Sound Fusion

Featuring:

Trinity

   Kei Wada, percussion

   Miki Maruta, koto

   Chkudo Takahashi, tsugaru shamisen

Taiko Matsumoto, vocals

Bandang Malaya

The Japan Foundation, Manila never fails to satisfy the cravings of music lovers here in Manila as they regularly bring artists that showcase the rich and diverse music of Japan. And just recently, they presented Sound Fusion at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza. This unique musical experience featured Japanese trio Trinity, Japanese singer Taiko Matsumoto and Filipino group Bandang Malaya. Trinity is composed of Chikudo Takahashi (tsugaru shamisen), Miki Maruta (koto) and Kei Wada (percussion). I’ve seen shamisen and koto performances before in previous music offerings of the Japan Foundation but Sound Fusion brought in something different by featuring collaborations and mixing the traditional with the modern.

The concert started with Bandang Malaya performing a couple of songs encompassing the northern and southern regions of the Philippines while using traditional and modern instruments. Then it was the turn of Trinity with Chikudo Takahashi performing first with the tsugaru shamisen. His style of playing the instrument was very different from what I’ve seen before. He played it while seated in a very upright posture as opposed to the more loose, rocker type of playing that I was able to see before. In between pieces, he gave a brief description about the instrument, its parts and how to play. He also played the kokyū, which is a smaller type of shamisen played with a bow as opposed to being plucked using a bachi with the regular shamisen.

Next, he was joined by Miki Maruta with the koto. I really look forward to hearing the sound of the koto especially when the player slides her left hand resulting in the bending of the notes which Maruta did to my absolute delight. Then percussionist Kei Wada joined in as Takahashi took a break. This was when the fusion of the traditional and the modern became evident as the percussion instruments (cajón, chimes, tambourine, djembe) added a new dimension to the music. And just like Takahashi, Wada gave a brief background regarding one of the instruments: a frame drum which I think was the tar and how the different stroking/hitting/playing techniques represent the four elements. And when Takahashi returned on stage, Trinity finally performed as a trio and they did two pieces which are very familiar to me but played with unusual arrangements. The first piece had the kokyū playing the main theme of the Adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo. And the second piece was the very popular Libertango by Astor Piazzolla. I’ve heard these pieces played with the usual western music instruments so it was really interesting to hear them played with the Japanese traditional instruments accompanied by the various percussions.

Singer Taiko Matsumoto then joined Trinity and they did a Beatles medley (Long and Winding Road, Imagine, Hey Jude) along with two more traditional Japanese songs. Despite the Beatles’ popularity, I felt that these songs didn’t suit the shamisen and the koto well and I wasn’t able to connect to it as much as I wanted to. The following two songs were a lot better and a more musically rewarding experience for me despite not understanding a single word since they were in Japanese. But the long, sustained notes with occasional flourishes coming from Matsumoto blended really well with the continuous, rhythmical notes of both the shamisen and the koto. The concert ended with Bandang Malaya collaborating with Trinity and Matsumoto resulting in the Sound Fusion that was promised by the title of this concert. Filipino and Japanese, playing with both traditional and modern and electric instruments, making harmonious music just proved that music is indeed the universal language.

Shuji Takatori, director of the Japan Foundation, entertaining guests

This concert gave me more ideas on the wide range of the traditional instruments of Japan. They may have been in existence for thousands of years already but it is always refreshing to see and hear them played in both traditional and modern ways, further proof that music is always evolving and never stagnant. Unfortunately, Trinity had another performance and a workshop the day after at the De La Salle University which I wasn’t able to attend due to previous commitments.