Maher Shalal Hash Baz

Maher Shalal Hash Baz (MSHB) is the artistic alter ego of the Japanese musician and composer of naive music Tōri Kudō ( Japanese 工藤 冬 里 Kudō Tōri ). The name is taken from the book of Isaiah in the Bible . In Isa 8,1-4  EU it means “be quick if you steal something!” (Translation according to Tōri Kudō: “Be quick if you steal something”).

Tōri Kudō speaks evasively about details of his life in front of MSHB. He was a member of a shadowy revolutionary party in Japan, but gave up political ties after joining Jehovah's Witnesses . He also works as a ceramist.

According to his own account, he comes from classical and jazz piano and played the organ in a Protestant church. Other musical influences include T. Rex and saxophonist Steve Lacy .

When they went to Tokyo, he and his wife Reiko joined a band called Worst Noise . After the other members had left the band, only Tōri and Reiko remained, who from then on simply called themselves Noise . Under this name they released an album called Emperor .

The impulse for MSHB came when Tōri met the euphonium player Hirō Nakazaki on a construction site and they discovered their mutual interest in the music of Mayo Thompson and Syd Barrett .

The line-up is changing, apart from the core trio (Tōri as guitarist and singer, Reiko as singer and Hirō - exclusively - on the euphonium).

After several self-released cassette albums, the Japanese label Org Maher released Goes To Gothic Country and the 83-track box set Return Visit To Rock Mass . The band's notoriety outside of Japan rose significantly when Stephen McRobbie ( The Pastels ) signed them to Geographic Music , a sub-label of Domino Records . MSHB released two albums there: the compilation From A Summer To Another Summer (An Egypt To Another Egypt) and the 41-track album Blues Du Jour . They also released numerous singles and EPs on various labels.

Tōri Kudō steadfastly refuses to define the sound of his band, although he stated in an interview with Tim Footman in Careless Talk Costs Lives magazine (August 2002): "I am a punk ". There are also elements from folk , psychedelic and free jazz ; and the band's tendency to invite people in the audience to attend the concerts adds risk-taking. Perhaps the best description comes from the cover text of their own album From A Summer To Another Summer : "Error in performance dominates MSHB cassette which is like our imperfect life." (Freely translated: "" The error in the execution determines the MSHB cassette, like our imperfect life ").

Discography

• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Maher Goes To Gothic Country (Org; 1991)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Return Visit To Rock Mass (Org; 1996; 83 Track Box-Set)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Souvenir De Mauve (Majikick; 1999; EP)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - From A Summer To Another Summer (An Egypt To Another Egypt) (Geographic; 2000; 2-LP)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz / The Curtains - Make Us Two Crayons On The Floor (Yik Yak; 2000; CD)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Maher On Water (Geographic; 2002; 10-inch / Cd-Single)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Blues Du Jour (Geographic; 2003; CD / LP)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Open Field (Geographic; 2003; CD single)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Faux Depart (Yik Yak, 2004)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Live Aoiheya January 2003 (Chapter Music; 2005; Mini-CD)
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz - How's Your Bassoon, Turquirs (Geographic; 2006; 7-inch)
• Bill Wells and Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Osaka Bridge ( Karaoke Kalk ; 2006; CD / LP)

Web links

• MSHB Domino Recording Company page
• Geographic Music
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz at Discogs (English)