"Innocent Bossa In The Mirror"
Jun Miyake

Out: 03-25-2002

Jun Miyake about "Innocent Bossa in the Mirror"

It is without a doubt my love of making "mixed breed" music that has brought me to where I am today. The idea of taking different concepts, genres ideas and combining them in ways that are unexpected in hopes of creating a new sound that is all at once vaguely familiar yet entirely new is what interests and inspires me most as an artist. Withmy last two records I investigated the concepts of "exotic" and "erotic". This time around the notion of "innocence" seemed somehow the appropriate direction to take; and it wasn't hard for me to decided on the genre through which I wanted to explore this: Bossa Nova.

Being a Japanese artist who can't speak Portuguese, can't sing, can't play guitar and has not made it apoint to specialize in Brazilian music, the idea of choosing Bossa Nova might at first strike you as odd. I knew my only hope was to approach it with a purity of heart. an "innocence". I also kew I'd need a partner; and not only a singer, but someone who could write beautiful yet twisted lyrics in Portuguese and was familiar with what I'd been doing as an artist-and, of course, in possession of an innocent heart!

Arto Lindsay was the only choice. My friend Arto has a wonderful ability to to understand things intuitively and without the need for a huge exchange of words. When I discoverd Arto was coming to Japan with Vinicius Cantuaria, I knew I was absolutely on the right path. Arto and Vinicius joined me in Tokyo just after performing at a music festival in Kawaguchiko. When we got together and played, it was as if we were messengers on a mission who were possessed by a Muse. I'd play a vocal line to Vinicius' guitar while Arto was putting a chunk of this as a way to start an album, just three people suddenly thrown together with the challenge to create - NOW ! - but it worked. And in the end, it was a very fresh, very innocent and blissful experience. More musicians were brought in later to round out the songs and when we were finished, I was cetain I'd accomplished what I'd set out to create : an interpretation? a reflection, really? of Bossa Nova that was somehow specifically mine. Thanks everybody ! I've taken great care in finishing "Innocent Bossa in the mirror" in hopes of making this moment eternal.

Jun Miyake

Album Lyrics

"A sparse, entirely beautiful novo bossa nova album from an "outsider" with cross- cultural leanings. Japanese art-music multi-instrumentalist Jun Miyake had never tackled Brazilian music before this album, but with the help of modernists Arto Lindsay and Vinicius Cantuaria, Miyake casts a delicate spell that recalls the magical glory days of Joao Gilberto, Carlos Lyra and the other early greats. As on his own albums, Lindsay wrote and sings original Portuguese lyrics, while Cantuaria provides the gentlest, most compelling guitar accompaniment imaginable. Miyake's piano work recalls the haunting echo-iness of Erik Satie, and while each track tends towards a prolonged exploration of a single theme -- a song with odd percussion, another with flugelhorn as a bossa nova lead instrument - the overall effect is magical and serene. Recommended!"
slipcue.com

A really wonderful album - warm jazzy bossa, a collaboration between Japanese pianist Jun Miyake and Arto Lindsay! The album's stripped-down, no-nonsense, and honestly one of the best recent Brazilian efforts we've heard from Lindsay - sad and dreamy, with none of the slickness that other modern bossa albums might have. Miyake's piano has a Satie-like quality that resonates strongly in the space of the arrangements -- and the record features work by Vinicius Cantuaria on guitar and percussion. Half the cuts are instrumentals, and titles include "Lista De Praia", "Gaiato", "Cai Nessa", "Creamy Thighs", "Tres", and "Giraffe In Green".
dustygroove.com

"Ce petit bijou de bossa nova dévoyée ne manquera pas de séduire les amateurs de plus en plus nombreux d'Arto Lindsay et de Vinicius Cantuaria."
Vibrations

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