Rodrigo Rodriguez is globetrotting musician and composer. Born in Argentina, he’s lived in Japan and Spain. Although he plays various musical instruments, his main device is the Japanese shakuhachi, which he learned from Japanese flute masters.
On his album Beyond the Times (KZN Records, 2008), Rodrigo presents a set of captivating contemporary instrumental pieces that combine Japanese melodies, Indian music elements and Spanish music.
Rodrigo Rodriguez performed and overdubbed steel guitar, shakuhachi, dilruba, wind chimes, Chinese gong, Tibetan cymbals, shruti box, zither, shvi, and reson bells.
In 2013, Rodrigo Rodriguez released The Road of Hasekura Tsunenaga (2013). This is a solo shakuhachi recording with a cinematic feel. It is dedicated to the first Japanese diplomatic mission to Spain, which departed from Ishinomaki in October 1613 and arrived in Seville in 1614. The mission was led by Japanese ambassador and samurai Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga (1571-1622).
Part of the musical pieces come from the various shakuhachi schools, Tozan Ryu, Nezasa Ha, Kinko Ryu and Mu-ryu. The rest are beautiful original evocative works by Rodrigo inspired by Hasekura Tsunenaga’s undertaking.
The project was sponsored by Japan Foundation, the Embassy of Japan in Spain, the Coria del Río city government, the Association Casa Galicia Japon and SGAE.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.