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Taiwan percussion looks for inspiration in Africa

Fresh from its success in the performing arts category of the Taishin Art Awards earlier this year, the Ju Percussion Group is once again looking to find new horizons and new musical challenges. For its newest show, Africussion!, which debuts Sunday at the National Theater in Taipei, Ju Percussion has sought inspiration from African music, provided on this

occasion by the Hamambee Dance Company of New York.

The concert of percussion music will include original works by members of the Ju Percussion Group who have composed African-themed music, while Hamambee will be providing support and the visual spectacle that aims to make this Ju Percussion both an audio and a visual experience.

Hwang Kuen-Yean, who's Rhapsody of Amadinda will open the concert, said of the cooperation between Ju Percussion and Hamambee: "Actually, both Africa and China make considerable use of percussion music in daily life. The two types of percussion music differ in that African percussion tends to express itself in dance, while Chinese percussion is predominantly used in opera. But in both cases material is drawn extensively from daily life. When we found the common ground between Chinese and African percussion, the creative process for this concert ran very smoothly and naturally."

Hwang's composition makes use of a Ugandan instrument, the amadina, which is a kind of xylophone. Originally this instrument was made simply by placing 12 logs on fresh banana stems. In fact, the name simply means "big keys" and this largish instrument is most often played by more than one performer.

According to Hwang, Rhapsody incorporates Taiwan folk songs into an African-themed composition. It is all about fusion these days, and Ju Percussion certainly has shown itself to have the technical skills to engage in this often perilous exercise. As if to underline Ju Percussion's technical skills, Rhapsody has six performers playing four instruments and achieving a pulsing rhythm of 480 beats per minute.

The piece of music from which the concert takes its name, Africussion by Hung Chien-hui (洪芊惠), combines Taiwan's Aboriginal music with African rhythms. Voice is an added instrument in this piece, and the composition aims to create the sounds of nature that can be heard both in Africa and the mountains of Taiwan. In all of the above pieces, traditional Chinese instruments such as bells, gongs and cymbals have been added to the Ju Percussion's usual ensemble of drums, and of course there are the African instruments that give this session of music its unique character.

Ju Percussion has already made a name for itself internationally, but, not content to merely maintain a heavy performance schedule, it has also made enormous efforts over the years in international artist exchanges that have greatly enriched its repertoire.

On this occasion its partners are the Harambee Dance Company founded by Frank and Sandella Malloy, who established the company as a way of fusing traditional African music with contemporary dance. Like the Ju Percussion Group, it is very involved in music and dance education, and its participation in Africussion! has allowed Ju to extend its range and experience for the enjoyment of the growing number of percussion aficionados in Taiwan.

Event information:
What: Ju Percussion Group and Harambee Dance Company perform Africussion!
Where: Taipei's National Concert Hall
When: Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
Other performances: May 24 in Kaohsiung and May 2 in Taichung
Tickets: NT$300 to NT$1,200 for Taipei; available through www.artticket.com.tw or Ju Percussion at (02) 2890-8616
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