Correspondence: On the Music of TERA and เถระ - 4. Last Letter from Great (Music Attached)

by Kyojun Tanaka and Great Lekakul

Kyojun Tanaka and Great Lekakul are both musicians who worked respectively on the Japanese and Thai versions of TERA. As performers and researchers, they exchanged letters online on their musical approaches and the creation process of TERA. In this post, we will present the final letter of their six-letter correspondence, with original music attached.

Read the previous post
Read from the first letter

Letter No.6 - From Great to Kyojun

Hi Kyojun, 

In my mind, I do not think that we are discussing about music and Buddhism or how Thai and Japanese people are different in music. In practice, we are human beings who is under the world culture in human creation and development. Therefore, our music that is expressed in TERA Thailand or Japan is the representation of our culture and experience in the globalised world. There is no such thing as gorgeous, beautiful music or even serious music, but how people perceive music in different ways and time.

For example, regarding Thai music that we play in rituals or ceremonies at present, if you asked my Thai music master Pinij Chaysuvan (a Thai National Artist in 1997), he might argue that our Thai music is not serious or a bit easy or catchy. This is because in his life time, Thai music was very intense or more serious than nowadays.

Around 20 years, I have had an experience in traditional, contemporary and experimental music, in which I worked for many Thai and western music composers. Most composers asked me to play several musical instruments including Thai instruments. Surprisingly, They did not care about how serious or easy my music was, but they cared about how I recreated or represented a sonic identity of my music. Not sure this may or may not answer your questions, but it is how I work with many musicians and composers in different art projects.

Anyway, I have to thank you and all members of TERASIA project to give us an opportunity to be part of this world performance. Hope we can work together again in the near future.

Great Lekakul

Postscript

Hi Kyojun,
I have just recorded our new piece with your music.
I did this recording with Tor san (*Torpong Samerjai, the other musician of TERA เถระ). I used 2-3 musical instruments on this recording such as Phin Pia, Suling, Sueng, Pii Chum. Basically, we created a new sound of this tune. The Pii Chum (a single free reed pipe) makes the sound of King of Naka.

I tried to make a new combination sound of Tera music. For example, Suling is an Indonesian bamboo ring flute, but I created a new sound of suling to be more gloomy, but also peaceful. I also made the soundscape of a storm by suling when the King of Naka appeared.

It is a world music for Tera.
You can use the name "Reincarnation," if you like it.

Related Programs

Theatre performances TERA in Kyoto and TERA เถระ are available for on-demand streaming from Friday, November 19 until Sunday, December 26, 2021. Please visit the link below for details including ticket information.
* Tickets are available for purchase until Sunday, December 12.

TERASIA Online Week 2021: Japan

TERASIA Online Week 2021: Thailand

Artist Bios

Great Lekakul
After graduating in music from Mahidol University, Great lectured in Japan at Kanda International Language Studies University, teaching music and religions in South East Asia and Thai music performances. Afterward, he studied for his doctorate at SOAS, the University of London in Ethnomusicology. After his graduation, he became a lecturer at SOAS.
With his specialties in Thai and experimental music, he became a member of Korphai, the renowned contemporary Thai music band since 2000. He also co-produced the musical soundtrack of Homrong films on Thai music in 2004. He also got selected as the Thai musicians representative to perform in the Asia Traditional Music Orchestra in Seoul, South Korea. In 2019 he produced and performed his music in Mahajanaka performing arts, highlighting the Buddha’s past life, with Pichet Kluncheun, which was performed in various cities in the UK.
Currently, he is the permanent lecturer in Performing Arts at Chiang Mai University.

Kyojun Tanaka
Born in Tokyo in 1983, Kyojun Tanaka is a drummer, percussionist, and composer. He started his musical career since he was a student in Tokyo University of the Arts. Following time with the likes of Naruyoshi Kikuchi’s dCprG, he attained his Ph.D., and is currently a rhythm-addicted university staff who travels the world in search of rhythms that make one want to “embrace.” Kyojun performs with his unit MIDOUTEI and the Latin jazz band Septeto Bunga Tropis. He is also engaged in the research and musical training of hsaing waing at the National University of Arts and Culture in Myanmar. “Tera” (2018) was his first participation in Yukari Sakata’s works, and he also performed in its shows in Tunisia (2019).