Japan Meets Jazz, Takenaka Music Trio

I heard jazz for the first time in concert, outside of a party or lounge scene. To say the least, Makoto Takenaka has a clear mastery of the piano and genre. The jazz program included standard tunes, Japanese, Russian, and classical performed by him, Shane Allessio on bass, and Ryan McBride on drums.

The first half of the program was thoughtfully planned out, drawing in the audience with 'When You Wish Upon a Star', a piece everyone knows. Then, he continued with the light-hearted modern Japanese tunes of 花 (Blossom)、春の小川 (Spring Stream)、and Seashoreの歌 (Song of the Seashore) (sorry, my Japanese is getting really rusty, like every other language I've picked up through the years). He ended the first part with 'Scarlet Sarafan' and 'Light', Russian jazz pieces. The musical melodies became more substantial, dramatic, and melancholic as we moved through the program. It's also interesting to note that he brought us through a geographical journey, moving from music of southern Japan, to Tokyo in the Kanto region, up to the northwest coast of Hokkaido and into Russia. Yet, there is a cohesive melodic transformation.

The second half of the program included 'Sakura' (Cherry Blossoms, an interpretation of the traditional very recognizable melodic line of the same name), 'Turkish March' by Mozart, 'Nocturne' by Chopin, 'Toryanse', and 'Etenraku'. We were fortunate enough to receive an encore piece, Yankee Doodle. These pieces showcased the artistry and blending of the piano with bass and drums. Sadly, the bass was always slightly off-pitch relative to the piano(perhaps they should have done a closer sound check?) and about 1/8 a beat behind (funky acoustics in the venue?). But, these slight problems did not deter me from thoroughly enjoying the performance.

The audience especially loved 'Light' and 'Cherry Blossoms'. Indeed, Makoto's unique use of the piano's properties marks him as a refined performer who pushes the envelope through experimental sound. He showed us his skill in his understanding of how the felt hammers strike the steel strings inside the Steinway to produce sound through varying the speed and length at which the hammers struck the strings. During 'Cherry Blossoms', he got off his bench to stand and pluck the strings inside the piano body so that we could recall the piece's original playings on the koto, a Japanese stringed instrument, related to the Chinese zheng and Korean gayageum. Perhaps it's this nostalgia of listening and wishing to play the gayageum that the plucking evoked, but I preferred this piece above all others.

When all was done, I left the Chapel, filled with dreams for the future, excited for all the world's undiscovered and unrefined talent that will develop through the years. Whether it is talent in music, cooking, sculpture, trading derivatives, or just loving others.