Artist and composer Aki Onda presents a listening session featuring rare recordings of the legendary Japanese ensemble Suigyu Gakudan (Water Buffalo Band, 1978–1985), founded by Takahashi Yuji. The session traces the group’s distinctive activities and explores how their music was intertwined with their commitment to citizens’ movements and political solidarity.

Takahashi Yuji (b. Tokyo, 1938) began his career as a pianist, deeply engaged with the Western musical avant-garde of the twentieth century. During the 1960s, he collaborated extensively with Iannis Xenakis, premiering Herma (1962) and Eonta (1964), both composed for him. These works demand extraordinary virtuosity and remain landmarks of the contemporary piano repertoire.

After spending a decade in Europe and the United States, Takahashi returned to Japan, where his practice became increasingly shaped by political and social engagement.

In 1978, Takahashi founded Suigyu Gakudan with all amature musicians including Yamaki Mie, Nishizawa Yukihiko, Fukuyama Atsuo, and Kameda Itsuko. The ensemble supported young musicians, poets, and artists involved in citizens’ movements, including those connected with the legendary Thai folk-rock band Caravan. They translated Thai songs into Japanese and adopted their name from the well-known saying, “People and water buffalo have ploughed the rice fields together for centuries.”

Performing with portable instruments—including the Taishō koto, Andean quena flute, harmonium, taiko drum, and tambourine—the group brought music directly to political rallies, expressing solidarity with social movements across Asia. Their internationalist vision later expanded the repertoire to include songs supporting the Polish trade union Solidarity, Chile’s pro-democracy movement, and the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.

Second Sundays is a monthly series initiated by Q-O2. Each session a new guest is invited to share an insight into their own listening, playing and speaking about a selection of sound and music that is important to their thinking or practice. The sessions try to put value on listening to recorded music in a social setting as a space for discussion. Cocktail of the month: tba.