Tobias Kaye is the inventor of Sounding Bowls, a new instrument with metal strings set inside a wooden bowl. Adrian Freedman and Tobias have created a suite of new pieces for shakuhachi and sounding bowls.

The sound of the Japanese shakuhachi flute is particularly well-matched to the sounding bowls. Both instruments are warm and rich in overtones. The sounding bowls are made from beautifully grained British trees such as Cherry, Ash, Walnut and Holly, each one having its own sound properties. The shakuhachi too is made from uniquely patterned pieces of bamboo, each flute having its own individual timbre and sonority.

In 2013 Tobias and Adrian began work on devising and recording a suite of new pieces for shakuhachi and sounding bowls. The result is an album of contemplative duets, with shimmering string textures and soaring shakuhachi melodies. The music evokes aspects of the natural landscape such as rock pools, clouds, windbeaten rushes, icicles, sunsets and flocks of starlings, but it also has a surprisingly rich emotional warmth and depth.