Blue Note Tokyo!!
1. Blue Note is truly the best!!
The PUSHIM performance at Blue Note Tokyo has successfully concluded.
It was a wonderful time.
I wanted to record these feelings,
so I decided to write about it on note.
I thought I would try using the paragraphing technique I learned in Japanese class when I was in the third grade of elementary school, about 35 years later, so I will try the paragraphing style.
I am very grateful to have performed at Blue Note on many occasions,
"I wonder what it is, that ease of playing"
is a feeling I always have,
and regardless, the way the instruments sound and resonate is very comfortable.
2. The balance between "futon" and "bath"
There are many ways to put it,
but I often use the words "dead" and "live" to describe sound resonance.
I think there are other musicians and music industry people who would say, "Me too," or "I feel the same way."
To explain it in my own way,
• Dead: A state where sound does not resonate.
It's like that feeling of opening a closet and talking into it, or singing your heart out while covered in a futon.
• Live: The opposite state where it resonates.
To give a very easy-to-understand example of a live state,
it's the feeling of your own voice echoing loudly in a bathroom or gymnasium. It's like that feeling when humming in the bath feels good.
As someone performing, if it's too much like a futon, it feels stifling, and if it's too much like a bath, it becomes hard to hear your own sound.
So, I like to perform where that balance is good.
I feel that ultimate balance
at Blue Note every time.
Just before the first show on the second day,
Drums player TAROW-ONE was next to me, so
I asked, "What do you think is the number one reason for this ease of playing?"
and he replied with a wonderful, 100% romantic answer: "Hmm, maybe the performances of our predecessors are dwelling here?"
There was also a 120% physical opinion: "Or maybe it's the floor?"
which was also a very good balance.
I strongly agree,
and I am the type who thinks both are true.
Regarding the "history of predecessors,"
I truly think that is exactly right, but
since it is physically difficult for me to explain with my language skills, I will set it aside for now...
The floor part of the Blue Note stage
is made of a carpet-like material,
so it absorbs sound.
That absorbs the harsh, metallic parts and turns it into a gentle sound with the edges taken off.
That's right. The dead element is added.
You might say, "Isn't whether it resonates or not just a matter of personal preference?" Yes! It is preference.
But that preference is likely packed in intensely.
It makes me happy and grin while playing.
3. The theory that Magnatone au naturel is the strongest
So, when I make sound at Blue Note, where the balance between dead and live is exactly to my liking,the original sound of my amp and the original sound of my guitar reach my ears without any detours.This time, as always,
I used an amp called Magnatone Twilighter,
and I am happy to be able to fully feel its natural beauty, thinking, "Oh yeah, did my beloved Magnatone have such delicate expressions?"
Even when I step on pedals like Over Drive,
I am happy to be able to feel its potential, thinking, "Hmm, so you had this kind of singing voice too."
4. The lingering memory of a luxurious time
While feeling the vibrations of the amp directly,
the groove with members who were very united was a very fun time.
It was a luxurious time.
I am at the point where I want to sublimate this happiness into my daily activities from here on out.
And also,
I am grateful that I was able to work with a singer I truly respect, Pushim, this time as well.
I love what Carlos Santana said in an interview, and I think it's exactly right, so
I will copy and paste it here.
↓↓
Playing along with a soul singer is a learning experience for almost every guitarist. Whoever you are, even if you are Al Di Meola, I recommend this to all guitarists. Even if it's just for one day. If you learn how to play and weave phrases like female soul singers, you will definitely become a better musician. This is the truth.
by Carlos Santana
↑↑
I really feel that is exactly right.
So for me, as a guitarist, it was indeed a special two days.
Pushim Live "New Leaves 2026"
Thank you again so much!