Perth Festival: World of the Gods

Perth Theatre - 27/05/23

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra: directed by Tommy Smith | Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers

The last of my six reviews of selected musical events (none of which could be described as ‘ordinary’) from this year’s Perth Festival of the Arts is perhaps the most extraordinary.  ‘The World of the Gods’ is a composition by Musical Director of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Tommy Smith, fusing elements of big band jazz and Japanese taiko drumming, written for the SNJO and the Lanarkshire-based Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers (the only professional taiko troupe in Europe) and first performed in 2010, touring the following year.  The work is a series of 10 pieces, each evoking a god or goddess from the vast Shinto pantheon, incorporating Japanese folk melodies given jazz harmonic and improvisatory treatment, alongside the spectacular ritually choreographed taiko drumming.  The SNJO comprises 5 saxophones (including Tommy himself), all having (as far as I could ascertain) 2 instruments of different pitches, 3 trumpets, 2 tenor and 2 bass trombones (beefy sound, I approve strongly), electronic keyboard, double bass and drums.  The three taiko drummers on stage were founder members Bristol-born Neil Mackie and Miyuki Williams of Japanese/Welsh heritage, plus Hungarian member Edina Nagy.

The performance started softly with a brief Shinto ceremony and incantation, followed by a shakuhachi flute solo performed by Tommy himself.  The Goddess of Dawn and Revelry was announced by a jazz fanfare.  Orchestra and taiko drummers joined in.  I was struck by how the syncopations and polyrhythms of both ensembles were perfectly matched and especially impressed with how the SNJO’s own master drummer Alyn Cosker seemed to channel the flow of creative energy between them.  The God of the Moon featured the big Odaiko drum for the first time.  A piano-and-bass slow intro with a tenor sax solo from Tommy featuring a minor-key oriental melody led to a brass entry and the taiko drums joined in.  This grew in volume and pace to a magnificent climax and a big finish.  Tommy told the tale of the genesis of the piece from viewing a documentary about the craft of making the taiko drums.  The God of Fire featured the smaller and medium-sized drums, a blazing trumpet solo from Christos Styllanides and some nice electric piano riffs from keyboard player Peter Johnstone.  The God of the Wind began with Miyuki on claves in a spooky quickening rhythm that had me recalling the start of the slow movement of Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste.  Calum Gourlay’s spooky harmonics and sul ponticello playing on double bass sustained that impression, as did the sounds of a temple bell.  Alto (Martin Kershaw) and tenor sax solos featured as the rhythms became increasingly wild, culminating in a duel between the taiko and the jazz drums.  Neil and Miyuki spoke about their taiko training in Japan with Masaaki Kurumaya Sensei, who is also a jazz trumpeter and encouraged the incorporation of jazz rhythms into their playing, well over a decade before meeting Tommy.  Miyuki also mentioned the challenge of mastering western musical notation – taiko drummers traditionally communicate rhythmic patterns using a vocal code, similar to Indian tabla players.  The first half concluded with the God of Storms, a slow beat on the Odaiko with some equally ominous growling from the bass trombones speeding up to a magnificent rage of the elements.

The God of the Underworld opened the second half with ghostly low brass and muted saxophones, the female drummers in white veiled ‘spirit’ costumes moving choreographically, while Neil played the small drums, gong and chime bar, and then the Odaiko.  Complex rhythms featured at the end of the piece.  The God of the Sea started with another oriental melody on solo sax from Tommy, taken up by the orchestra with jazz and taiko drums.  The piece concluded with a dialogue between the solo sax and the drums again.  Neil spoke briefly in praise of the acoustic of Perth Concert Hall (I concur – it’s a super auditorium) and introduced the God of War who sleeps, alas, but briefly.  Muted trumpet and celeste on keyboard open the piece, but the drums interrupt with a violent and wild pursuit in music that is unmistakably martial and menacingly demonic.  A series of wild solos ensued on soprano sax (Helena Key), unmuted trumpet (against amazing polyrhythms from the two females on the medium-sized taiko drums) and tenor trombone (Gordon Campbell).  The piece concluded with all guns blazing.  Tommy named all the jazz players, who took a bow, and Miyuki thanked the Perth Festival organisers (particularly Helen McKinnon) and staff and the audience for supporting the event.  Finally, the God of Thunder and Lightning burst forth apocalyptically, with the Odaiko and brass at full tilt.  A final duel of the two sets of drums drove to the big finish of the work and the evening’s top-notch entertainment.  

At a media launch in mid-March of this year’s Perth Festival, Helen McKinnon had identified the salient features of the planning: these were Diversity, Unique Experiences, Big Name Artists (but also Supporting Emerging Artists), and finally Accessibility of Life Enhancing Experiences.  Well, as far as this reviewer is concerned, mission accomplished.  Thank you, Helen, and thank you, Perth.