James eyes Asia for jazz exploration<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
During his visit to Indonesian jazz pianist Idang Rasjidi's
\nstudio in Jakarta, pianist Bob James learned gamelan pentatonic
\ntunes, tinkled the ivories and played a Javanese pentatonic jazz
\ninterpretation for an hour with Idang.<\/p>\n
The next day, Dec. 10, at his concert in Jakarta, he played an
\nimpromptu composition as an encore, after his performance of
\npentatonic tunes with Idang was greeted by prolonged applause
\nfrom an audience of hundreds.<\/p>\n
After about 10 minutes of fervent piano playing, James stood
\nup from his seat and embraced the surprised Idang, who felt it
\nwas a great honor to play with James.<\/p>\n
\"I'm interested in exploring gamelan tunes more,\" James, 65,
\ntold The Jakarta Post in an interview at the Four Seasons Hotel
\nin Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The statement could easily have been interpreted as lip
\nservice by the Indonesian press, to show he was interested in the
\nculture.<\/p>\n
But, while it is possible that his interest in the gamelan is
\nonly a passing one, his enthusiasm appears genuine.<\/p>\n
After 40 years of playing jazz music, he is eager to challenge
\npreexisting notions of the genre through new forms.<\/p>\n
James and his three fellow musicians -- bassist Nathan East,
\ndrummer Lewis Pragasam and guitarist Jack Lee -- just completed a
\nproject called Angels of Shanghai, in which they worked with five
\nyoung musicians from the Shanghai Music Conservatory.<\/p>\n
The project blends modern jazz with the pentatonic sounds of
\nChinese traditional music instruments.<\/p>\n
He met these young musicians in August 2003 and they have been
\nworking for two years to develop a new form of music, combining
\nAmerican jazz and Chinese traditional music.<\/p>\n
\"Verbal communication was minimum. Every time they played some
\nthing I liked, I smiled.\" James said.<\/p>\n
He smiled a lot that day, he said.<\/p>\n
\"These young people were totally receptive to the idea of
\nimprovising and adapting their playing to whatever music I
\npresented them,\" James wrote in his website www.bobjames.com.<\/p>\n
\"I don't believe I've worked with any musicians who impressed
\nme so deeply, especially given the brief time we've had
\ntogether,\" he continued.<\/p>\n
The day when he realized the collaboration was a success, he
\ncried, James said.<\/p>\n
The collaboration resulted in some extraordinary music.<\/p>\n
\"It's very different from my previous works. I don't even know
\nwhat to call it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He was aware of the fact that, 40 years into his career, he
\nhad come across a new structure of composition.<\/p>\n
\"I know some musicians choose to play the same music over and
\nover again,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He admitted to nervousness over the reception of his new work.<\/p>\n
James said his fans fell into different categories: Some
\nwanted him to play in concerts the music they were familiar with
\nfrom his recordings; others wanted to hear something different to
\nmake for a new experience.<\/p>\n
Most of his fans in the United States, though, are older than
\nhis fans in Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.<\/p>\n
\"This is my fourth time here. The first time my friend Peter
\nGontha invited me and my wife to get the feel of Indonesia,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The second time and the third time, he said, he performed in
\nfront of a younger audience compared to his audience in the
\nStates.<\/p>\n
Young people in the U.S. were more interested in hip-hop and
\npop, he added.<\/p>\n
He said jazz was becoming an unfashionable music in the U.S.<\/p>\n
On top of that, he said, radio stations and their market
\nsurvey dictated how musicians and labels made music.<\/p>\n
Solo improvisation, which was the soul of jazz, he said, was
\nnot popular with radio stations, which often cut solo playing
\ndown.<\/p>\n
Their surveys revealed that, for example, listeners preferred
\nvocal compositions and loved the sounds of the saxophone, he
\nsaid. So anything \"unpopular\" was at risk of being butchered, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"If you take it out of this, it's just pop music. Nice, sweet
\njazz,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"It is particularly difficult for new musicians to rise,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
James, who founded Fourplay in 1991 with East, Lee Ritenour
\nand Harvey Mason, lamented the economy-driven music scene in the
\nStates.<\/p>\n
James, who obtained his master's degree in music at the
\nUniversity of Michigan in 1962, released his first album Bold
\nConceptions in 1963 with bassist Ron Brooks and drummer Bob
\nPozar.<\/p>\n
Since then, he has released 39 albums -- both collaborative
\nand solo.<\/p>\n
Many people remember him for his 1978 composition Angela
\nfor the TV series Taxi.<\/p>\n
In 1980 he clinched a Grammy Award for his album with
\nguitarist Earl Klugh, One on One and received another Grammy in
\n1986 with saxophonist David Sanborn 1986 for their Double Vision.<\/p>\n
His heyday may be over, but for jazz lovers he never ceases to
\nbe relevant.<\/p>\n
\"For the Java Jazz Festival next year, I have asked Peter
\nGontha to give me a smaller room for the Angels of Shanghai
\nEnsemble,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Peter said he would prepare a bigger room for Fourplay,\"
\nJames said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/james-eyes-asia-for-jazz-exploration-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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