jazz with the apu

I know this is long overdue, so promise to come back with more than a one-liner :)

Welcome back, to me.

I wanna write and rave about the Aseana Percussion Unit. In fact, I was halfway doing it this morning when suddenly the 15th floor's electricity supply decided to go haywire. It was only our floor which was affected. Half the lights were on, the other half blinking, halfway deciding whether to go off or not. The electrician blamed it on the Hungwy Ghost Festival.

Anyways, I'm more than a week behind for this post. The Japanese scholarship thingy caught my attention and time. I don't know whether I should be happy that I got through this round, seeing that my lack of the language may well hinder me from pursuing this a step further. But I shall leave that for another story another time. Perhaps you can buy me a drink and I'll entertain you with my explanation as to why God certainly has a sense of humour.

But I digress.

Aseana Percussion Unit, or at least the Sunrise Jazz And Rhythm Fest 2005 deserves this post. First caught sight of them during the Jazz Fest last year. I wasn't into jazz at that time. I've just recently learnt to appreciate this form of "unstructured" music, and I must say I still cannot get what makes jazz.

As a classically trained pianist, I can identify structures, orders, patterns and well, basically that which makes it easy for people to say "Oh, that's baroque" or "Definitely Bach, no mistake about that one". With jazz, I crack my head trying to figure out how to make jazz music. Where's the sequence? Where does what I just heard come in again?

Since I have no answers, I decide to just relax and enjoy jazz. With excellent music sponsored by Sunrise, it's like godsend. This is not some music exam, I'm not required to fill in jazzy chords or jazz up an otherwise ordinary piece. This is a jazz fest, I just need to chill out and immerse myself in the music.

And chill I did. It was great seeing more people this time around. Perhaps because it was the finale. Restaurants around the stage was enjoying a roaring business, thanks to the people who had no choice but to sit at their tables enjoy fine foods. My frends and I decided to grab a chair near the back, where we could choose to order from any outlets.

I felt so detached from the happenings in front that I decided that this wasn't the way to enjoy music. Alvink and I joined the group sitting on the floor right in front of the stage. He managed to get pretty kewl shots of the Aseana Percussion Unit. There were about 10 members altogether, all dressed in white. Bathed in crimson and deep purple, they stood out, each with their own instruments.

Everyone seemed to be playing together at the same time, and yet there was a sense of harmonious blend. It wasn't a messy cacophony, but wonderfully fused music created with various instruments. They looked like they were at home jamming away. Instruments, ethnic and modern, were all over the place. Even the band leader (well, he looked like one!) was trying not to trip over the wires lying everywhere.

They seemed to be having the time of their lives making music. Each instrument was given its due recognition, having its own solo moments. They are as varied as the multiracial members that play them, ranging from the Indian tabla and taviel to the Malay kompang and gendang, from the Chinese traditional er-hu to the modernday violin.

I wish I can go into the technicalities of their brand of music. But what I can say is, I'm astounded by their sheer ability to make beautiful music using drums and percussions. You'll be blown away by this talented group, whose music are unexpectedly delightful and at the same time, refreshingly different. Try listening to some of their pieces, and you'll understand why some people can't just get enough of them!