The song expresses the seconds hand and the water’s surface smoothly reflecting the flow of time
The music is composed by Shun Ishiwaka using the theme “TOKYO TIME Grand Seiko”. It captures a moment in Tokyo, a city where the traditional and the cutting-edge come together. The SLGA021 worn by Ishiwaka projects a distinctive design evoking the surface of Lake Suwa stirred by the breeze just before dawn. The watch has a seconds hand that glides with the natural flow of time itself. While waiting at the performance site for shooting to commence, the timepiece tracked the passage of time quietly and with ultimate precision.
“With the water’s surface design of the dial in mind, I embarked upon composing this number to reflect my interpretation of the watch. It is ‘Throwing off the shackles of time to pass each moment by entrusting oneself to the rhythm of the water’s surface.’ Music opens up the door to such choices. Listening to the metronome’s clicks* and then glancing at the machine, it becomes possible to perform in synchronization with such aids while freely expanding or contracting time. I entertained such thoughts as I composed the song.”
* Referring to the sound serving as the tempo guide produced on metronomes, rhythm machines, and other tools of the trade.
- “I believe that when musicians strive to conceive the tempo of their songs, many envision the seconds hand of a timepiece. With the clicking countdown tempo of 60 BPM (beats per minute) acting as the basis, rising to 120 BPM means that the clicking is only half of that tempo. During actual performances, the heartbeat increases amid the rising tension and excitement, with the tempo growing faster than your bodily sensations. The relationship between one’s personal condition and the passage of time is quite interesting.”
Bringing Jazz Conceived in Tokyo and Japan to the World
“With many important jazz creations born in Japan, the question arises of how to convey those works to the world. I regard this as my personal mission, and constantly address that task as the basis of my activities. Taking part in sessions in various settings with people around the world, it is possible to bring to life new music yet to be heard. For that reason, I hope to seize the opportunity to travel around the world. I want to create stimulating music to defy the imagination.”
Shun Ishiwaka is a musician who has walked hand in hand with the music of ongoing generations. Going forward, his attention promises to remain focused on the “Tokyo Time” that he continues to carve out through music.
▼Profile: Shun Ishiwaka
Born in Hokkaido in 1992, Shun Ishiwaka attended the Musical High School attached to the Department of Music of Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in percussion instruments. Upon graduating from that university, he was honored with the Acanthus Music Award and Doseikai Award. Ishiwaka has headed up Answer to Remember, CLNUP4, SMTK and the Songbook Trio, while also collaborating with Quruli, CRCK/LCKS, Kid Fresino, Ohzora Kimishima, Millennium Parade, Ringo Shiina and other artists in numerous live events and musical creations. In 2023, at the HTB Silvester Concert, he performed his own concerto composition, “playgroundz (for percussion),” with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra. For the theater animation “BLUE GIANT,” released that same year, he performed the drum part of the character Shunji Tamada. Ishiwaka continues to excel across an ever-expanding range of musical genres.