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By DCist Contributor Paul Ghosh-Roy
Northern Virginia heard madness and murder this weekend, as jazz met Japan in Rosslyn. Billy Fox’s Kaidan Suite, as performed by improvising chamber group the Kitsune Ensemble, explored themes of Japanese ghost-story telling, jazz and tonal music, from light to dark, at the Rosslyn Spectrum.
On Saturday night the Kitsune Ensemble took the stage at the Rosslyn Spectrum to debut Kaidan Suite. Composer/director Billy Fox deftly guided the improvising chamber group through the world premiere of his 13 movement composition, receiving a standing ovation at the performance’s conclusion. The seven piece Kitsune Ensemble employed cello, piano, upright bass, clarinet and bass clarinet, flute, vibraphone, and drum kit to perform Kaidan Suite, a piece inspired by Japanese tradition, but whose dominant sounds were those of 20th century modal jazz. Clocking in at just under an hour and a half, the ensemble did not stumble as they moved through Fox’s composition. Alternating between taking his direction through the formal composition, and then taking flight into improvisation when the director stepped off stage, the musicians kept their grasp on the tonal Japanese melodic element, which made its way in and out of the performance as a guiding theme, while simultaneously demonstrating their chops in technique and creativity.
Kaidan Suite derived its theme from the Japanese Edo-era practice of hyakumongatari kaidankai, in which ghost stories were told by candle light. As each story was told, a candle would be extinguished, leaving the audience in darkness at the finale, at which point legend held that a ghost would appear. This tradition was recreated during the Kitsune Ensemble’s performance, and the theatre lights were dimmed as the ensemble finished each movement. By the end of the thirteen movements, each one representing a part of the ghost story, the hall was dark and the only light remaining was that illuminating the musicians’ charts.
Illustration by Dave Wallin from www.kitsuneensemble.org
The movements in Fox’s piece present a traditional theme of kaidan, that of cruelty towards women by callous men. Kaidan Suite tells the story of a wife who delighted in the beauty of her garden, murdered by her ambitious husband who is taken into madness and terror by her ghost after realizing, too late, what he had wrought. In the final movement, Saigo No Honou (Last Flame), the ill fated pair fade into memory.
The composition started out light and sparse, emphasizing vibraphone and the Japanese tonal melody, and picked up speed with the introduction of the cello. The pianist introduced herself with atonal and high octave flourishes, returning to a minor key vamp as the upright bass strummed chords, lending the piece a very dark overtone. As the drums entered, played with sticks and mallets, piano and drums were dominant, giving a tense sound to the music, which underscored its theme of conjugal murder. The entry of the flute presented listeners with a twist on the traditional jazz call and response, consisting of several short notes traded back and forth between piano and flute. The composition continued its exploration of styles, as cello, bass and drum kit began in on a section evocative of the jazz rock fusion sound of early electric era Miles Davis, though played on acoustic instruments. Indeed, the cellist at times appeared to be channeling the combined spirits of Shankar and John McLaughlin.
The piece continued its journey with a latin jazz tinged section, in which vibes, drums and bass took center stage, with clarinet soloing providing additional flavor. As the latin interlude passed, the clarinet was left solo, playing arpeggiated minor triplets, progressively increasing in speed and octave. After a silent pause, the ensemble returned with a sort of controlled cacophony, followed by a bass solo punctuated with a burst of sound. The ensemble passed into an orchestral portion, reminiscent of a dark film soundtrack, in which bass and cello dominated, leading into a section of the composition composed of sparse “out” sounds; sticks hitting edges of drums, the topmost fret areas of string instruments plucked, wind sounds from the flute, and raw sounds of the flute’s keys. As the piece continued, the raw sounds gave way to a return to order, led by a marching drum beat, and the reappearance of the tonal melody, only to then again return to instrumental soloists and a crescendoing apex of explosive free jazz. The ensemble then paused, and brought back the tonal thematic element, providing a more Asian sound as the floutist played atonal notes and scales. The piece concluded, softly and quietly, leaving the audience with only the tonal melody, and then silence.
As the lights came back on, the audience stood and clapped, expressing their appreciation for this masterful execution by the Kitsune Ensemble.
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I had to look at that cartoon for a few minutes before it hit me: After about a dozen failed attempts, the guy on the left has succeeded in lighting the girl's farts, twice.