on 5/23/02 12:53 PM, Ken Waxman at mingusaum@yahoo.ca wrote:
Patrice:
I know you have a different point of view when it come to rock drummers :)
But if I understand your note correctly you saw a quartet with trumpet and bass in Portland. There were two other musicians along to pick up the slack and give the music a different lilt. At FIMAV it was only the two of them with the drummer controlling the presentation.
Funny how we saw two completely different concerts. Do you really believe that a strong musician like Fujii (who directs not one, but two large ensembles, and has recorded with Mark Dresser, Jim Black, and Mark Feldman) was being pushed around by a no-talent rock drummer? Certainly, Yoshida doesn't swing. But that doesn't mean that he can't play at all. There are other things to do with a drum kit, you know. His responsiveness to Fujii's prodding was quite remarkable, and as far as I could tell, it was Fujii who was totally in control of the direction of the proceedings. As for the "yelping," that was singing--in Japanese. (Helps when you check your ethnocentrism at the door.) And Fujii didn't finally take the "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach. They came out "yelping." Jumping around? This is a sin? Have you seen Fujii before? Is this something that she always does, or was it merely the deleterious effect of that barbarian Yoshida? I loved the concert. It was a great deal of fun, and Fujii got everything there was to get out of Yoshida's vocabulary. Which is more than I can say for Keith Tippett and Louis Moholo, who was reportedly in Tippett's band. :-) And to answer the question that I know is sitting there in the back of your head--yes, I would probably have preferred the musical results of a Fujii/Drake or a Fujii/Hemingway concert. --Mike