Kazuhisa Uchihashi
electric guitar/daxophone/composer
was born in Osaka, Japan in 1959. He has played guitar since his twelfth year, mainly "Pop 'n' Roll" thoroughout his teens. Later he became involved in jazz. Since 1983 he has devoted himself intensively to free improvised music. He has experimented thouroughly with many different kinds of machines and sound devices to expand the expressive possibilities of the electric guitar.
He has also composed music for films, theatre, and dance. Among which is his work with the Japanese Theatre group "ISHINHA" for more than 25 years.
He has made a name for himself in Japan in concerts with such improvising musicians as Hans Reichel, Fred Frith,Tom Cora, Ned Rothenberg, Barre Phillips, Kan Tae Fwan, Peter Brotzman, Derek
Bailey, Samm Bennett, Steve Beresford, Zeena Parkins, Elliott Sharp,Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Kaiser, Chris Cutler, Charles Hayward, Han Bennink, Shelley Hirsch, Franz Hautzinger, Mani Neumeier, Chiristian Marclay, Mark Feldman, Joel Leandre, and many others.
He has conducted his powerful rock-oriented improvised band "Altered States" for 21 years and continues to create his own new guitar music in solos well as in "Altered States". He was also member of Otomo Yoshihide's GROUND ZERO for years.
Since 1995 he has begun to direct an "Improvisation Workshop" for young Improviser in Kobe every month, and now he plans to continue the series in Tokyo, London, Oslo, Wroclaw, Warsaw and other cities.
From 1996 to 2006 he organized the Interntional New Music festival "BEYOND INNOCENCE" in Osaka. He is known as one of the few daxophone players. Daxophone is a unique instrument invented by Hans Reichel. Recently he started new project with his own multi phonic surround system, and moved to Vienna from Tokyo.
