MK Fufu
Two players, one conversation.Tsugaru Shamisen Duo · Santa Cruz, California
MK Fufu
Two players, one conversation.
Tsugaru Shamisen Duo · Santa Cruz, California
About
MK Fufu is Su Bunjamin and Kyle Abbott — a married shamisen duo based in Santa Cruz, California. Their name comes from 夫婦 (fūfu), the Japanese word for married couple, and it's an accurate description of what you see on stage: two people who have spent their lives with this instrument and play as though they're in conversation with each other. That chemistry is what audiences remember.
They perform Tsugaru shamisen — a powerful, rhythmically driving style from northern Japan — across a repertoire that moves from traditional Japanese folk music to contemporary compositions and cross-genre arrangements. Their sets move between driving rhythm and quiet intensity — sometimes within the same piece. Set length is flexible, from a focused 10-minute feature to a full 90-minute program with break. No dedicated technical setup required — they perform fully acoustic or with standard microphones in mic stands, fitting any venue without production overhead.
Kyle Abbott
Kyle Abbott has dedicated himself to the Tsugaru shamisen since the age of 13 — over two decades of playing, teaching, and expanding what the instrument can do and who it can reach. He is the founder of Bachido, the world's first international shamisen community, with over 8,000 members worldwide. He has competed at Japan's Hirosaki Tsugaru Shamisen Tournament in the top division, earned a Judge's Special Award, and performed on stages across the United States, Japan, and Europe.
He plays shakuhachi alongside shamisen and has collaborated with over 40 artists across genres internationally. He is currently producing Waves of Harmony, an album series of over 50 world fusion compositions featuring more than 50 international collaborators. He builds the shamisen he performs on by hand.
Su Bunjamin
Su Bunjamin has spent over a decade making Tsugaru shamisen accessible to audiences and players who never expected to encounter it. Born in Germany and now based in Santa Cruz, California, she co-founded Shamisen Berlin e.V. in 2014 — Europe's first nonprofit dedicated to shamisen and Japanese cultural exchange — and built Shamisen-Zentrale, a bilingual education platform reaching learners across Europe and beyond. She holds a lectureship in shamisen at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Her academic background in musicology and sociology gives her a specific skill that matters in performance: she makes unfamiliar traditions feel immediately relevant to audiences with no prior context. On stage, that translates directly — her energy is physical and visible, her enjoyment is genuine, and audiences feel it from the first note.
Watch Us Play
Watch Us Play
What We Offer
Corporate Events Most audiences have never encountered Tsugaru shamisen live — the experience stops a room. Rhythmically powerful, visually captivating, and genuinely unlike anything on a standard corporate entertainment roster, MK Fufu performs sets from 10 minutes to a full 90-minute program with break. No dedicated technical setup required — fully acoustic or with standard microphones in mic stands. We work with event producers to tailor set length, staging, and format to your program.
For groups who want to go beyond watching, we can incorporate a brief participatory element — guided chanting and simple percussion alongside a live min'yō performance. No instruments to bring, no musical experience required, no preparation needed. It works for groups of most sizes and adds an interactive dimension to the program without extending setup or logistics.
Availability Based in Santa Cruz, CA. Available for events nationwide and internationally. Travel and accommodation fees apply for events outside the Bay Area.
Booking Kit
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