March 20 - 21, 2012. Clinician and guest performer with TU Percussion Ensemble, Troy University, Troy, AL. Host, T. Adam Blackstock.

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The cover of the CD features a painting by Julie Delton (licensed through Getty Images) called African Drummer. Delton, a full-time artist/illustrator who lives in St Paul, Minnesota, studied in Minnesota and in London, England, and has worked as a freelance illustrator since 1989. She tends to work small, and has developed an original technique that can be seen in African Drummer that combines watercolour and inks with resist.  She describes it as similar to the process of batik on fabric. The result is a textural “block-printed” look, which she developed in London while studying etching, lithography, and wood-engraving. What is most important to her is colour, texture and spontaneity and in her current paintings she strives for rich texture in which “all the brushstrokes, glazings, scratches, chips and colour fragments are deliberate”, contributing to a somewhat “distressed” and “primitive” look.

Here are some examples of her work featuring musical motifs. You can see more of Julie Delton’s work at the site of her representative, Helen Ravenhill.
Delton recently “opened” her own Etsy shop,  and also has a line of rubber stamps at www. pictureshow.etsy.com You can also find The Julie Delton Studio on Facebook.

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“Some of the best Paul Horn recordings of the 70s, ­ tracks that were recorded amidst the Brazilian fusion explosion of the 70s, and which really push Horn’s sound to the limit! The album features work that Horn cut with the funky fusion group NEXUS, ­ very electrified tracks driven on by some heavy percussion work that clearly comes out of the Brazilian tradition spread to the US by Airto -  ­ jazzy, frenetic, and with a good mix of electric and organic elements! Titles include Somba, Crystals, Friendship, Nexus, Mbira, Capetown, and African Funeral Song.”

So…how can you hear it? You can listen to portions of the tracks at CD Universe by clicking here, and you can purchase tracks at ITunes here. Or you can check out the CD “Altitude of the Sun”, still available. (Details can be found by clicking here). It is a re-release of two Paul Horn discs, one of which is most of the material from “Paul Horn + NEXUS”, plus a recording Paul Horn made in 1976 with Egberto Gismonti originally titled “Altura do Sol”. (”Altitude of the Sun” was issued by Black Sun Records, now owned and operated by Celestial Harmonies based in Tucson, Arizona).  Not only that, but Wounded Bird Records reissued the complete “Paul Horn + NEXUS” on CD in April 2010. The Amazon.ca reviewer Alpha-Beta in Victoria, British Columbia gives it a five star review:

“Wonderful album - finally re-issued!!! Five stars for a great album and five stars for Wounded Bird Records for re-issuing this. All the tracks here are wonderful collaborations between percussion group NEXUS and Paul Horn. Paul Horn’s flute and saxophone playing on this recording is at times fast and jazzy, and at other times reflective and meditative. NEXUS add many percussive colours ranging from tabla drums to marimba. Always tasteful - yet masterful. A real gem if you like percussion and/or ‘world music’. The flavors here move from Indian to African to Jazz and back . . . African Funeral Song is very moving and tracks like Eastern Star and Dharma really catch fire. “

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* performance on a gala percussion concert in the academy’s opera house (Teatro Giglio)

* 44 private lessons 

* 11 small ensemble coaching sessions

* 1 Creative Music Making (freeform improvisation) workshop 

* 1 videotaped interview for students in the English language class

* 1 formal address to the entire Showa faculty and administration at their monthly meeting

Here is a listing of the repertoire I heard in lessons and rehearsals during my 2-week residency at the Showa Academy in December 2011.  Many of the pieces were also heard in previous years’ residencies.

Performance of the Philidor "March"

ADVENTURES FOR ONE by Robert Stern  (Multi-percussion, unaccompanied)

AGBEKOR arr. by W.Cahn (drum ensemble)

ALL AMERICAN SOLOS by C. Wilcoxin (rudimental snare drum solos)

CANON by Pachabel/arr. by Nanae Mimura (Marimba, unaccompanied)

CARITAS by Michael Burritt (Marimba)

CINQ PIECES BREVES by Jaques Delecleuse  (Multi-percussion, piano accomp.)

CONCERTINO POUR PERCUSSION et ORCHESTRE by Jean Balissat (Multi-perc., pno. accomp.)

CONCERTINO FOR XYLOPHONE & ORCH. by T. Mayuzumi (Xylo., piano accomp.)

CONCERTO FOR PERCUSSION by Andre Jolivet (Multi-perc, pno. accomp.)

CONCERTO #2 FOR MARIMBA by N.Zivkovic

CONCERTO FOR TIMPANI (Mvt. III) by William Kraft  (Timpani, piano accompaniment)

CONCERTO FOR TIMPANI by W. Tharichen (Timpani, piano accompaniment)

CREATIVE MUSIC MAKING (freeform improvisations)

DANCE by Simone Pie (Multi-percussion w/ Timp., piano accomp)

DTKT by Kerrin Joyce (Drum duet, unaccompanied)

ENERGICO by Kazunori Meguro (Drum quintet, unaccompanied, with dance)

ENTRADA by Kerrin Joyce  (Marimba-vibraphone duet, unaccompanied)

EVENING PRAYER by E.Humperdink (Marimba Ensemble)

FIVE PIECES by Pius Chung (Marimba unaccompanied)

FRUM by Askel Masson (Multi-perc.)

GENERALLY SPOKEN, IT IS NOTHING BUT RHYTHM by Zivkovic (Marimba, Unacc.)

GROUND FOR SOLO PERCUSSIONIST by Norio Fukushi  (Multi-perc., unaccomp.)

HALASANA by Louis Cauberghis  (Multi-perc., piano accomp.)

I-CHING by Per Norgard  (Multi-percussion, unaccompanied)

IMPROVISATIONS by Marcal Mihalovici  (Multi-perc.)

KITCHEN SINK by Don Gilles (Perc. ensemble with band)

KYAKOU by E. Dupin (Multi-percussion, piano accomp.)

LA NOCHE DE LOS MAYAS by S.Revueltas/arr.Meguro (Marimbas,perc., elec.organs)

MARCH by Elliot Carter (Timpani, unaccompanied)

MARCH FOR KETTLEDRUMS by A. Philidor (Timpani duet, unaccompanied)

MESSIAH by G. Handel (Timpani part)

MYRIADES by Francois Dupin  (Multi-perc, piano accomp.)

NAGOYA MARIMBAS by Steve Reich (Marimba duet, unaccompanied)

NIMROD from “Enigma Variations” by Elgar/arr. Meguro (Marimba Ensemble)

QUATRE INVENTIONS by Michel Cals  (Multi-perc, piano accomp.)

REBANA LOOPS by David Pye  (Marimba & Toms Quartet)

REBONDS A by Iannis Xenakis (Multi-percussion, unaccompanied)

RHYTHMIC by Eugene Bozza

SIDE BY SIDE by Michio Kitazume (Multi-percussion, unaccompanied)

SIX SUITEN FUR VIOLONCELLO -‘Gavotte I & II’  by Bach (Marimba, unaccomp.)

SONATA for Marimba by T. Pitfield  (Timpani, piano accomp.)

SONATA FOR TWO PIANOS AND PERCUSSION by B. Bartok

SONATINA by A. Tcherepnin  (piano accomp.)

SUITE ANCIENNE by Maurice Jarre (Multi-perc, piano accomp.)

SYMPHONY No. 25 by W. Mozart  (Marimba ensemble)

TOCCATA by Anders Koppel (Marimba-vibraphone duet, unaccompanied)

VIOLIN SUITE (D-MINOR FUGUE) by Bach (Marimba, unaccompanied)

Performance of "Agbekor" in Teatro Giglio

Performance of "La Noche de Los Mayas" in Teatro Giglio

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The rehearsal for the 2-hour program involved managing and moving literally several hundred instruments and stands into setups between pieces in as short a time a possible.  Yashio has spent weeks preparing responsibilities for each student, and the rehearsal in the large band room was the only available place large enough to have a run-through, because the Teatro Giglio was set up for “The Messiah” all week, and next Sunday’s pre-concert time will be filled with lighting and sound setups and checks.

As appears to be typical, based on past visits, the program is aimed at a general audience (rather than on the more serious music aficionados we usually see at home), so there are some very light pieces, dancers, lots of loud/fast drumming, some Christmas carols, and a rhythmic “pots-’n-pans” encore.  But there is also the fantastic Revueltas piece, “La Noche de Los Mayas.”  

Sunday December 12 was also sunny and mild.  It was another day of rehearsing for the final gala concert, I am involved in two pieces on the concert - the “March for Two Kettledrums” by A. Phildor,  which I have arranged for 5 timpanists, and “Agbekor” for a quasi-African drum ensemble using available congas, bongos, and tom-toms.  At the end of the day’s work Kaz, Yashio and I drove in heavy rush hour traffic for about 90-minutes to the Monterey Hotel in Yokohama. 

Monterey Hotel Lobby

The minor inconvenience of having to repack was offset by the chance to have a change of scenery. Even though I’ve visited Yokohama before, I was again impressed by the city, especially at night - tree-lined boulevards, lots of neon, a beautiful harbor.  My hotel was located on a wide boulevard right on the Bay.  There are lots of Christmas lights everywhere, even in the hotel lobby.  After checking into my very comfortable but efficient room, Kaz, Yashio and I walked about 10-minutes to nearby Chinatown and a very fine high-end Chinese restaurant that is a favorite of Yashio’s.  We were joined there by their son, Tomoshige, who is currently a dentistry student in Yokohama.  The dishes selected by Yashio were incredible - as good as I remember from the NEXUS visits to Taiwan - thin-sliced fresh veggie strips in a very light lemon/sesame seed vinaigrette, marinated eggs, sesame chicken slices, a crusted shrimp/tofu ball, a rolled jumbo shrimp, egg fried rice, and a fruit & lychee desert, served with Kaz’s favorite Kirin beer and a very sweet dark Chinese sake.

Chinatown, Yokohama

At dinner I told Kaz that I’m thinking of making reductions in all of my future commitments and he wasn’t at all surprised.  He hinted, though he might just have been trying to be nice, that he was thinking of inviting both Ruth and me again next December.  I thanked him, but replied that I didn’t know what our plans would be.  On a related note Kaz and Yashio said they’re thinking of coming to the Percussion Rochester event next May. 

The next morning (Monday) was beautifully sunny and clear in Yokohama, so I took the opportunity to walk around for about 30-minutes taking a few photos before checking out of the Monterey Hotel. 

Yokohama Harbor

Yashio picked me up at the hotel at 9:30 AM and we drove back to the Hotel Molino in Shin-Yuri, where I dropped off my bags before heading over to the school.  The Monday schedule consisted of five lessons. I’ve been amazed that my pickyness about ‘gremlins’ seems to finally have had a significant effect in reducing the stand and instrument rattles at Showa.  There hasn’t even been even one pedal bass drum stuffed with a blanket.

At the lunch break I walked over to the Molino Hotel and checked in.  Then I ran over to the Mylord department store to buy a nice sake for the evening’s dinner at Sadanari’s before running back to school for the afternoon lessons.  After school Kaz drove us (Yashio, me and Ko, a 4th-year student) to Seichiro and Tokiko Sadanari’s home in Setagaya.  We were joined by their son, Kungo Sadanari, who had been my interpreter at Showa some years ago, and who had recently moved out of crowded Setagaya to an area in the mountains about 2-hours from Tokyo because he thought it might be healthier for his family.  There’s a sense of resignation in Japan about the nuclear stuff, but underneath the stoicism there’s an unspoken concern and a suppressed longing for more information.  The March earthquake seems to come into lots of Yashio’s and Kaz’s conversations.  Seichiro told us that he had just driven home from Fukushima when the earthquake struck and his car was rocking wildly during the event.  Kungo said he could see the concrete roads rolling in wave-like motions as if the highways were liquid.  A conga drum in Kungo’s house had been tipped over and it had rolled back and forth from one side of the room to the other.

Seichiro’s chicken curry, as usual, was very good as were Tokiko’s appetizers - Waldorf salad, cheese bites, bean sprout salad and salmon with onions.  The dinner conversation included the inevitable stream of jokes and stories and everyone seemed to have a good time as usual.  And then, after saying our sayanaras, Ko escorted me in a taxi to Machida Odakyu Station to catch a 15-minute train ride back to Shin-Yuri Gaoka Station next to the Hotel Molino. 

Tuesday Dec. 13 was just another “day at the office”.  I finally slept until 8 AM, and it was clear and sunny again for my walk. 

Artistic sidewalk manhole cover spotted during a morning walk

A nice residence seen on the Shin-Yuri morning walk

A front garden seen on the Shin-Yuri morning walk

I’ve noticed on my walks that the streets are virtually free of litter and that the small gardens are well manicured.  I also see people walking their dogs - large and small and even a Westie or two.

By the time I went over to the school around 10:30 it was warm enough not to need an overcoat.  There were only 4 lessons scheduled, so I finished early at 3:30 and then went over to the department store to buy some blank DVDs so that I could make dubs of one of the lessons that I video-recorded last week - a nice marimba/vibes duo titled, “Toccata” by Anders Koppel played by Ayaka and Erika.  I’ll give each of them a DVD. 

Ayaka Fujimoto and Erika Tanaka

In the department store’s music section, I also noticed a new DVD on the NHK label by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Yutaka Sado, the same conductor who conducted NEXUS in Hyogo in October 2010.  The DVD included “From me flows what you call Time” and the price was expensive - ¥4950.  

Wednesday Dec. 14 made up for t the previous easy day; there were 7 lessons - 10 AM to 5:30 with an hour lunch break.  I woke up at 7 AM to a rainy morning but by the time I finished emails and went out to do my walk the rain was over, though it was definitely colder.  My emails basically had to do with the Governance Committee of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.  There were issues relating to qualifications to be on the Honorary Board (of which I am the current Chair). I suspect there were some politics at play having to do with non-RPO business/social relationships in Rochester, but I tried in my emails to remain focused on what’s best for the RPO, as opposed to what’s best for the Honorary Board. (“511” !?)

On this seven-lesson day, one big surprise was when Yuki, a freshman, came in and played “Side-By-Side” as well, if not better, than I’ve ever heard it - Eastman included.  Fortunately, she agreed to play it through again and let me video record it, which I did. 

Yuki Tagaki playing "Side by Side"

The translator, Ms. Iishi, couldn’t attend this day because of another commitment, so Kaz was with me all day.  His translations probably weren’t as accurate as Ms. Iishi’s, but we did the best we could and it worked out fine.

Another highlight was the last lesson at 4:30.  Erika, a grad student, played the Mayazumi “Concertino for Xylophone and Orchestra” accompanied by another grad student, Yuka Chiba, playing her own orchestration on an electronic organ.  Erica used a marimba instead of a xylophone and the keyboard orchestra samples on the electronic organ worked very well. 

Erika Tanaka and Yuka Chiba

I think it’s an ideal use of the electronic organ’s capabilities.  The sound is not 100-percent like an orchestra, but it’s quite good (80-percent?) and much more interesting than a piano, and arguably closer to the composer’s original intent.  For a student recital or jury, it makes so much sense to me, but I know that it would take an awful lot of persuasion to overcome the prejudices of the traditionalists.  

Back at the hotel in the evening I watched world-class around-the-world yacht racing on wide-screen Japanese TV with “tack-by-tack’ commentary in Japanese that I didn’t understand, but the scenery was interesting anyway - especially the on-board camera angles.

Thursday Dec. 15 might accurately have been called “Jolivet Percussion Concerto Day” at Showa.  There were five lessons on various movements of this very dated piece, the last movement of which, with its machine-gun snare drum rimshots, is incredibly strange to my sensibilities, but my job is not to be judgmental; it’s to be encouraging, and I did my best to help the students get the most out of my observations.  After lunch there was also an African ensemble rehearsal.  We played once through “Agbekor” and it went without a hitch, so the rehearsal ended early.  Again this year I was asked at the last minute to address the monthly faculty/administration meeting in the afternoon, so at lunch I trotted back to the hotel to get a tie and jacket and to make some quick notes on my talking points, which I delivered to a room full of about 200 people:

- I thanked Kaz, Yashio, and Fumiko (translator), 

- I expressed my compassion for those who suffered in the earthquake disaster and reported that many of my friends in Rochester and Canada were shocked and made donations to the recovery efforts,

- I reported that the freshmen this year were the best ever, and that the level increases every year,

- I thanked the administration for supporting this Sunday’s percussion concert in the large treater (for the first time)

- I expressed by belief that music is a powerful force for good in fostering understanding, and I congratulated the Showa faculty and administration for their good work

Then the lessons continued until 6 PM.  Afterwards as I walked back to the hotel a middle-aged lady came running up to me shouting “Cahn-sensei”.  It was Toshie, who was Kaz’s senior assistant back in 1999, when Ruth and I both went to Showa at the old campus in Atsugi.  Toshie, whom I would never have recognized, was on her way to Showa for a rehearsal of the Giglio Orchestra, comprised mostly of Showa alumnae.  We exchanged regards and off she went.

After a long day I thought I’d treat myself to a nice restaurant dinner with some wine.  I know of only three decent restaurants in the Shin-Yuri area - one in the hotel (very expensive - I’ve never eaten there), a good sushi restaurant about a mile away, and an Italian Trattoria in the Shin Yuri Plaza, where I’ve gone in years past and where they also have good gnocchi dishes and a decent wine list.  However, for some reason the restaurant was closed, so I’d have to try again another day.

Friday the 16th was the last day of lessons and it seemed to go by very quickly.  The most interesting lesson of the day - and maybe of the entire two week residency - was an hour on the Bartok Sonata with four grad students Yu on the timpani part, Shiyono on the xylo part and two twin brothers, Tatsuya and Fumiya on pianos.  It was their fourth rehearsal, so they sort of knew the piece, but there were still gaps in their listening, so basically, I tried to help them to know where to listen - sometimes to Piano 1, sometimes to the timpani, etc.

(L to R) Tatsuya Takatori, Fumiya Takatori, Yu Ishimine, Bill, Shiyono Kanako

The last lesson of the day was Shiyono, the same grad student who was in the Bartok. She played the Elliot Carter “March” and then a very nice etude from the Kruger book, all done with good sound and confidence.  Interestingly, she had the timps set up in the German style.  I asked her why, and she said that she wanted to study in Germany, because she had been at the Bayreuth Festival last summer, and had even played in the study orchestra there.  Amazing!  I remember when Shiono was a very wide-eyed shy freshman, and now she’s a poised, worldly young lady.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up as timpanist in a German orchestra someday.

Shiyono and Kaz

The lessons ended at 4:30 PM and I went down to the office to pick up my payment.  This happens in a kind of ritual that I have experienced in all of my past visits. I am escorted to a meeting room by two of the office personnel (one the finance officer and the other, I guess, is simply a witness to the transaction).  There are  a few forms and receipts to sign and then the cash envelop is handed to me along with a suggestion that I count the money, and of course, I always decline to count it.

At 5:00 Kaz had to go to conduct a rehearsal of the Revueltas, so I took off and went back to the hotel.  At 6 PM I walked over to Shin-Yuri Plaza and that nice Italian restaurant which was closed the day before.  It was open, so I walked in and was seated at a long bar.  I ordered the gnocchi with ham, walnuts, green beans and Gorgonzola sauce along with an order of garlic bread and a glass of the house red wine.  It was definitely a welcome change from my regimen of sushi and rice dishes over the last 10-days.

Back in the hotel after dinner I watched a TV documentary about the Barnes Gallery in Philadelphia and the wonderful collection of masterpieces, mostly of the French impressionists.  Ruth and I spent a nice afternoon at the Barnes maybe 20-years ago.  The paintings are hung close together - floor to ceiling and wall to wall - making a dense, but interesting juxtaposition of artists and styles.

Saturday Dec. 17 was the dress rehearsal day for the big Sunday afternoon concert.  After responding to emails in the morning I walked over to the Plaza and got an Egg McMuffin and coffee at the McDonald’s in the train station.  Then I worked on this blog posting and walked over to the Mylord Department Store to buy the sayanara presents for Kaz, Yashio, Fumiko (translator) and Ko (senior student mentor).

At noon I headed over to Showa for the dress rehearsal.  The program is:

1) Opening music - 6 freshmen free improv in balcony as audience enters

2)”DTKT” by G. Joyce - duet on 12 tom-toms

3) “Entrada” by G. Joyce - duet on marimba and vibes

4) “Energico” by Kaz Meguro - 5 percs on drums with dancers

5) “March for Kettledrums” by Philidor - Cahn & 4 seniors on timps

6) “Nimrod” by Elgar - arranged for marimba ensemble

7) “Symphony No. 25” by Mozart - arranged for marimba ensemble

8) “Oye Como Va Puente, arr. by D. Quin) - for marimba ensemble

9) “Agbekor” - Cahn with African perc ensemble

INTERMISSION

10) “Symphony of Psalms” by G. Hughes

11) “Rebana Loops” by D. Pye

12) “La Noche de Los Mayas” by S. Revueltas - arr. for marimbas & electronic organs

13) “Evening Prayer” by Humperdinck - arranged for marimba ensemble

14) “Kitchen Sink” by D. Gilles - marimba ensemble w/ kitchen utensil percussion

15) “Silent Night” - handbell ensemble

One thing (among many) that differentiates the programs at Showa (and in Asia) with the programs at Western conservatories is that these programs are aimed at the general (ie. unsophisticated) public, so there is always music that would be considered “beneath’ non-Asian conservatory audiences (eg. “Kitchen Sink”).  It will be interesting to see how many people actually turn out for the Sunday concert.

The rehearsals in the large band room had already started and the stage manager was double-checking every detail with Yashio as the staging was rehearsed in program order. 

Showa large rehearsal room

Every one of the forty-five students has some responsibility to move instruments between pieces, and the changes were all carefully timed with a stop watch to be under a minute.  My rehearsal of the Phildor started at 2 PM.  The four students - Aiko, Yu, Shiono, and Ikumi - tried to play their parts from memory, but in the end it was determined that the music stands would stay, in as low a position as possible.  At 3:15 or so the Agbekor rehearsal started.  As the students carried out my drum to setup at center stage, Ko (the senior monitor and big brother) approached Yashio and a lengthy conversation ensued.  Ko had noticed that it seemed out of etiquette for the short girls (namely, every girl in the percussion department) to be moving the big conga and stool, while the guys were standing around.  Of course, the girls normally move everything between studios for lessons and rehearsals.  They routinely do it, but not in front of paying audiences.  When the planning huddle ended, the guys moved my conga and stool into position, then left the stage, and reentered with the line of 18 freshmen and sophomores (mostly girls), each carrying his/her drum, followed by me walking into place carrying a djembe.  Once in place I played a few solo calls, and then the opening call to begin the piece before changing to the conga drum, serving as a surrogate adzimevu (master drum).

One of the pieces on the second-half is “Rebana Loops” by David Pye, an Australian.  I had not heard it at all before this rehearsal and when it began I did a mental double-take, because it sounded remarkably similar to the piece that Ivan Trevino wrote - the one that won first-place in the PAS composition contest.  Of course it was different, but it took me a while to be certain of it.  The minimal patterns also reminded me of recent pieces I’ve heard by Marc Mellits.

Rehearsal of "Rebana Loops"

“Rebana Loops” is for four players on two 5.0 marimbas placed face-to-face, with a line of eight roto-toms placed in a row between the two marimbas.  This and all of the other student pieces were played very well and the rehearsal ended at 5 PM.  

On the walk back to the hotel there was music coming from the Shin-Yuri Plaza, and  a crowd had formed around a stage area to watch a program, that as it turned out, was produced by Showa students.  A soprano was singing “O Danny Boy” a-cappella, and a children’s chorus was standing by ready to go on. As I walked past I was introduced to a girl student (clarinetist, I think) who auditioned for Ruth at Eastman last year while I was here at Showa.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get her name.

"Percussion World" poster at Showa

Sunday the 18th finally arrived and it started with a final walk at 7:30 AM. The morning dress rehearsal in the big hall went smoothly.  Tomomi Yamashta (who visited the “Drum Boogie ‘09′ with Kaz) and Megumi, another graduate from several years ago came to the concert and reception.  The concert audience was very good - about half a house, but it’s a large hall - and everyone was pleased, because this was a first-time event and no one knew for sure how many people would buy tickets.  The students played exceptionally well - so well, in fact that I really have a sense that my work here is done.

Final Dress Rehearsal of "la Noche de Los Mayas" in Teatro Giglio

Kaz’s arrangement of the Revueltas “La Noche de Los Mayas” was really great.  I’d love to hear this piece performed by an orchestra.  However, short of that, the electronic organs were very good.  I met Mr. Agata (the Yamaha representative who visited Eastman simultaneously with Kaz in ‘09) at intermisson and he was very happy.  There was a very nice post-concert reception at Il Campiello (the gelato cafe) with sandwiches, salads and wine.  As usual, I was asked to say a few words so I congratulated all of the students on their great performamces, and wished all of them good luck. I said a ‘Campai” to Kaz and Yashio, and the students presented me with a small gift.  Then there were the photos - with the “V” fingers, of course - and the final “sayanaras.”  Rather than go the the second reception, I decided to return to the hotel to get started on packing and final emails.  Kaz and Yashio will also be staying at the Molino Hotel tonight  after a long day, to avoid the drive to and from from Yokohama to pick me up in the morning.  Tomorrow we’ll all check out at 10 AM and drive to Narita for my flights back to Rochester.

I’ve done my best while here in Japan to take in as much of the experience as possible, and I’ve been reminded that some things can’t really be put into words - the smells encountered on the streets, the neon at night, the expressions on people’s faces, the look on a students’ faces when told that they’ve done well, the “Jap-lish” expressions printed on T-shirts, the shared laughter with good friends. I don’t know if I’ll ever (at this age) be returning to Japan again, so I’m leaving with a deep sense of sadness, and yet a profound gratitude for the numerous moments shared with so many friends and students since my first visit in 1976.

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At Christmas, in addition to “The Carol of the Drum” (also known as “The Little Drummer Boy”), we hear “The Carol of the Bells” , and “Ding Dong Merrily on High“, another bell carol - not to mention “Jingle Bells”!  Japan’s Omisoka on December 31st also features the bell: the ringing of a Buddhist temple bell (joya no kane, the watch-night bell) 108 times to drive out all the sins of the old year, and welcome in good fortune.

Although there are no specific percussion instruments associated with Tu Bishvat (the January Jewish holiday also known as The New Year of the Trees) nor with the December Celebration of Lights called Chanukah, the historic and beautiful Rintel Lamp, a menorah (candelabra) that dates from 1753 in Amsterdam, is hung with eight silver bells “reminiscent of the bells that adorned the hem of the robes of the high priest.” Traditional Hebrew musical instruments include the tambourine, cymbals and the tinkling sistrum. I found two Chanukah percussion medleys commissioned by Mt. Lebanon Percussion, and you can hear these on Youtube, one by Bill Holcombe and the other by David Bobrowitz .

In the Bahamas the December 26th and New Year’s celebration of Junkanoo features the ringing of cowbells, and dancing to the rhythms of goatskin drums. There are two Junkanoo museums in Nassau that trace the development of the insturments they use. Modern Jamaican music has its roots in percussive Junkanoo too. The foundation of Junkanoo music is the goombay drum, made by attaching goatskins to metal containers.  The drums are heated just before the performance, to tighten their skins and heighten their tones. They also use tom-toms. The cowbells are played in pairs (one or more in each hand). You can also hear “Rake-and-scrape” music, made by bending a toothed carpenter’s saw and scraping it with a small screwdriver or butterknife. Rake-and-scrape comes from the musical traditions of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Historical Museum of Southern Florida gives a great overview of Caribbean Percussion Traditions.

In Nigeria, drumming and dancing plays an important role at the Islamic festivals and other holidays. In the Arab country of Qatar, their celebrations are based on Bedouin traditions, such as the dance known as the Ardah, “a stylized martial dance performed by two rows of dancers who are accompanied by an array of percussion instruments, including al-ras (a large drum whose leather is heated by an open fire), tambourine and cymbals, along with small drums.”

Kwanzaa is an internationally-celebrated African cultural holiday, so of course African drumming holds a special place. Most Kwanzaa music CDs feature an exhilarating percussion component.

Grenada’s Carriacou Parang Festival in mid-December honours the  traditional string music of the island of Carriacou, just off Grenada’s coast. The percussion-driven music is known to sometimes feature bawdy lyrics, but Christmas carols are also included in the celebration.

Chinese New Year (which follows the lunar calendar and is in late winter) includes the Lion Dance, which contains an important percussion element. The Lion’s movements are followed and emphasized by percussion rhythms, requiring a great deal of rehearsal to achieve exceptional precision and unison. Loud percussion also relates to the role (and roar) of the lion in dispelling evil and bringing good luck. “As an art form, the Lion Dance re-creates things unseen and heard, giving form and substance to the intangible as one experiences the creative process at work.”

No matter where in the world you may be, all of us here at the NEXUS offices wish you a most happy holiday!

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Showa Academy

I have been visiting the Showa Academy of Music in Japan almost every year since 1998.  When NEXUS toured to Okinawa in 1997, I was introduced to Kazunori Meguro by Yoji Sadanari, who had studied at the University of Toronto in the 1970s, and who knew all of us in NEXUS.

When Kazunori (‘Kaz’) invited me to come to Showa for a 2-week teaching residency I accepted, having really no idea of what I would encounter  there, even as I got on the plane to embark on my trek to Atsugi, Japan where the campus was located in 1998.

This posting is being written from my hotel room in Kawasaki about halfway through my 2011 residency.  It’s my 5th residency since the Academy moved from Atsugi to its brand new and fully equipped Kawasaki campus.  Getting to Kawasaki from Rochester involves a 90-minute flight to Detroit, a 90-minute layover in the business class lounge, and a 13-hour flight to Narita, during which there are two meals - dinner after takeoff and breakfast before landing - as well as movies  - this time “Midnight in Paris,”  “Friends with Benefits,”  and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” - and a little time reading from a book I brought along, “The Swerve” about the ancient poet, Lucretius, and the reemergence in the year 1417 of his magnum opus, “On the Nature of Things” after a thousand years of lying dormant.

A little side story: as I took my seat in the business class section of the 747, I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation going on just behind me.  An Asian businessman was chatting with an American businessman, and after a short while the subject turned to finances and taxes. At some point early into this subject the Asian businessman said something to the effect of, “I don’t understand why the U.S. is so much against taxes for the public good,” and at that point the conversation stopped and not another word was exchanged between these two men for the rest of the flight.

While enroute I noticed that this flight followed a course into Japan that was south of the Aleutians and well to the east away from the coast of Japan - maybe 200-miles or so - instead of over Alaska, Siberia and Hokkaido as in previous years.  I assume that the reason was to avoid flying near the damaged nuclear reactor at Fukushima.  My decision to make this trip was done with an understanding of the risk involved, though Ruth definitely had some misgivings about the leaking radiation.  Even though Kawasaki is to the southwest of Tokyo, and hundreds of miles from Fukushima, nevertheless it sits in a zone that has registered minimally elevated levels of ambient radiation.

The landing at Narita on Dec. 6 was during a fairly heavy rainfall, and as always in the past, Kaz met me at Narita in his Mercedes station wagon and we drove about 2-hours through Tokyo and Yokohama to the Hotel Molino in Kawasaki, right next to the Shin-Yuri Station of the Odakyu (train) line.  By the time we arrived  at the hotel it was 7 PM and the rain had subsided. 

Hotel Molino

Shin-Yuri Station

Shin-Yuri Plaza

The hotel sits right on a plaza that includes a bus station, three major department stores, and a number of fast food restaurants.  The walk from the hotel to Showa Academy, about two blocks away, takes only 5-minutes.  As usual, I couldn’t fight the jet lag and though I wanted to try to stay awake until 11 PM, I fell asleep at 10 PM, waking  up at 2:30 AM and reading a little more of  “Swerve” and then back to sleep until 7:15 AM.  

The morning of the 7th was clear and sunny outside, so I did my power walk and along the way I got a hazy glance at the snowy top of Mt. Fuji in the distance.  The new Showa Academy is located in a very nice upscale middle-class neighborhood, with lots of retired people and some very attractive single homes and gardens, all of which makes for very pleasant morning walks.  I usually power walk for 40-minutes, covering about 3-miles in total.  I’ve found a good route with only one or two intersections, so I don’t have to mark time at traffic lights. 

My Power Walk Route

After my walk I usually stop at one of the fast food shops in Shin-Yuri Station to pick up carryout sushi or baked goods and have breakfast in my hotel room before preparing to start the day’s work.

The first teaching day this time consisted of five individual lessons plus one Creative Music Making session.  The CMM session came unexpectedly to me, but in 40-minutes we managed to have two improvs (both were duos) recorded plus one playback for the 20 or so students in the room.  There wasn’t enough time to get into the discussion of the process very deeply, let alone give everyone a chance to play, but it was what it was.  The percussion department numbers about 50 students, 30 of which study with Kaz and his wife, Yashio, and the remaining studying with Prof. Kojima and Ms. Satoko, who was a senior when I first visited Showa in 1998.  

My first day of private lessons mostly involved repertoire I’ve heard in the past:

“Dance” by Simone Plé (French timp/multi-perc with piano accomp.)

“Concerto for Timpani” by William Kraft (timp with piano accomp.)

“Suite Ancienne” by Maurice Jarre (French timp/multi-perc with piano accomp.)

“Sonata for Marimba” by Pitfield (It’s been decades since I last heard this.)

“The Messiah” by Handel (timp - in preparation for a  next weekend student orchestra concert)

It seemed to me that the ten freshmen this year are at a higher playing level than first-year classes I’ve heard in the past.  To be sure, there were still some instrument ‘gremlins’ (unwanted rattling sounds from metal-on-metal vibrations in the instruments or stands) to be dealt with, but there were noticeably fewer than I remember from past years.

Freshmen Katsuhiro and Siori

Most days I have lunch in the student cafeteria along with Ms. Iishi, the translator, and with Yashio, who observes most of my teaching and generally serves as my host.  The meals are inexpensive and fairly typical of institutional cuisine; the most popular dishes are soba, udon, various fish/meat/veggies over rice, and spaghetti.  I’ve also become attached to the iced-coffee that comes from one of the vending machines (instead of the free green tea).

At the end of the day, after a quick stop at my hotel room, I usually visit one of the supermarkets located in the basement of one of the department stores, where there is always a large variety of prepared carryout food - sushi, noodles, salads, bottled drinks, on and on.  After eating the dinner in my hotel room it’s time to check emails and to send replies. 

The second day, Thursday Dec. 8 was another long day.  I woke up at 5 AM, read a few more pages of “Swerve”, and then organized the Philidor “March” for five timpanists in preparation for next week’s concert; we’ll be splitting phrases among the five players.   It was noticeably colder and overcast at 7:30 AM for my power walk. 

The first lesson was at 10 AM.  At the end of that hour, Yashio asked if I’d like a coffee.  I said ‘yes’ and as she carried a tray with a few cups of coffee and cookies towards me, she tripped on something and fell into some chairs with a very loud crash as she and the china cups and coffee hit the floor.  Of course, Ms. Iishi, some students and I rushed over to her to see if she was OK, and though it took a few seconds for her to recover her composure enough to stand up, she was unhurt except for a nasty bruise on her right knee.  Thankfully, she didn’t break any bones, and amazingly, none of the china cups broke.  After a quick visit to the school nurse, she was back smiling.  Whew!

The individual lessons this day were on:

“Myriads” by François Dupin (timp and vibes with piano accomp.)

“Kyakou” by François Dupin (timp with piano accomp.)

“Improvisations” by Marcel Mihalovich (timp with piano accomp.)

Bach Cello suite (Marimba solo)

Wilcoxin snare drum solo (rudimental style)

Zigfried Fink snare drum solo

“I Ching” by Per Norgards (multi-perc. unaccompanied)

“The Messiah” (timp)

The student playing “The Messiah” had some questions about the meaning of the music.  Of course, most of Japan is not Christian, so the question was not surprising.  What was something of a surprise (at least the first time I came to Japan in the month of December) was the extent to which the Japanese have embraced the Christmas holidays, with public light displays and even the whole catalog of Christmas songs, which can be heard everywhere - Gene Autry singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Vaughn Monroe singing “Noel,” and all the rest.  As best as I could I summarized the story of “The Messiah,” explaining that ‘halleluia’ is a nonsense word that expresses great joy and satisfaction, after which the translator compared it to “Bonsai, Bonsai!.” (I chuckled at this comparison.)  The next question was “what does ‘king of kings’ mean?” . . . and so the lesson went.

After lunch there was a rehearsal of the African music for next Sunday’s concert.  I’m having the students prepare my highly-unauthentic version of “Agbekor” using available tom-toms, congas, bongos, shakers, and djembes.  The large ensemble consists of about 18 first and second year students, and fortunately, they learned their patterns pretty quickly by ear.  

I also started taking photos during the day.  Increasingly each year, there are more of the alums from prior years dropping by to say ‘hi.’.  Most are either teaching in some way - music therapy, grade school, etc. - or working in offices and playing a little on the side in community ensembles.

On Friday the 9th there were snow flurries in the morning, so I skipped the morning walk.  I had been able to sleep a little later until 5:30 AM, so I read some more and did some tweaking of the Philidor arrangement before going over to Showa at 9 AM to practice briefly on timpani.  The percussion department at Showa is very well equipped with five excellent sets of timpani - Adams and Aehnelt - of professional quality.  The four Aehnelts have very good calfskin heads, and it’s always great to be reminded of the calfskin sound.  The rehearsal of the Philidor started at 10 AM and the arrangement worked just fine.  

Yoko (senior year) on Aehnelt Timpani

After the rehearsal there were two timpani lessons on the “Concerto” by Werner Thárichen, and in both lessons the main issues were clear starts to each note in the legato-roll passages and controlled dampening.  

Lunch was at 1 PM, and since that’s also the time when the student cafeteria is most crowded, we (me and Ms. Iishi, the interpreter) walked next door (it had become sunny outside) to “il Campiello”, a gelato cafe, which also has a light lunch menu.  We both had spaghetti marinara with sausage and Brie.

The afternoon consisted of 2 more lessons - one marimba lesson on the Bach D-minor Fugue, and then one lesson on “Toccata” by Anders Koppel for marimba and vibes, a really good piece.  It was played by 2 grad students, Ayaka and Erika, and they played great - a note-perfect 11-minute piece with lots of nuance and style.  I had nothing to say that would add anything to their playing.  

Afterwards, at 4:30 I was escorted to an English language class - the same one I visited last year.  There was an hour-long conversation with four students - one a business liaison from a Brazilian company, another a liaison from a Philippines company, another a Japanese composer who just returned from living in Ireland for 9-months, and the fourth a Showa grad student.  The session was video taped.  I was moved by their expressed appreciation for my visit, given the nuclear disaster that Japan is still dealing with.  I asked them about how they each experienced the situation, and for the most part they all got by with resignation, especially during the electricity rationing in what was a very hot summer.

Because I had a big lunch I skipped dinner and instead went shopping, trying to find a nice sake glass as a gift for Seichiro Sadinari (Yoji’s brother and the retired timpanist of the Tokyo City Orchestra) to add to his collection when I visit his home again this year for dinner on Monday, but I didn’t see anything in the department stores, and there are really no small artisan shops in the Shin-Yuri area. Then fortuitously, later in the evening I received an email from Kaz indicating that in Yokohama, where he lives, he had found some nice sake glasses for me which he would bring in the morning. Saved!

On Sat. Dec. 10 I woke up at 4 AM, read a little and went back to sleep until 7 AM . It was a crisp, clear, sunny morning - perfect for my walk and for a clear view of snowcapped Mt. Fuji. 

Mt. Fuji - December 10, 2011

After my walk I was basically free to relax and write all day until a 4 PM rehearsal of “Agbekor” followed by a rehearsal of the freshmen handbell (technically, handtube) ensemble playing an arrangement of “Silent Night” that they’ll perform on next week’s gala percussion concert in the school’s main opera house, Theatro Giglio.  At 6 PM there was another rehearsal of the entire percussion department along with four electronic organs playing Kaz’s arrangement of the 4th movement of “La Noche de Los Mayas” composed in 1939 by Sylvestres Revueltas.  It’s an intense, powerful, almost minimalist work, originally scored for small orchestra and 12 percussionists on standard orchestral percussion instruments with a few Mexican folk percussion instruments added in.  Kaz’s arrangement is for eight 5.0 marimbas, two vibraphones, two xylophones, one glockenspiel, the twelve aforementioned percussion parts and the five electronic organs using excellent sampled orchestra sounds.  The music certainly has the intensity of a frenzied pagan ritual.

After the rehearsals Kaz gave me the sake glasses for Sadanari, and back at the hotel for the night I ate another department store basement carryout dinner.

Tomorrow morning I’ll have to check out of the hotel for one night and go to another hotel near Kaz’s home - the Hotel Monterey Yokohama because the Molino Hotel had scheduled a sold-out event (as it did last year), so I’ll have to pack up everything to take with me, and I’ll be returning to the Hotel Molino on Monday night.  My second week will include more lessons and rehearsals in preparation for the big percussion gala concert on Saturday Dec. 18.

(L-R) Fumiko Iishi, Yashio Sudo, Akane (alumnus), Bill, Kaz

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Zydeco is a form of American roots music that evolved from the late 1800s among the black and multiracial French-speaking Creoles of south and southwest Louisiana.  Zydeco first caught my imagination because the word “Zydeco” reflects the pronunciation of the French “les haricots”…. and the French “haricots” are English “snap beans”!

I love that!   Snap Beans Music!    If you have prepared snap beans for cooking, you know that it is a percussive sort of activity!

Zydeco is heavily syncopated and was originally heard in house dances and then moved to the rural dance halls and nightclubs, where it was integrated with most dance music forms of the era. Its influence moved into shuffles, blues, and rock n roll. Wikipedia says that “Today, the tradition of change and evolution in the music continues, always keeping relevant while integrating even more genres like reggae, hip hop, R&B and soul.”

Another area known for Zydeco is Texas. (NEXUS has some strong ties with that state). The University of Texas Press published “Texas Zydeco” by Roger Wood in 2006, with wonderful photography by James Fraher.  You can check it out here and even browse through the book by clicking on the Google Preview button on the left side of that page.   Wood quotes Barry Jean Ancelet in the book “Cajun Music and Zydeco” who mentions field recordings now in the Library of Congress made in the 1930s. The recordings feature black Creole singers performing in the highly percussive jure style. Jures were “essentially Louisiana French shouts accompanied by improvised percussion (clapping hands, stamping feet, spoons rubbed on corrugated washboards) and vocal counterpoints.”

One of the folklorists who made the recordings, Alan Lomax, called jure “the most African sound I found in America.” Wood says, “Starting with something as simple as the skillful clapping of hands, those beats were soon replicated and amplified by the manipulation of wood, metal and bone objects commonly found on Louisiana farms of the nineteenth and early twentieth centures.”  (The “skillful clapping of hands” made me think of NEXUS performing Steve Reich’s “Clapping Music”).

The washboard or rub board, also known as the frottoir, is of the utmost importance in Zydeco. Fredrico Percussion has an entertaining description on their site of Steve Gadd playing frottoir “with one hand using a drumstick while playing drum set with Eric Clapton on a traditional blues tune.”  They suggest that the frottoir can be played with “drumsticks, church key openers, metal thimbles, drum brushes, screwdrivers, metal shoe horns taped to the fingers of work gloves…even spoons and forks but…make sure…last night’s dinner of red beans and rice has been removed.”

The intricate polyrhythms of Zydeco contrast sharply with Cajun percussion which seems subdued by comparison and is primarily supplied by a simple Triangle.  Again, Wood provides an interesting quotation from Lorenzo Thomas:

“While the triangle can be a fierce instrument in the right hands, the zydeco band’s corrugated washboard played by tapping and rubbing is capable of a wider range of polyrhythmic effects and seems to be utilized in a fundamentally African approach…With such performers the frottoir has a function similar to the grooved quiro or bead-shrouded gourd (chequere) used in Cuban and Puerto Rican salsa orchestras.”

All of this from a simple but delicious plate of brisket and collard greens last night! Check out the book, check out the music, and go snap some beans!

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