I first heard Ami Yamasaki's voice in 2016 at a studio where I hosted a radio show in New York. She popped by to promote an upcoming performance at the Japan Society with composer Mamoru Fujieda, koto player Kayoko Nakagawa and shō (free reed mouth organ) player Ko Ishikawa.
At that point, I'd never even heard of Yamasaki, though I'd wanted Ishikawa on my program for a while. The studio was dingy, with a grey carpet, flickering fluorescent lights and terrible acoustics. But when Yamasaki began to sing, I heard the sounds of a brook, then birds, trees and a waterfall. I was amazed.
The Japan Society event was billed as "Sounds to Summon the Japanese Gods." During the performance, Yamasaki wandered through the venue's watery rock garden while gurgling, matching the recorded sounds of fermenting shōchū in Fujieda's composition — a stark contrast with Nakagawa's koto and Ishikawa's shō. All three performers were dressed in shades of white, and the lights reflected off the water creating an ethereal atmosphere.