Japanese group showcases ancient percussion music

Japanese group showcases ancient percussion music

JAKARTA (JP): The Spiral Arms, a unique Japanese percussion
group led by Toshiyuki Tsuchitori, will take the stage at the
Second Art Summit Indonesia on Friday and Saturday at Taman
Ismail Marzuki art center in Central Jakarta.

Accompanied by several Indonesian musicians from the
Surakarta-based Indonesian School of Art, the group will perform
Ikai: Another World. It features the ancient Japanese drum,
Kuretzumi, which was used to accompany the mask dance Gigaku
between the sixth and seventh centuries.

The Spiral Arms brings together musicians accomplished in
various genres, including hard rock and ethnic Korean, Japanese
and Indian music.

Tsuchitori explained that performing with local musicians was
expected to open more possibilities for musical exploration in
the 21st century.

"Cultural differences between countries (of the musicians)
will not make the performances become a slapdash show, but it
will display ideal unity and harmony," he said in a written
explanation about the show.

Born in 1950, Tsuchitori made his musical debut as a
percussionist in the 1970s along with other Japanese musicians
like Toshinori Kondo and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

In 1975, he left Japan to live in New York and Paris and held
concerts along with renowned jazz musicians, such as Milford
Graves, Derek Berry and Steve Lacy.

From 1976, he held several concerts in various countries, and
was music director in Peter Brooke's theater group, which was
known for its works such as Mahabarata and the Tempest.

In 1987, Tsuchitori moved to a remote area in Japan, where he
developed a center of his musical activities along with another
musician, Momoyama Harue. He also became active in promoting and
nurturing local culture.

He conducted a tour with a group specializing in Mexico's
ancient musical instruments in 1995. The following year, he
conducted research on the Native American tribe of the Iroquoi.

In 1996, he embraced the Kuretzumi as the symbol of his
group's percussion instruments.

Interest in this small drum, which had actually almost
disappeared a long time ago from his homeland's music scene, was
revived by Tsuchitori, who developed his group's music with the
instrument also with strong influence from Asian music.

It was his decision to bring unexploited ancient music back to
the music scene which made his name. His albums surprised people
and he carved out a new chapter in Japanese music history.

Besides Tsuchitori, who acts as musician and director of the
performances here, the Spiral Arms comprises of Yoshinori Marui,
Kazuhiro Yamada and Mitsui Chou.

The musical performances will be accompanied by projection of
photographs by noted Japanese ethnophotographer Masatoshi Naito.

In his pictures, which form part of the group's stage
decoration, Naito captured "the dark side" of Japanese people's
life, from the past to the present.

"The pictures are filled with amazing power, as though coming
through the depth of one's feeling. The pictures have a power to
help the group to improvise our music," Tsuchitori said.

Rahayu Supanggah, Aloysius Swardi, Nyoman Sukerna and Rasita
Satriana are the Indonesian musical accompanists.

Prior to the Jakarta performances, the Spiral Arms and their
Indonesian counterparts held a concert in Surakarta, Central
Java, on Tuesday. In November, they will perform in Tokyo, Kobe
and several other cities in Japan. (ste)