Last Friday, I went to an incredible experimental free jazz concert at the Blue Note, Kyoto. Well, first of all, the music was simply astounding (I'll get into that soon enough). I met a cool guy who started an internet company (which I later found out was actually a huge company...), and we quickly became good friends. We sat on stage next to the drums, which made for a rather exciting perspective. I was also surprised to notice that I seem to be gaining some notoriety (for better or worse) in the Kyoto jazz scene. I saw some old friends at the bar, who were pretty drunk and awesome, as usual. The following is the gist of a conversation I had with one of the guys I've known longest and have played with a couple of time (he's a great and wild guy).
Naoto: "Jørgen, I'm counting on you. I'm counting on you."
Me: "Counting on me for what? What do you need?"
Naoto: "I'm counting on you. I'm counting on you."
Me: "I won't let you down, Naoto."
I took my seat at 7:45, bought myself a whisky, and tried to wrap my head around what I was about to see. The group playing was a duo consisting of a drummer and a pianist, and I had heard of neither their group nor their individual names. I didn't really know what to expect. The only information I had was from what Naoto said 2 weeks ago: "You like crazy stuff? You have to see this duo. That will be one interesting concert. Really crazy!"
At about 8:10, a gentleman in a black suit took the seat to my right. His name is Takashi, and he's a businessman ("salariman"). He's a really nice and friendly guy, and he told me about his online retail company he has. I think he sold hand bags and things, but the site was very diverse. The next day, as I was walking to the Kyoto main station, I saw this enormous office building with a logo I recognized from Takashi's business card. Guess his company is doing pretty well.
At ~8:40 or so, Shota Koyama (drum) and Dairo Suga (piano) took the stage. The concert opened with drums, played in a surging and pulsing manner that created sounds which were simultaneously seemingly out of sync and highly calculated and intelligent. Shota's sticks slide and grace over the drum heads and cymbals with virtuosic control and natural sloppiness. He employed a particularly unique style, using a somewhat awkward superoverhand grip, with his index fingers extended along the drum sticks. This technique enabled him to strike the drum heads and immediately kill the subsequent resonance. It was a pretty cool effect. His solo playing lasted only for a brief introduction, and as soon as Dairo entered with the piano, I knew I'd be in for a treat that night. Seriously, this man's playing was nothing short of astonishing. Before this concert, I had not really understood what shredding tone clusters and breakneck-speed parallel minor 9ths would sound like. Well, they sound damn awesome.
As the two musicians played, I was immediately drawn into their art. The music itself was compelling and fresh: chaotic enough to be unsettling yet fully synchronized at the perfect moments. Dozens of motifs found their ways into each song (which averaged >10 minute in length), and I was quite impressed with the players' abilities to make significant use of nearly all of them. The entertainment was not limited to the music, however. The body language of both players revealed a very special and rare connection, one that is crafted through a combination of technical prowess, friendship, and hours of discipline and rehearsal. Dairo rocked his whole body back and forth as he jammed, and Shota would from time to time leap up from his drum seat, as if blown away by what he was playing. As the players did their thing, they often would look at each other with huge smiles on their faces (maybe they were both thinking, "wow, we're awesome"), which was pretty endearing. The first tune ended in a very abrupt and calculated manner, which basically dispelled any and all doubt I had that the two were just shredding independently. In fact, this would become one of the themes of the night; right at all the pinnacles of cacophony, the duo would "magically" sync back up for a few moments of brilliance.
I'm kind of tired of writing, so I will continue this post at a later time.
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