While visiting Tokyo recently, saxophonist and composer John Zorn praised Michiyo Yagi, saying, "She's an example of a new kind of musician that can play all different styles of music in her own personal way."
Koto players are not often found in the company of saxophonists. Yagi, however, seemed entirely at home in Shinjuku's Pit Inn with Zorn and a loud, aggressive band that included drums, electric bass and guitar. During one particularly mad crescendo that seemed far too dense to accommodate any new sounds, Yagi paused a moment and then reached for what looked like a club.
Gripping this implement in both hands, Yagi scraped it across the strings of her koto, using short, sharp tears -- SCRAPE! . . . SCRAPE! . . . SCRAPE! In doing so, she revealed a space in the music that hadn't seemed to exist just a moment before. Filling this space with sound that was both frightening and beautiful, Yagi pushed an already incredible moment of music into being a magical moment.