Ensemble Shippolly⑥ | Live Highlights 2025–2026

Ensemble Shippolly⑥ is a Japan-based six-piece ensemble exploring the space between composition and improvisation, guided by the concept of overlapping breath. The ensemble grew out of a project originally formed in 2015 by pianist and composer Kaori Nishijima, inspired by her time living in Sweden.Featuring four wind instruments, voice, piano, and darbuka, the ensemble layers not only the resonance of the winds, but also breath noise, subtle presence, and a sense of ma — the Japanese concept of space and timing.Their music moves between elements of jazz and contemporary music and diverse rhythms, while language itself is sometimes treated as musical material — drawing on regional Japanese dialects, spoken textures, and fragmented phonetic sounds. Improvisations within the compositions gradually self-organize into forms beyond individual intention. The name Shippolly derives from a Kyoto dialect word evoking quiet intimacy, stillness, and depth.With a performance style deeply attuned to space and resonance, the ensemble’s music resonates especially strongly with churches, art spaces, and acoustically distinctive venues. 西島 芳 Kaori Nishijima (piano, voice) 武井 努 Tsutomu Takei (tenor sax, flute) 中山雄貴 Yuki Nakayama (trombone) 有本羅人 Rabito Arimoto (trumpet, bass clarinet) 本藤美咲 Misaki Motofuji (baritone sax, clarinet) 森内清敬 Kiyotaka Moriuchi (darbuka, riq etc.) ■instagram   / ensembleshippolly   ■introducing youtube    • introducing Ensemble Shippolly and 3rd alb...   ■Bandcamp https://ensembleshippolly.bandcamp.com