THE ARCH by Kaoru Watanabe Out Now via New Amsterdam Records
Watanabe merges shinobue flutes, taiko drums, and koto with piano, saxophone, and harp across 10 new tracks.
Kaoru Watanabe, the composer and instrumentalist whose work is rooted in traditional Japanese performing arts and infused with experimental and improvisational elements, has released The Arch via New Amsterdam Records in partnership with Figure 8 Recording.
Watanabe is a highly sought-after collaborator, and has worked with such iconic artists as André 3000, Yo-Yo Ma, Wes Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Laurie Anderson, Jason Moran, Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad Ensemble, and Japanese National Living Treasure Bando Tamasaburo.
Created in deep collaboration with Grammy-Award Winning producer William Brittelle, alongside executive producer Shahzad Ismaily, over the course of a year at Figure 8 as part of its Open Residency program, The Arch is a cathartic celebration of a life in music, of transformation and self discovery. The collaboration with Brittelle, who encouraged Watanabe to dig deep into his personal musical history, opened the floodgates for Watanabe and to use all of the tools at his disposal during the creation of the album. He explains, 'William opened things up for me and encouraged me to put everything on the table. I began to experiment with sounds, instruments, and compositional tools I normally would not have. This process really allowed me to explore the entirety of my musical being.'
Across the 10 tracks on the record, Watanabe places the vibrant timbres of traditional Japanese instruments (shinobue and ryuteki flutes, taiko drums, narimono percussion instruments, and koto, a 13-string zither) in compositions and jazz improvisations. These traditional instruments are contrasted by the many layers of acoustic and electronic instruments—piano, synthesizers, tenor saxophone, soprano and alto flutes, and harp, all played by Watanabe—which he uses to create a unique and shifting soundworld, never quite settling in one place or time but buoyed by his singular artistic vision.
About Kaoru Watanabe
Composer and instrumentalist Kaoru Watanabe's work is rooted in traditional Japanese performing arts and infused with experimental and improvisational elements. His signature skill of merging the music, literature, and aesthetic philosophies of Japan with disparate styles and mediums has made him a highly sought-after collaborator, working with such iconic artists as André 3000, Yo-Yo Ma, Wes Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Laurie Anderson, Jason Moran, and Japanese National Living Treasure Bando Tamasaburo. The son of two St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians, Watanabe studied jazz at the Manhattan School of Music before moving to Japan to study noh-kan flute with Matsuda Hiroyuki and Edo Matsuri Bayashi with Suzuki Kyosuke in Tokyo. He then moved to Sado, a remote island in the Sea of Japan. He undertook a rigorous two-year apprenticeship with the groundbreaking Japanese taiko performing arts ensemble Kodo, where he trained in traditional Japanese folk dancing, singing, drumming, woodworking, tea ceremony, rice farming, Noh, and Kyogen. Watanabe then became the first American to join the ensemble as a performing member, serving as an ambassador of Japanese music on the world's greatest stages and as artistic director of their annual music festival, leading collaborations with luminaries such as Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Tamangoh. After a decade in Japan, Watanabe returned to New York to pursue a solo career, collaborating with top artists of their respective genres, such as flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena, Mongolian Official State Morin Khuur player Tserendorj, Residente, visual artist Simone Leigh, Rhiannon Giddens, the Sydney Symphony, and the Silkroad Ensemble, and many others, all while championing the essential qualities of Japanese flutes and percussion. In 2024, Watanabe launched Bloodlines Interwoven, a multifaceted commissioning project, festival, and ensemble celebrating heritage, immigration, and diaspora through music, cuisine, and storytelling.
About New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit artist's service organization dedicated to supporting new music by composers and performers whose work transcends traditional and outdated genre distinctions. The label's artists have won numerous awards and accolades, including two Grammy Awards, seventeen Grammy nominations, and a Pulitzer Prize. New Amsterdam has also curated and presented more than 500 live concerts of groundbreaking new music. In recent years, the label embarked on a partnership with Nonesuch Records, supporting contemporary American composers in realizing ambitious creative projects.
Event Details
Kaoru Watanabe and Charlotte Greve will celebrate the release of their new albums, WATERBODIES (Greve) and The Arch (Watanabe), with a live performance at Public Records on October 14, 2026.
Photo Credit: Ximena Bedoya
Photo Credit: Ximena Bedoya
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
