Trio Braam offers adventures experiences

Trio Braam offers adventures experiences

By Y. Bintang Prakarsa

JAKARTA (JP): The last music concert in the program of the
Third Art Summit Indonesia 2001 International Festival on
Contemporary Performing Arts was held at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta
on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 and it turned out to be a world
premiere.

Trio Braam, whose participation was supported by the Erasmus
Huis, played Michiel Braam's newest composition Kleuren (Colors),
a series of pieces for piano, double bass and percussion.

What music were they playing? Jazz would not be an incorrect
definition, although Braam prefers to simply call it "improvised
music". But this is not safe jazz that thrills you with steady
beats of excitement.

The group does not rely on sheer volume or constant rhythmic
drive.

In fact, the ensemble plays at a very moderate volume, with
amazing self-control and sophistication. Their harnessed energy
exudes a chamber music ambience, not different from an ideal
performance of a string quartet (or trio in this case).

The thrill is not in the foot tapping but in the surprises.
Different from "ordinary" jazz (which is a highly ordered
business actually), in Trio Braam deviation is everywhere.
Everybody improvises and strays from the harmonic and rhythmic
framework from time to time. They hold the audience rapt in
abundant contrasts of minimalist texture and rhythmic slants,
charming melody and biting atonality, sudden silences and
percussive bombs, bursts of energetic improvisations and ensemble
playing.

Using acerbic, dry sounds, often with drumstick clacks,
Michael Vatcher (percussion) stands out without dominating. He
surprises by accenting sharply on wrong beats, or even by
venturing to have a rhythm of his own, in different tempo, before
resuming cooperation with the rest of the ensemble.

He's dangerous and makes the audience stay alert. Letting
yourself get carried away by the outwardly sweet melodies or soft
atmosphere of the ensemble means that you'll be the next victim
of his unexpected brutal attacks.

With most imaginative double bass playing, Wilbert de Joode
also contributes to the overall sense of controlled chaos. His
technical vocabulary, much of which is associated with 20th
century classical music, is astounding. He makes violent storms
with glissandos, harsh clusters and forceful bowing.

He creates eerie sounds with high overtone playing and bowing
with the wood of the bow (col legno). He treats it as a
percussion instrument, drumming its body, or plucking the strings
so hard they hit the fingerboard with loud snaps.

A self-taught musician who never had any formal training, he
is an experimenter who discovered everything out of curiosity.

For his daring deviations, he has been kicked out of various
groups, but there are always those who are impressed by his
ability to free himself from the traditional bassist role as
pulse beater.

That role is sometimes taken by Braam, who is economical,
uttering solo melodies without chords, repeating a pattern, or
just tapping the same key over and over.

By playing down his part, he creates a more equal,
contrapuntal ensemble. Braam, who teaches composition at the
Arhnem Conservatory, draws his inspiration mainly from Thelonious
Monk (the Trio has released a CD reinterpreting his music), but
also from Duke Ellington, Cecil Taylor and Herbie Nichols, as
well as Bach and Schoenberg.

This eclecticism makes Trio Braam's rich tone color, harmony
and rhythm an adventurous listening experience.