Steffen Basho-Junghans
Encyclopedia
Steffen Basho-Junghans is a German
guitarist and composer. He was born in North Thuringia
in the former German Democratic Republic
. At the age of 17 he taught himself to play acoustic guitar
and in 1978 formed the folk
band Wacholder. In 1979, influenced by the American guitarist Leo Kottke
, he began performing solo instrumental music on 6- and 12-string guitar. Throughout the 1980s he became influenced by artists on John Fahey
's Takoma Records
label. During this period he discovered the music of Robbie Basho
, and consequently became interested in Japan
ese haiku
poet Matsuo Bashō
, who had influenced Robbie Basho. Steffen Junghans incorporated the name 'Basho' into his own, as a mark of respect. Throughout the 1980s he lectured on acoustic guitar history and performed numerous concerts.
Steffen Basho-Junghans has released recordings on the German label Blue Moment Arts; the American labels Sublingual
, Strange Attractors and Locust
; the Italian label Sillyboy; the Australian label Preservation; and Kning Disk in Sweden, appears on several compilations. His music, unorthodox explorations between traditions and experimentation, is influenced by North American Indian
, Asian
, New music
and European classical
music.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
guitarist and composer. He was born in North Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
in the former German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. At the age of 17 he taught himself to play acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and in 1978 formed the folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band Wacholder. In 1979, influenced by the American guitarist Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
, he began performing solo instrumental music on 6- and 12-string guitar. Throughout the 1980s he became influenced by artists on John Fahey
John Fahey (musician)
John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
's Takoma Records
Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by John Fahey in the late 1950s.. It was named after Fahey's hometown, the Washington, D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.-History:...
label. During this period he discovered the music of Robbie Basho
Robbie Basho
Robbie Basho was an American composer, guitarist and pianist, and one of the pioneers of the acoustic steel string guitar in America.-Biography:...
, and consequently became interested in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
poet Matsuo Bashō
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
, who had influenced Robbie Basho. Steffen Junghans incorporated the name 'Basho' into his own, as a mark of respect. Throughout the 1980s he lectured on acoustic guitar history and performed numerous concerts.
Steffen Basho-Junghans has released recordings on the German label Blue Moment Arts; the American labels Sublingual
Sublingual
Sublingual, literally 'under the tongue', from Latin, refers to the pharmacological route of administration by which drugs diffuse into the blood through tissues under the tongue...
, Strange Attractors and Locust
Locust Music
Locust Music is a Chicago-based independent record label founded in 2001....
; the Italian label Sillyboy; the Australian label Preservation; and Kning Disk in Sweden, appears on several compilations. His music, unorthodox explorations between traditions and experimentation, is influenced by North American Indian
Native American music
American Indian music is the music that is used, created or performed by Native North Americans, specifically traditional tribal music. In addition to the traditional music of the Native American groups, there now exist pan-tribal and inter-tribal genres as well as distinct Indian subgenres of...
, Asian
Asian music
Asian music encompasses numerous different musical styles originating from a large number of Asian countries.Musical traditions in Asia* Music of Central Asia** Music of Afghanistan** Music of Kazakhstan** Music of Mongolia** Music of Uzbekistan...
, New music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
and European classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
music.
Discography
- 12-String Solo MC (Blue Moment Arts|Blue Moment Arts, 1989)
- In Search of the Eagle's Voice CD (BMA, 1995)
- Fleur De Lis 1 & 2 2x CD (BMA, 1996)
- Song of the Earth CD (Sublingual Records, 2000)
- Inside CD (Strange Attractors, 2001)
- Landscapes in Exile CD (Blue Moment Arts, 2001)
- Waters in Azure CD (Strange Attractors, 2002)
- Rivers and Bridges CD (Strange Attractors, 2003)
- 7 Books dbl CD (Strange Attractors, 2004)
- Unknown Music I: Alien Letter CD (Sillyboy, 2005)
- Unknown Music II: Transwarp Meditation CD (Preservation, 2005)
- In the Morning Twilight CD (Kning Disk, 2006)
- Last Days of the Dragons CD (LocustLocust MusicLocust Music is a Chicago-based independent record label founded in 2001....
, 2006) - Late Summer Morning CD (Strange Attractors, 2006)
- "IS" LP (Architects of Harmonic Rooms & Records, 2009)
- Unknown Music III: O Som Naha MC (Beartown Records, 2010)