Floating Clouds CD

Bosatsu, Ukigumo, and Tamuke / Floating Clouds by: Michael Chikuzen Gould This CD consists of 9 Honkyoku songs recorded by Michael Gould in 1997. Honkyoku are the songs which were created by Mendicant Zen monks. These monks wandered the countryside playing the Shakuhachi during their pilgrimages and wishing to be delivered from earthly desires. Unsurprisingly, the titles of Honkyoku are usually associated with nature, i.e. trees, clouds, mountains, valleys, wind, etc. The three title songs, Bosatsu, Ukigumo, and Tamuke are a tonal trilogy used to view the metaphysical landscape of life on Earth, then the freedom from worldly greed and desire, and, finally, the compassion born of such freedom. Michael Chikuzen Gould lived in Japan from 1980 to 1997 and studied shakuhachi under renowned masters Taniguchi Yoshinobu and Yokoyama Katsuya. Gould earned a “Shihan” (Master of Shakuhachi) in 1987 and was given the name “Chikuzen.” In 1994, he became one of only a handful of non-Japanese