Albums

  • William Parker CD Release

    William Parker, Miya Masaoka and other artists. Release 2022… More »

  • Solar Wind

    Joelle Leandre (contrabasse), Rober Dick (flutes) and Miya Masaoka (koto) TRIO… More »

  • MZM — Myra Melford, Zeena Parkins, Miya Masaoka

    Ten improvised pieces from three of the most innovative instrumentalists at work today, blending harp, piano, and koto with electronic sounds. Liner notes by Nicola Hein. 2017 Infrequent Seams ‎– IS1015 Buy at Infrequent Seams Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Origami Cosmos

    Contrabass, Photography – James Ilgenfritz Design – Yuri Zupancic Photography – Peter Gannushkin Recorded By – Elliott Sharp Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By – Jason LaFarge Released March 2017. Infrequent Seams ‎– IS1012, Infrequent Seams ‎– 12 Order from Infrequent Seams Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Wall Street Journal

    Triangle of Resistance review 2016

  • Serpentine

    Ingrid Laubrock | Miya Masaoka | Dan Peck | Sam Pluta | Tyshawn Sorey | Craig Taborn | Peter Evans | Recorded on May 24, 2016 at Systems Two, Brooklyn, NYC. Released Nov 18, 2016, Switzerland. Intakt Records ‎– Intakt CD 272 Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Triangle of Resistance

    Double quartet. (7 players) Jennifer Choi, vln, Esther Noh, vln, David Wallace, Vla, Alex Waterman, Cello, Satsohi Takeishi, Japanese Percussion, Ben Vida, Modular Analog Synthesis, Miya Masaoka, koto, composition, Michelle Handelman, visual projections. 2016 Innova Recordings – Innova 945 Buy at Innova Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon Miya Masaoka:  music Michelle Handelman: video Conductor:… More »

  • DUO (DCWM) 2013

    Anthony Braxton | Miya Masaoka | 2 Disc Set Recorded on August 25th, 2013 at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT “One of the most beautiful duo albums we’ve heard from Anthony Braxton in a long time – a set of three long improvisations with koto player Miya Masaoka – who plays a 21-string version of… More »

  • Humeurs

    East-West Collective | Didier Petit | Larry Ochs | Miya Masaoka | Xu Fengxia | Sylvain Kassap | Recorded on June 20th 2013 at Unsound Recording, San Francisco, California, USA. Mixing, editing and mastering: L’Autre Studio, Vaires-sur-Marne Released Nov 25th, 2013, France. Rogueart ‎– ROG-0054 Order from Rogueart Buy on iTunes… More »

  • Granular Modality

    Earl Howard with Miya Masaoka. Track 1 recorded on March 19, 2006 Tracks 2 to 4 recorded on November 12, 2009 All works were recorded in concert at Roulette, New York City Digital mastering at SoundByte Productions, Inc., NYC Released March 2012. New World Records ‎– 80728-2 Order from New World Records Buy on iTunes… More »

  • Nachtjournal 2009

    Concert Series for Experimental Music. Hand-numbered edition of 500. Released Oct 1, 2010, Germany. Satelita Musikverlag ‎– satelita 003 Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Masaoka · Chen · Grüsel · Nagai

    Recorded Sept 11, 2009 during the 11th High Zero Festival. Released February 14, 2010. Resipiscent ‎– RSPT036 Order from Resipiscent… More »

  • Spiller Alley

    Larry Ochs | Miya Masaoka | Peggy Lee | Recorded live in Europe on April 2006 (Venice, Teatro Fondamente Nuove, Italy), Munich, Offene Ohren e.V., Germany), (St Johann, Alte Gerberei, Austria) Mixed at Function 8, San Francisco, USA Mastered at Headless Buddha Studios, Oakland, USA Released 2008, France RogueArt ‎– ROG-0016 Buy at ROGUEART Buy on iTunes… More »

  • Unsquare

    Maybe Monday | Fred Frith | Larry Ochs | Miya Masaoka | Gerry Hemingway | Ikue Mori | Zeena Parkins | Carla Kihlstedt | Recorded live 2nd & 3rd July 1998 at Unity Temple, Chicago. Edited and mastered at Headless Buddha Lab, Oakland. Released January 2008, Switzerland. Intakt Records ‎– Intakt CD 132 Order from… More »

  • Accordion Koto

    Pauline Oliveros | Miya Masaoka Though an unlikely combination – accordion and koto – it is not so much about the instruments as about the energies of the music that comes from the intensity of listening – listening as close to the“now” as possible. We know that consciousness is delayed by a fraction of a second… More »

  • Sound Body

    David Toop | Haco recorded in Kobe. Kenji Siratori recorded in Tokyo. Rafael Toral recorded in Lisbon. Miya Masaoka recorded at Charlie Morrow Studios, New York City, 24.03.06. Günter Müller recorded in Lupsingen. Lee Patterson recorded in Manchester. John Latham recorded by David Toop at Flat Time House, London, 08.10.04. All other recordings by David… More »

  • Cloud Plate

    Alex Cline | Kaoru | Miya Masaoka |G.E. Stinson | Recorded January 20, 2001 at Stagg Street Studio, Van Nuys, CA. All the pieces on this recording are improvisations recorded in real time. 2005 Cryptogramophone ‎– CG121 Order from Cryptogramophone Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • For Birds, Planes and Cello

    A continuous field recording and cello. Composed by, Miya Masaoka (2004) Cello performed by, Joan Jeanrenaud I chose deep, extreme canyons to make audio field recordings and maximize the resonant qualities of the earth’s topography. The nearby airport’s flight schedule became the form and structure of the composition, beginning nearly 6:00 AM and increasing in… More »

  • While I Was Walking I Heard A Sound

    For Three choirs and nine soloists spatialized in balconies. Volti Conductor, Robert Geary San Francisco Choral Society Ensemble of the Piedmont Choirs Sound Color Ensemble: Kevin Baum Dina Emmerson, Anne Hege, Cheryl Keller, Richard Mix, Tina Osinski, Amy X Neuberg, Gary Ruschman, Randall Wong Boy sopranos, male falsettos and operatic singers join forces in a… More »

  • Klang. Farbe. Melodie.

    Vinkeloe | Cremaschi | Masaoka | Robair | On each of these relatively brief and finely shaped tracks, Vinkeloe, Cremaschi, Masaoka and Robair jointly cultivate ground that’s freshly turned every two to five-and-a-half minutes. Regardless of who plants the first seed, with a gesture, a sound, or perhaps some intuitively detected energetic pulse, the four… More »

  • Fly Fly Fly

    Larry Ochs | Joan Jeanrenaud | Miya Masaoka | Recorded in 2002 in Oakland, California at Headless Buddha Studio. Includes 12 pages booklet. 2004, Swizerland Intakt Records ‎– Intakt CD 092 Buy on iTunes… More »

  • Illuminations (Several Views)

    Peter Kowald | Miya Masaoka | Gino Robair | Recorded on April 26, 2000. 2003 Rastascan Records ‎– BRD 049 Order from Rastascan Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Guerrilla Mosaics

    Featuring John Butcher, saxophones; Gino Robair, percussion; Miya Masaoka, koto. August 2002 482 Music #482-1013 Buy on CD Baby Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Digital Wildlife

    Fred Frith | Maybe Monday (Joan Jeanrenaud, Larry Ochs, Miya Masaoka) | Recorded live in the first week of May 2001 at Guerilla Euphonics, Oakland. 2002, Germany Winter & Winter ‎– 910 071-2 Order from Winter & Winter Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Burdocks

    Christian Wolff | “Burdocks” recorded on March 17, 2000 at Theater Artaud, Other Minds Festival VI, San Francisco. “Tuba Song” recorded on February 15, 2001 at Mills College, Oakland. “Trio III” recorded on September 26, 2000 at The Studio, Boston. Mastered at Foothill Digital, NYC. Released Oct 23, 2001. Tzadik ‎– TZ 7071 Order from… More »

  • Trancepatterns

    John Ingle | Dan Joseph duo debut album featuring studio recordings and live concert recordings with guests India Cooke, violin, and Miya Masaoka, laser koto. Released 2000. Dendroica Music ‎– DME 1 Order from DanJoseph.org Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Saturn’s Finger

    Maybe Monday | Fred Frith | Miya Masaoka | Larry Ochs | Recorded live 2nd & 3rd July 1998 at Unity Temple, Chicago. 1999, Netherlands BUZZ Records ‎– ZZ 76007 Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Global Fusion

    L. Subramaniam | “L Subramaniam is the best this listener has heard.” – The New York Times “Violinist L Subramaniam proved to be a peerless virtuoso. Subramaniam’s poetic imagination formed inexhaustible permutations” – Los Angeles Times Recorded: – at Alpha Studios, Los Angeles, USA in December 98 – India, February 99: Kobandabani Studio, Madras; Akash… More »

  • Monopoly Game

    Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra Featuring Lew Tabackin | Released Oct 21, 1998, Japan. BMG ‎– BVCJ-31003, Novus J ‎– BVCJ-31003 Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Sliding

    Jon Rose | Miya Masaoka | Released 1998, Hong Kong. Noise Asia ‎– NAIM02CD Order from Noise Asia… More »

  • Twelve Minor

    Ben Goldberg with Miya Masaoka Recorded March 1997 at Bay Records, Berkeley, California. Mastered at Foothill Digital, NYC. Released 1998, Japan. Avant ‎– Avan 035 By on Amazon… More »

  • What Is the Difference Between Stripping and Playing the Violin?

    Performed by The Masaoka Orchestra: string section, Asian instruments, jazz in various idioms, rock and electronics. Miya Masaoka, conductor. Musicians include: George Lewis (trombone), India Cooke, Carla Kihlstedt (violin), Vijay Iyer (piano), Francis Wong (saxophone), Hafez Hadirzadeh (saxophone and ney), Glen Horiuchi (shamisen), Trevor Dunn (electric bass), Mark Izu (contrabass and sheng), Liu Qi Chao… More »

  • The Usual Turmoil and other Duets

    George Lewis (trombone) | Miya Masaoka (koto preparations, bowing, and electronics on one track) | 1998 Music and Arts Programs of America B000007TNO Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Miya Masaoka Trio; Monk’s Japanese Folk Song

    Featuring Andrew Cyrille, drums, Reggie Workman, bass, Miya Masaoka, koto. Out of print 1997, Germany. Dizim Records #4104-2 Find on Amazon… More »

  • What We Live Fo(u)r

    Lisle Ellis | Larry Ochs | Donald Robinson | Glenn Spearman | Miya Masaoka | William Winant | Paul Plimley | India Cooke | Ben Goldberg | Recorded live on June 3, 1994, at Mobius Studio, San Francisco Released Dec 28, 1996, Italy. Black Saint ‎– 120156-2 Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • The Seance

    Henry Kaiser (guitar) | Miya Masaoka (koto) | and Danielle DeGruttola (cello) | Recorded May 9, 1995 at Mobius Music, San Francisco 1996, Germany Vexed Records ‎– vexed 9601 Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Myths, Modes And Means

    Steve Coleman And The Mystic Rhythm Society‎ Recorded Live at the Hot Brass Club in Paris, France, March 24 and March 29, 1995. Released 1995, France BMG ‎– 74321 31692 2 Buy on iTunes Buy on Amazon… More »

  • Crepuscular Music

    Miya Masaoka (21 string koto, cymbals & preparations) | Tom Nunn (bug & baboon) | Gino Robair (percussion, motorized implements, toy horns, calls, dustpan, calabash) | Recorded live at Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco, CA, July 8, 1995. A spectacular live recording that blurs the boundaries of ambiance and noise. Imagine the amplified sounds of… More »

  • Compositions/Improvisations

    Debut solo album with guests James Newton (flute), and Frank Holder (percussion) Miya Masaoka (21 string koto) “New York resident Miya Masaoka is one of a number of Japanese women extending the range of the koto. In her case, that includes working with live bees, giant hissing Madagascar cockroaches, human body sounds and a Philodendron… More »