Sapporo Jazz Festival: Yamaki Shohei & fulare_pad

fulare_pad, pronounced “Furaripaddo” in Japanese, means wanderer or traveler.

Daisuke Maeda, ukulele
Hideyuki Shimizu, guitar

Both musicians began studying guitar at the age of 13. Along the way, Daisuke found that his real interest was the ukulele and once he and Hideyuki joined their musical talents, in 2005, they founded a guitar/ukulele duo and called themselves the Wanderers (fulare-pad).

By 2007, they had produced their first mini-album and were able to announce their first schedule of performances. These included television appearances in Kyoto, the composition of a special song in 2008, for "Shupuru Summer". an EMI recording from Music Japan, and a major concert debut. As of February 2009, their new composition "Ocean" was once again featured on the music television show CM SK-II. In May of the same year their second album "Flury Trolley Tour" was released.

During the summer of 2010, Daisuke and Hideyuki self-produced and released a third album entitled “Wind Wind Wind.” The duo also won a Special Jury Prize at the Sapporo City Jazz “Pakujazuraibu” competition.
At present, they are featured at cafes and music theatres around the country, and continue to actively compose and develop their energetic sound that is a fresh wind delivered to people's minds.

Shohei Yamaki, acoustic guitar

Born in Sapporo, Japan in 1989, Shohei grew up listening to the great rock and jazz guitar masters of the second half of the 20th century. Early on in his life, he became deeply enmeshed in the wealth of guitar tones and styles that emerged out of America and Europe and began studying the guitar as if it was his only calling. By the time he reached his twentieth birthday in 2010, he could emulate practically any guitar sound and style that existed in the world.
In 2010, Shohei was the unanimous choice of the judges for the First Prize of the Sapporo International Jazz Festival. He competed with over 150 entrants and surprised everyone, including himself, by taking first place. This year he will launch his first recording and will tour abroad for the first time.

When watching this remarkable musician play you begin to feel that his guitar is merely a natural extension of his body. He creates sounds evocative of such great guitarists as Eric Johnson and Michael Hedges with a bit of Chet Atkins and Leo Kottke thrown in for good measure. There is nothing he can’t do and no sound he can’t create. At such an early stage in his career, the musical world is in for a number of elegant surprises.