Paul Zetter – A Winter Tonic

Our jazz reviewer discovers a unique Asian jazz collaboration that can beat the winter cold.

Winter’s chill seems to have taken hold in Hanoi. Faces are tight, bodies are hunched. So I’m thankful to the Japan Foundation who wrote this city a big fat prescription for the winter blues in the form of unit asia at the Hanoi Youth Theatre last Friday.

With a mix of Japanese, Thai and Malaysian jazz musicians, unit asia’s brand of jazz fusion won’t win any prizes for originality but instead they deliver unabashed, joyous in-your-face funk in a mood as infectious as the common cold. 

The song formula is fairly fixed; beginning with an out of tempo bed of minor chord synth from Tay Cher Siang with Koh’s sugar coated soprano aluding to Dave Sandborn or Kenny G on the top. Then the drums of Hiroyuki Noritake and bass of Shigeki Ippon kick in with an uptempo major key township groove with sax and the guitar of Isao Miyoshi playing soaring unison lines with exciting modulations and uplifting codas. So if it isn’t broke why fix it? This jazz fusion formula has stood the test of time but only works if the practitioners are at the top of their game – and unit asia very clearly are.

In what is such an optimistic Asian partnership, unit asia’s original repertoire is being heard throughout the region, giving a shot in the arm to live music venues seeking more excitement and impact beyond the usual round of would-be imitators.

Miyoshi’s guitar is thoughtful and rocky when needs be with an underlying sensitivity and old style jazz swing that came out in his originals like New Blues and Adventure of the Sanchiki.  The latter, played over a heavy reggae beat, saw Hiroyuki give a remarkable masterclass in sustained interest drum soloing which didn’t miss a beat and had the audience in near rapture including me and I hate drum solos!

Thailand’s Koh ‘Mr Saxman’ as the lead voice had the most derivative sound but delivered it with such intensity and verve that he won you over from the first high pitched growl. Alternating between alto and soprano, his note-perfect lines with Miyoshi and seat-of-your-pants soloing sustained interest where other lesser players might get stuck in the David Sanborn sound-a-like rut.  Malaysian Tay Cher Siang, the youngest member of the band, gave thoughtful and melodic inputs with his originals like; The Art of the Wind-Up Alarm Clock and The Sea Outside My Window that hit home as well as anything the Yellow Jackets might produce.

Occasionally dipping their toes in the avant-garde, Walking Around the K and Hot Curry Summer Dish were extravaganzas in full tilt punk jazz which often defied any structual parameters and occasionally a recognizable time signature.  The former culminated in a seemingly endless overdriven coda that modulated up a tone every 4 bars, generating such excitement as I doubt the Youth Theatre has heard in recent times or indeed ever (and had this jazz purist completely won over even if I don’t have the vocabulary to do their brand of music full justice).

The Vietnamese input was provided by singer Tung Duong. He took to the stage as if he’d been playing with the band for months, not just for one rehearsal the previous day.  In light of the recent passing of Etta James, Duong choose At Last as a fitting tribute. With unit asia slotting easily into blues band mode, Duong delivered a heartfelt rendition that stretched even his dynamic range. The audience went wild. His love of drama and intensity was a perfect match for the band and I can see this collaboration having musical legs if anyone is thinking of extending the number of countries represented in the group. Well done to the Japan Foundation for this musical matchmaking – perfectly conceived.

So the winter blues were completely banished and the audience had an undiluted intravenous shot of jazz funk. I think I’m good now until April.

Words and photographs by Paul Zetter