Ducfret
to perform a dance/juggling collaboration in France.
With the motto "Music is to enjoy sound,
" Tomo's performances
-- with his original instruments made from junk --
have been attracting wide-spread attention.
His entertainment appeals to
a wide audience ranging from children to adults.
Tomo Yamaguchi is a percussionist whose mission
is to make junk become alive and useful.
**********************
For the last few years I've been creating
original instruments from the trash that
I've picked up around town.
The starting point was when I was asked
to create cosmic sounds for
the musical drama "The Night of the Ginga Railroad,"
written by Kenji Miyazawa.
Failing to produce the sound that I
wanted from existing instruments,
I realized I would need to create instruments myself.
I went to New York in 1999 at
the invitation of Pulse,
a percussion group from New York
with whom I played during
a percussion festival in Japan in 1998.
For this festival performance I created
rhythm and sound by stomping on the floor
with two drum cans tied to my feet
and deck brushes in my hands.
I also performed this in New York
for master class students.
I was very happy to see them so interested
in the musical instruments that I had created.
I believe that music is to enjoy sound.
One should never forget enjoying "sound."
If the performers don窶冲 enjoy it themselves,
they cannot give pleasure to others
who come to listen to it.
What I am hoping to achieve for children
to elderly people is music that needs no words.
I like music that is simply enjoyable
by watching and listening rather
than by understanding intellectually.
Enjoying music is universal.
I would like all children and adults
in the world to enjoy the world of my music
-- music born from discarded trash.
-- Tomo
Yamaguchi
***********************
TOMO YAMAGUCHI
PROFILE
PERFORMANCE BY JUNK
1995 : Performed in the musical drama
"The Night of the Ginga Railroad"
(written by Kenji Miyazawa, produced by Akira Shirai)
by invitation of music director Toshihiro Nakanishi.
To create cosmic sounds,
created instruments entirely from discarded trash.
1996 : Rerun
of "The Night of the Ginga Railroad."
1996-1998 : Coached movement for actors
and percussionists using trash cans,
mops, and frying pans at Spanish Village
(Spain Mura) in Issei.
1998 : Joined percussion festival sponsored
by Japan Association for Percussion Instruments.
Performed using mops
and various instruments made from junk.
First encounter with New York percussion group, Pulse.
1999 (Jan) : Article about Tomo's instruments
made from discarded trash appears
in Asahi Newspaper titled,
"It's Not Trash, It's An Instrument When You Play It."
Appeared as a guest in
an NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
program ("Ikiiki Interview : Rhythm Played by Trash").
1999 (Feb) : Invited by Pulse to go to
New York to perform at a concert hall at Queens College.
1999 (Mar) : Appeared as a guest
in NHK Broadcast Satellite children's show,
"Fruit Sundae."
1999 (May) : Joined percussion festival
at Tokyo窶冱 Suntory Hall.
Played solo in "Magic Box"
(composed by Shigeaki Saegusa)
using homemade instruments.
1999 (Jun) : An article titled
"Series : A Place For Music To Be Born"
was published in Kyoiku Ongaku
by Ongaku no Tomo Publishing Company.
1999 (Jul) : Appeared as a guest in an event sponsored
by Kanagawa Network Movement Ninomiyacho.
Performed in
"Recycling Movement at Yurigaoka Children's Hall."
Began teaching how to make homemade
musical instruments from discarded junk.
1999 (Aug) : Performed using drum cans in
"Gatherings in Summer Break"
at Tokyo Children's Hall.
1999 (Oct) : Appeared as a performer and commentator at
"The Recycling Improvement Rally (RE-Magazine '99)"
sponsored by Clean Japan Center held at
Tokyo Ikebukuro
Sunshine.
1999 (Nov) : Appeared as a guest in NHK Educational TV
program "Strange Egg," showing how instruments made
from discarded items can be used to create sound.
1999 (Dec) : Performed at Honganji Kobe Betsuin Temple,
joining "Ho-onkou Children's Gatherings,"
sponsored by Kobe Awaji Earthquake
Victims Support Group.
2000 (Jan) : Appeared as a guest at Showa District Center School.
Performed at Nakano Ward Children's House.
Performed at Kishiwada Citizen's Center in Osaka.
Gave a performance and lecture to
Fireman's Music Group in Izumi Sano City Osaka.
2000 (Jun) : Performance with vocalist Sizzle Ohtaka
at Kaisyuin in Tokyo titled
"Harmonization of Lyrical Percussion
and Fluttering Voice from Dark to Light."
2000 (Sep) : Performances at Ise Children's Home
and Kinan Children's and Parents窶・Hall entitled
"Play with Tomo Yamaguchi using
Recycled Musical Instruments."
2000 (Oct) : Performance at Hirota Kindergarten
in Nishinomiya was broadcast on Yomiuri TV's News Scramble,
a six-minute program titled
"Tomo Yamaguchi : The Percussionist
Who Plays Instruments Created from Junk."
Performances at Sanshi District Children's Theater Center,
Komono Youth Center, and Yokkaichi Laborer's Welfare Center.
2000 (Nov) : Appeared as a guest on Radio Kansai's 窶廨oro
Tani's Oh, Happy Morning窶・and Sakura Nishimura's FM
"Our Town, Our Hometown."
Introduced in Tokyo newspapers,
窶弋okyo Analysis Chart,窶・and in magazine 窶彜aizo窶・
with photo by Bruce Osbourne.
Was featured in a segment entitled
"Junk-Playing Percussionist Tomo Yamaguchi"
on the Japan TV news program, "Plus One."
2000 (Dec) : Appeared in a Japan TV program,
"Zoom In Saturday."
2001 (Jan) : Appeared as a guest on FM Tokyo's
"Sunday Morning Festa."
2001 (Feb) : Performances at
Yokkaichi Minami Children's Theater,
Shigo Area Citizen's Center,
Suzuka Children's Center, and Tamagaki Public Theater.
Appeared as a guest on TV Tokyo, "Akata
No Gen."
2001 (Mar) : Performed with Sachi Hayasaka窶冱 band in
"Human Mind Concert."
2001 (May) : Appeared as a guest
in Radio Bunka Broadcasting
"Nomura Hogan Feels ZunZun"
and in NHK Sogo News
"Good Morning Japan."
2001 (Jun) : Appeared in NHK Educational TV
"Genius TV-kun Wide"
and at Matsuzaka NPO Center,
"Sound Explorer Tomo Yamaguchi
Recycled Instruments Performance."
2001 (Jul) : Appeared with Sizzle Ohtaka in NHK Okayama
"Kibikibi Wide 505,"
talked about homemade instruments
and the musical stance between himself and Sizzle.
2001 (Sep) : Live appearance
on NHK Dai-Ichi Radio
"Iki Iki Club."
2001 (Oct) : Appeared in "Let's Touch
# Instruments" on NHK Educational TV
"Machikado Do-Re-Mi."
2001 (Nov) : Performances at Volunteer's Festival
in Ibaraki and Environmental Festival
in Kohoku Town.
His instruments were featured in
"Pacific Friend,"
a magazine introducing Japan to abroad.
2001 (Dec) : Held concert workshops
in China with Sizzle Ohtaka,
to raving reviews.
2002 (Jan) : Yomiuri News published
an article about his concert held in Peking.
2002 (May) : The 2nd live appearance on
NHK Dai-Ichi Radio.
Performance with Chinese Koto
player Goho at Graphity in Akasaka.
2002 (Jun) : Appeared with trumpet player Jun Miyake
in
"The Office of Transportation Ceremonial Event,"
a collaboration of trumpet, percussion, and painting.
Performance at Aisei School with Sizzle Ohtaka.
2002 (Jul) : Event at Cafﾃｩ Omamori in Daikanyama starring
his percussion group Ticobo,
with belly dancing, saxophone,
and DJ. Held Percussion workshop
at Ota-ku Grade School.
2002 (Aug) : Performance with
pianist Yukie Nishimura at
Minami Aoyama Mandala.
2002 (Sep) : Performance with
Sizzle Ohtaka and Kazutoki Umezu
at Ishikawa Factory in Tokyo.
"Patapata De La Salsa"
performance with Chinese Koto
player Goho at the Imperial Hotel in Osaka.
Appeared on Sanyo TV and NHK TV,
talked about musical instruments
made from discarded objects.
Sanyo Newspaper runs an article about
Tomo Yamaguchi's homemade instruments.
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