Talk:Brian Ritchie

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[edit] Picture quality?

It could just be that my monitor settings aren't ideal, but I can barely even see the figure in the picture on this page. Could one with higher contrast be found? MrCheshire 19:32, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Unsourced text

The following unsourced text was removed from the article. If someone can verify that this is true, please add it back with the references.

Brian started the band to explore the possibilities of acoustic instrumentation playing rock, jazz, blues, country and folk music with a strong improvisational element. He is also one of the more high-profile users of the relatively new Barker Bass. As an insatiable multi-instrumentalist he has performed or recorded on over 40 instruments.

He started playing the Shakuhachi in 1996 as part of his never-ending search for new musical challenges. He was also attracted to the instrument because of his Buddhist background. Brian studied in New York City with James Nyoraku Schlefer for seven years

Brian played only the traditional Jin Nyodo repertoire up to this point, but after receiving his license started to investigate the possibilities of shakuhachi in jazz, rock and world music. To this end he started a series of bands and recordings with the Shakuhachi Club. There are many Shakuhachi Clubs at this point, New York City, Milwaukee, Reykjavik, Hobart, London, San Francisco and Italia. “Brian Ritchie: Shakuhachi Club NYC” was released by Weed Records in 2004 to critical acclaim and strong sales. Tairaku also has a honkyoku CD “Purple Field”. Another, Shakuhachi Club Milwaukee CD “Ryoanji” was released in 2006. It features Japanese music from the 6th to the 21st centuries combined with improvisation. He also released "Taimu" in collaboration with the shakuhachi maker Ken Mujitsu LaCosse. The CD features Mujitsu's radical wide bore raw bamboo shakuhachi exclusively.

In addition to his international activities as a shakuhachi performer, Tairaku teaches at his Tairaku An dojo in Sydney and Hobart and is one of the administrators for the World Shakuhachi Forum at www.shakuhachiforum.com. He was jazz/improvisation instructor at the 2006 European Shakuhachi Summer School at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Thank you. -Freekee (talk) 02:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)