BILLY FOX "Kaidan Suite" Gozen Reiji
Friday, March 2, 2007; Page WE06
BEFORE LISTENING to Billy Fox and the Kitsune Ensemble's "Kaidan Suite," learning two Japanese words would be helpful. The only one that's necessary is "kaidan," which means "ghost story." But it's amusing to know that "kitsune" means "fox," which adds a playful touch to percussionist Fox's synthesis of American jazz and traditional Japanese music.
Though American ghost stories are associated with campfires, Japanese tales are traditionally told by the light of candles, which are gradually extinguished to intensify the mood. This suite doesn't dim in an analogous way; it's low-key throughout, although some instruments are more delicate than others. John Savage's flute, which emulates a Japanese shakuhachi, suggests shadows and mists more effectively than Yayoi Ikawa's piano or the stand-up bass played alternately by Yoshi Waki or Yasushi Nakamura. Although the music draws on Japanese musical motifs, it's played entirely on Western instruments and is more jazz than gagaku (ancient Japanese court music).
Generally, when the music picks up speed, it loses its Japanese shadings altogether. Only the quieter pieces, such as "Sasayaki" ("Whisper"), achieve a ghostly vibe -- and a compelling union of East and West.
-- Mark Jenkins
Appearing Saturday at Rossyln Spectrum Theater.
