Tokyo Jazz 2003

The exaggerated rumors of jazz’s demise can be put to rest. The second annual Tokyo Jazz 2003 showed that jazz is not ready to be relegated to the museum of past musical styles quite yet. An amazing (for jazz anyway) 40,000 fans headed to Ajinomoto Stadium in western Tokyo for two days of music August 23rd and 24th. That’s more jazz listeners in two days than the average Tokyo club draws in a year. These numbers were even more surprising considering the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival in Shizuoka was competing for ticket-buyers the same weekend. In addition to the ticket prices, the steady stream of T-shirt, book and CD purchases at booths around the stadium showed that jazz still sells.

Onstage, musicians seemed willing to stretch jazz’s boundaries without selling out to make sincere music with stadium-filling appeal. Tokyo Jazz 2003 reflected musical director Herbie Hancock’s progressive view of jazz as a music that should not be limited to its straight bop mainstay. A range of styles from African to funk and R&B to hip-hop mixed with jazz to fill the stadium with very different vibes. Each evening, these styles came together into a “super unit” of the day’s performers on stage together. These finales may have been a nightmare for the soundmen (with forty-some microphones to mix), but was a rare chance to hear individual styles set into a broad collective frame. Though too short, the “super-unit” finales showed that unplanned spontaneity, no matter what the genre, create good music.

The hour-long sets also felt short, with musicians just getting warmed up and the crowd settling back in their seats (beer and food were restricted to special areas separate from the seats), before they ended and big screen advertisements kicked on again. That aside, the screens and camera editing made up for the arena distances by re-creating the intimacy and individuality that is such a large part of jazz. The sound system was also superb, allowing the brush of cymbals, the thwack of bass and the tinkling of the piano to be heard surprisingly well. This quality system in turn allowed several groups, in particular the core trios on Sunday, to interject slow, quiet numbers into their sets. For three of the key performers on Sunday, these soft ballads ironically drew the most applause from the spread-out crowd.

The three trios on Sunday staked out very different territory with highly distinctive sounds. Tokyoite Kazumi Watanabe led a power trio that was tailored perfectly to the arena. He balanced his intense, post-bop guitar jams with more delicate numbers that showcased his acoustic-honed chops set to electric. Fueled by the drumming of Cuba-born Hernacio El Negro Hernandez and Cameroonian Richard Bona, the trio had voltage surges strong enough to shut down a large grid, but technique enough to shape a ballad or two. Unlike most rock-out trios though, they never overly indulged themselves with simple changes, but worked at long, careful phrases with tight teamwork. Though Watanabe has released recordings steadily since the 70s, the trio was perhaps his best work ever.

Joshua Redman’s Elastic Band took the stage after Watanabe on Sunday. Though the trio recently played Tokyo Blue Note, the stadium venue seemed better able to draw out the long, near-symphonic passages in their songs and spur them to feisty, flowing solos. Redman introduced one song as having “a little Wayne Shorter, a little Led Zeppelin and dose of John Cage.” That mix of sounds led several tunes into minimalism without losing interest. After every thin, elusive passage, they ascended again to a robust boldness with the help of Sam Yahel’s huge bank of keyboards (with a powerful bass pedal) and Jeff Ballard’s flexible drumming. Redman wore himself out shifting back and forth between sax, with some nifty processors attached, and organ, finally ripping his shirt off in the heat before the closing chorus.

Very few of the crowd were out of their seats for Herbie Hancock’s acoustic trio sets on either day. With drumming legend Jack DeJohnette and well-established youngster Christian McBride on bass, the trio’s sound easily filled the arena with a forceful set of intricate, non-electronic jazz.  Hancock’s piano playing moved so quickly between soothing and cerebral that the two feelings merged. The crowd collectively leaned forward to hear the whispering tinkle of his piano ballads and leaned back to take in the fiery attack of his fast-tempo pieces. The trio showed how accessible complex music can be, while not giving in to the pull of easy resolutions and simple musical choices.

Vocals were no less a part of this year’s festival. Many in the crowd had no doubt purchased tickets to hear Diana Krall, who canceled at the last minute due to a virus. Saturday afternoon featured the gritty vocals and intense ensemble of Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour. His potent vocals, and those of his backing singers, were lofted high by the sharp guitar hooks and multiple drums of his band. N’Dour’s vocals had an otherworldly insistence that cut through the heat with earthy authenticity. Following him was the funkified hip-hop of Speech, who rose to success with Arrested Development. He and his band, Funktelligence, injected a good-time feel to the festival, with clever, free-style rapping and plenty of heartfelt politics.

The biggest surprise of the weekend, though, was Chaka Khan, who filled in for Krall at the last moment. With Hancock, McBride and DeJohnette as backup, she used her R&B chops to liven up a solid set of jazz standards. With an incredible vocal range, her phrasing felt fresh and distinctly different from the traditional style many young jazz singers have tried to copy in recent years. Her voice soared over the collective sound of the final super-unit finale.

At the end of a long, hot day, the ending super-unit packed the stage with the day’s performers. They created an unrehearsed, unplanned jam on Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” that somehow managed to encompass all the different styles. That number’s chord changes and deep feeling offered ample space for everyone to make a statement with only slight direction from Hancock. It felt odd to leave the stadium with everything from hip-hop to African to bop to funk to soul competing for echo room, but clearly that was the point. Hancock’s concept of the festival left no doubt that jazz resonates with other music exceedingly well and hopefully will again next year.