During the early part of the pandemic, I was thinking a lot about an old-time musician who recently had a huge impact on me just before the shutdown. In 2019 I invited the master Japanese old-time musician Takaki Kosuke, aka Bosco, to my home for a week. During his visit we got to know each other as we hung out and played music with some other great musical friends like Suzy & Eric Thompson and Tricia Spencer & Howard Rains at my “Tiki Parlour.” In fact, they all converged here during one the FolkWorks music festivals! The central reason Bosco flew to the US on this occasion was to be filmed and recorded at the parlour by yours truly. So we did just that.

After delving into the hypnotic footage during shutdown, I was convinced that the world needs to hear more Bosco. I asked him if he’d be interested in recording some solo old-time music inspired by the elders that he admired (and even learned from) for an official CD project. He was in love with the idea! We collaborated with Howard Rains for a couple years and now the project has been officially unleashed.

Bosco performs “Shakin’ Down the Acorns”

Bosco CD Trailer

Bosco was born on January 8, 1961. As a child, his obsession for the music of the Carter family and Woody Guthrie led him to take up the guitar and mountain dulcimer. After meeting the great old-time musician John Hermann during a visit in Japan, the two became close friends. Soon after, Bosco’s obsession for fiddle and banjo brought him to America where he befriended and learned directly from many of the legendary elders who are practically worshipped as musical gods by today’s old-time aficionados. Tommy Jarrell, Melvin Wine, Burl Hammons, Maggie Hammons, Joe Birchfield, and the list goes on.

Bosco’s style is a virtual musical time capsule containing the mystical “old sounds” that countless folk musicians strive to conjure on their instruments. Through Bosco’s solo fiddle and banjo playing, the careful listener will be transported into secret spectral spaces, echoed from an ancient America.

Bosco performs “Cripple Creek”

Physical CDs available at www.OldTimeTikiParlour.com

Digital Downloads available at www.tikiparlourrecordings.bandcamp.com