, a Japanese musician who studied koto under Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai and Satomi Kurauchi, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. Between 1989 and 1990, during her tenure as visiting professor of music at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

in Connecticut, U.S.A., she premiered numerous modern compositions for koto and came under the influence of maverick American composers such as

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

, Conlon Nancarrow, and John Zorn. Her solo koto CD ''Shizuku'' was produced by Zorn and released on the Tzadik label in 1999. In 2001 she recorded "Yural" with her koto ensemble Paulownia Crush for the East Works label. Under the auspices of the Japan Foundation, Yagi toured Russia with this ensemble in the fall of 2004. An eclectic musician, Yagi has frequently appeared on Japanese TV and has performed at the Moers Jazz, Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, Archipel, Bang on a Can, Tokyo Summer, Vision, Punkt, Instal, Music Unlimited, Météo-Mulhouse, Born Creative, and Jazztopad Festivals. Yagi's koto has been featured in ex- Judy and Mary guitarist/singer Takuya's rock band, and she has recorded and appeared onstage with Ayumi Hamasaki, one of Japan's best-selling pop singers. Yagi was a founding member of the quartet Koto Vortex with fellow Sawai apprentices Yoko Nishi, Miki Maruta and Etsuko Takezawa,https://www.webcitation.org/6Kr8xHo87?url=http://www.japanimprov.com/myagi/profile.html as well as Kokoo, a trio which performs originals and progressive rock covers exclusively on traditional Japanese instruments. She was also one-third of the avant-pop girl group Hoahio which recorded two CD's for Tzadik. Yagi is one of the few improvising koto players on the international stage. She has performed with Eivind Aarset, Mark Dresser, John Zorn, Peter Brötzmann, Elliott Sharp, Han Bennink, Akira Sakata, Kazuhisa Uchihashi (Altered States), Natsuki Kido ( Bondage Fruit), Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Otomo Yoshihide, Bugge Wesseltoft, Saadet Türköz, Ned Rothenberg, Hoppy Kamiyama, Samm Bennett, Yuji Katsui (Rovo), Lauren Newton, Hans Reichel, Sabu Toyozumi, Mino Cinelu, Satoko Fujii, Joëlle Léandre, Tatsuya Yoshida ( Ruins), Bill Laswell, Kazutoki Umezu, Carl Stone, Kang Tae Hwan, Christian Marclay, Koichi Makigami, Zeena Parkins, Masahiko Satoh, Billy Bang, Keiji Haino, Jason Roebke, Sachiko M, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love, MZN3 (Kjetil Møster, Per Zanussi, Kjell Nordeson), Chris Mosdell, Steven Wilson (

Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...

), WHO Trio, Mani Neumeier, The Geordie Approach, Chrome Hill, Hamid Drake (Jazztopad Festival Wroclaw /Poland 2022, and others. Among Yagi's post-Tzadik recordings are ''Seventeen'', entirely performed on the giant 17-string koto; ''Live! at SuperDeluxe'', a trio session with Flaten and Nilssen-Love; ''Head On'' and ''Volda'' as a member of the trio Brötzmann/Yagi/Nilssen-Love; ''Reflexions'', a duo album with guitarist Elliott Sharp; ''Ichi no Maki'' and ''Ni no Maki'' by Dōjō, her duo with drummer Tamaya Honda; and Into The Forest featuring Yagi on kotos and vocals, with instrumental support from members of her Double Trio.

Discography (as leader or co-leader)

* 1994: ''Koto Vortex I: Works by Hiroshi Yoshimura'' (Dainippon Katei Ongakukai / Paradise) * 1996: ''Koto Vortex II: Arcadia'' (Dainippon Katei Ongakukai / Paradise) * 1997: ''Hoahio: Happy Mail'' (Amoebic) * 1999: ''Shizuku'' (Tzadik) * 2000: ''Hoahio: Ohayo! Hoahio!'' (Tzadik) * 2001: ''Yural'' with Paulownia Crush (East Works Entertainment / BAJ) * 2003: ''Hoahio: Peek-Ara-Boo!" (Tzadik) * 2005: ''Seventeen'' (Zipangu) * 2006: ''Live! at SuperDeluxe'' with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Paal Nilssen-Love (Idiolect) * 2008: ''Head On'' with Peter Brötzmann and Paal Nilssen-Love (Idiolect) * 2009: ''Volda'' with Peter Brötzmann and Paal Nilssen-Love (Idiolect) * 2010: ''Reflexions'' with Elliott Sharp (Idiolect) * 2014: ''Dōjō: Ichi no Maki (Vol. 1)'' with Tamaya Honda (Idiolect) * 2015: ''Soul Stream'' with Joe McPhee, Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug (PNL) * 2015: ''Angular Mass'' with Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug * 2017: ''Dōjō: Ni no Maki (Vol. 2)'' with Tamaya Honda (Idiolect) * 2017: ''Decayed'' with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love and Henry Kaiser (Idiolect) * 2019: ''Into The Forest (Mori no Naka e)'' with Tamaya Honda, Noritaka Tanaka and Takashi Sugawa (Idiolect)

References

External links

Michiyo Yagi
official homepage
Michiyo Yagi
blog
Michiyo Yagi
on Improvised Music from Japan {{DEFAULTSORT:Yagi, Michiyo Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Japanese musicians Wesleyan University faculty Koto players Tzadik Records artists