Personnel
Sandy Evans saxophones
Satsuki Odamura koto
"...with the koto player, Satsuki Odamura. Evans's soprano and tenor saxes explore an elegant, almost fragile, harmonic relationship with the muted sonority of the koto. What might have been stark turns out remarkably compelling and beautiful."
"World class is world class, pandemic or no pandemic.“
Satsuki Odamura
Satsuki Odamura is a master of the Koto and Shamisen, both traditional Japanese stringed musical instruments. She has pioneered awareness of these ancient Japanese instruments through her performances in Australia, and through teaching her students around the country. She is the Director of the Koto Music Institute of Australia.
Sandy Evans and Satsuki Odamura have a partnership rooted in deep mutual respect and friendship. This bond blossomed over decades of vibrant exploration of the intersections of improvisation and traditional Japanese music. Sandy met Satsuki in the early 1990s, not long after she moved to Australia from Japan.
Through numerous collaborations with Satsuki including duo performances, Waratah, Koto Transformation, GEST8 and RockPoolMirror, Sandy became enchanted with both the koto and Satsuki’s superb playing of it.
Magic Music ensemble
Their performances together included Magic Music a groundbreaking ensemble with bass player Steve Elphick that featured twice in the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival. This trio is collaborating with Iranian percussionist Sohrab Kolahdooz (percussion, voice).
"…an Australian music trio that unites jazz, world music and contemporary Australian music into a remarkable fusion."
RockPoolMirror
2017 saw the release of RockPoolMirror under the banner of Sandy Evans and Friends, another Tall Poppies addition. Inspired by Belinda Webster’s photographs of the Shoalhaven Gorge, this album features alternating duo and trio improvisation.
Pearl of May
In 2023 Pearl of. May, by the Satsuki Odamura Koto Ensemble was released on on Tall Poppies.This work celebrates Satsuki’s 30 years in Australia. Evans composed four pieces on the album
Waratah
One of their most notable projects has been the ensemble Waratah, formed in 1999 with Evans, Odamura, and percussionist Tony Lewis. The group was a remarkable fusion of jazz, world music, and contemporary sounds, with their album Time Never Sleeps showcasing the ensemble’s ability to create breathtakingly beautiful music. Waratah and guests gave a memorable performance Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.
GEST8
The 2007 GEST8 album Kaleidoscope, featuring Satsuki Odamura and released by Tall Poppies, showcased an extraordinary mix of instruments and virtuosic talent.
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Author Billy Burgess | Publish date 1 April 2025
Read the review at checkcheck.com.au (includes gorgeous images by Jordan Munns)
“Evans was magnetic throughout. “She’s a ray of light,” said my friend.”
Magic Music performed at Phoenix Central Park, on Gadigal land, on Thursday 27 March.
Any gig at Phoenix Central Park is a safe bet. It’s a building you want to be inside. Like a mansion on a hill. It feels exclusive. It is exclusive. No tickets are sold. They’re only distributed by ballot. The guestlists fill up in a hurry and the shows begin at 7pm on the dot.
Magic Music is an act I’d never heard of, but jazz saxophone, Japanese koto and traditional Persian percussion? I honestly couldn’t think of a better venue-to-music match.
We were some of the last to arrive, which meant we had to poke our heads between those of the people standing in front of us to get a view of Satsuki Odamura’s two whale-length kotos and Sohrab Kolahdooz’s goblet and frame drums. But there are no bad spots in Phoenix Central Park.
The four members of Magic Music set up on the floor, which is below street level. Some people sat down in front of them, no more than a metre or two away. The rest of us filled the ascending, U-shaped ramp that’s like an arm hugging the venue from within.
Everything about the room is bespoke. The curved ceiling reminds me of what I imagine lungs to look like when holding your breath underwater. At any moment, it feels like the building might exhale and the walls billow upwards. But the unusual contours enhance the sound rather than detract from it.
Sandy Evans, a local jazz luminary, played flowing sax melodies over Odamura’s vigorous and percussive koto playing. Odamura grabbed and pulled the strings of the two Japanese zithers with the intensity of a driver changing gears before accelerating up a steep rise.
Steve Elphick, who’s been working with Evans since the 1980s, made his double bass sound like mud. But in a good way. “How’s he making that sound?” my friend asked. “I don’t know,” I said, rising to my tiptoes to take a look. “He’s just using his hands?” Kolahdooz’s percussion was a highlight. The third composition was couched in Eastern harmony before the band dropped out and Kolahdooz launched into a lengthy drum solo. He picked up such lively momentum on his tombak – an Iranian goblet drum – that I half expected the band to break out into a salsa.
The closest we got was the show’s final piece, a Christmas song, said Evans, albeit one influenced by various elf-like creatures from Persian and Japanese folklore. Evans was magnetic throughout. “She’s a ray of light,” said my friend. When I told my mum about the show, she reminded me that we’d seen Evans perform at the Art Gallery of NSW circa 2011. I was apparently so moved that afterwards I blasted Evans with compliments. No regrets. She’s still got it. That magic.