Yumiko Morioka (Interview)

Today we’re listening to Yumiko Morioka, a Japanese pianist and composer. We previously recommended her music back in summer ‘22. She took up piano at a young age and in the ‘70s moved to California to study at the San Francisco Conservatory, at a time when John Adams chaired the composition department.¹ Her new LP, Gaiaphilia, came out last week. On it, Morioka harmonizes with birdcalls and other environmental melodies field-recorded by her collaborator, Takashi Kokubo. It’s a beautiful illustration of the essential equivalence of human music and sounds from “nature.” We’re also revisiting her 1987 LP, Resonance, a set of meditative piano impromptus that was reissued in 2020. A conversation with Yumiko follows the streaming links.

Gaiaphilia - Yumiko Morioka & Takashi Kokubo (39m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Resonance - Yumiko Morioka (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

---

What's your earliest memory of music?

I had to sing a song for a recording for some kind of kid's song. I think my mother arranged it. I remember that I was happy, because I got this huge doll from the King Record for singing a song. I think I was like 3 or 4 years old.

I have a very vague memory, but there was a photo of me holding this huge doll and smiling.

You grew up playing the piano and studied at the San Francisco Conservatory. As a student what were your favorite pieces to play?

I always liked Debussy, Ravel, and Samuel Barber.

Tell us about how you got into ambient/environmental music.

The ambient series by Brian Eno was mind blowing to me. It was not like BGM, but had such a strong impact in the space when I played these albums. It showed me a completely new opening and direction in music.

How did you connect with Takashi Kokubo? How did that collaboration work?

We have very different music backgrounds. But somehow, we did find a common playground to explore. We became close because we are both interested in the same topics, such as sacred geometry, a concern for our planet, and ancient literature like Katakamuna. I was very intimidated to play along with the sounds of nature. Because it is already perfect, and my piano sounds should have been as pure as nature, otherwise it stands out. Any kind of intentions could stand out and it can sound unnecessary.

Your experience in 2017 with California wildfires which took your home is sadly relevant to the recent experiences of many Angelenos. Having faced such a tragedy yourself, what would you say to people who've recently lost much?

I felt very bad for the victims of the recent fires. It made me go through my memory of 2017. It takes some time to realize what really happened, but life goes on, and it seems like the end of the world then, but actually it really isn't that bad, as long as you and your family are safe. The material things can be replaced and I actually felt much lighter after I lost everything I owned.

What piano did you record Gaiaphilia on? What effects did you apply (we hear echo and reverb at least)?

Unfortunately, I was not playing the acoustic piano. I could have been more sincere and had more control with the details if I played the acoustic piano. We had to use some effects like echo and reverb.

What music are you listening to these days?

I am going back to my roots, which is classical music. I have been enjoying listening to many amazing young talents.

Name an underrated artist from the past 50 years.

The first name that comes to my mind is my close friend, Miharu Koshi. She is extremely talented as a composer and an arranger. One artist I really wanted to hear live was Shirley Horn. I think how she phrases her singing is so amazing. It is very rare to have an artist who can dominate the space with such conviction and uncertainty at the same time.

What are you working on next?

I am currently doing a project called "Music for Fermentation X64 (64 times)" with a friend of mine, H. Takahashi. I did a miso-making workshop and learned that the harmonics speed up the process of fermenting soybeans. This miso-maker plays didgeridoo to make the miso tastier. So I decided to make music with lots of harmonics. If that is good for the microbes, it should be good for us as well. I have been trying to repeat the sequences 64 times as a format. 64 is a very interesting number in sacred geometry, and it works in musical structure also: 8 x 8 = 64.

1. Musicity